Minnesotan Jews march to Klobuchar’s office, call for cease-fire

By KSTP
As Israel prepares a ground invasion of Gaza, a group of Minnesotans is calling for a cease-fire.

(KSTP) – As Israel prepares a ground invasion of Gaza, a group of Minnesotans is calling for a cease-fire.

On Monday morning, a group of more than 100 Minnesota Jews gathered at Gold Medal Park and then marched roughly half a mile to the office of U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota), calling for her support for no more war and violence.

During the hour-long march, they sang Hebrew songs of peace.

Once they arrived at Klobuchar’s office, a letter with the signatures of more than 300 Minnesota Jews was delivered inside, which called for the senator’s support for de-escalation, humanitarian aid and a cease-fire in Gaza.

The group said they condemned the Israeli and U.S. government’s complicity in the ongoing violence against thousands of Palestinians.

“It’s horrifying and horrific, and as someone whose family was exterminated in the Holocaust, it’s deeply disturbing to see my family’s pain and trauma being used to commit another genocide against Palestinians in Gaza,” said Nat El-Hai, of Jewish Voice for Peace Minnesota.

This comes as the American death toll rises in Israel, including a former St. Paul teacher. 29-year-old Noi Maudi started teaching at Talmud Torah school in 2015, where he stayed for six years before returning to Israel.

RELATED: Former St. Paul teacher killed in southern Israel attack

His friends say he, as well as his brother-in-law and two of his closest friends, were all shot and killed by Hamas terrorists at the Israeli music festival “the Nova”, on Oct. 7.

More than 2,300 Palestinians have died in the ensuing Israeli bombardment of Gaza, which is bracing for a ground invasion. At least 30 U.S. citizens have also died, and 13 remain missing, the State Department says.

RELATED: Israeli rabbis work around the clock – even on the Sabbath – to count the dead from Hamas attack

Earlier in the day Monday, President Joe Biden postponed a trip to Colorado due to the intensifying conflict. He is instead now expected to have multiple meetings with aides on Israel and the growing humanitarian concerns in Gaza.

A candlelight vigil for Gaza and Palestine is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Monday outside Memorial Union in Minneapolis. Organizers say they are gathering “in unity and in loving memory of Palestine’s martyrs” and to “remember the lives lost in the ongoing Gaza attacks.”