In the Wake of Colorado Attack, Bay Area Jewish Community Fears a Rise in Violence

A grassroots movement born in the Bay Area is at the center of national headlines after a violent attack at one of its events in Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday.

The group, Run for Their Lives, was founded in 2023 by San José attorney Shany Klein after Hamas fighters in Israel killed around 1,200 people and took 251 hostages. Now, participants in 230 chapters around the world march weekly to demand the release of the remaining hostages in Gaza.

Authorities say Egyptian national Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, used a makeshift flamethrower and yelled “Free Palestine” before throwing Molotov cocktails into the crowd at Boulder’s Pearl Street Mall, injuring eight people.

Among them was a relative of a Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area staff member, who was badly burned, according to a statement from the organization.

“This rise in extremist violence is deeply dangerous,” wrote JCRC Bay Area CEO Tyler Gregory, “and it is now more critical than ever that we speak with one voice against antisemitism and hateful rhetoric.”

Rabbi Jacqueline Mates-Muchin of Temple Sinai in Oakland fears the attack is part of a disturbing trend, citing the fatal shooting outside a Jewish Museum in Washington, D.C. last month, also involving an attacker shouting “Free Palestine.”

“It’s very clear that people are using it,” said Mates-Muchin, “whether it’s as an excuse or at least they are inspired by that slogan in order to physically assault and hurt and kill Jews here in the United States who have nothing to do with the state of Israel.”

Rabbi Sydney Mintz, of Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco, said she also worried that while “nothing good” has come from the aftermath of Oct. 7, those who support Israel’s existence are being blamed.

“It’s a very, obviously very challenging time for Palestinian people, for the Jewish people,” Mintz said, “but it’s like this conflation — of kind of holding American Jews responsible for what’s happening in Gaza — it’s come to a head.”

Run for Their Lives, which has no formal political affiliation, has focused solely on advocating for the release of the 58 remaining hostages in Gaza, a third of whom are believed to be alive.

In a statement, Run for Their Lives said the group “remains committed to our mission until ALL the HOSTAGES are returned back home,” calling their plight a “humanitarian crisis.”

From San Francisco to Sao Paulo, the group’s weekly demonstrations continue as war in Gaza rages with no end in sight. The Gaza Health Ministry has reported more than 54,000 deaths — mostly women and children — amidst Israel’s siege. The United Nations last week described Gaza as “the hungriest place on Earth,” as Israeli authorities limit relief to a starving Palestinian population.

Rabbi Cat Zavis, of Oakland, condemned the violence in Boulder while also calling for an end to the broader conflict.

“People have been on the streets for over 600 days and nothing’s stopping it,” Zavis said. “People are feeling desperate and enraged … the vast majority are engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience and struggle. Unfortunately, horrifically, unethically, immorally and illegally — wrongly, if you will — some people are starting to respond in violent ways.”