Sausalito display calls for return of Israeli hostages
Empty Shabbat tables sprang up around the Bay Area on Friday as part of a demonstration by Jewish organizations to draw attention to hostages taken during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
In Marin, a display set up at Dunphy Park in Sausalito was one of six designed to raise awareness and demand the safe return of roughly 240 people abducted by Hamas. Hamas, the group that controls the Gaza Strip, has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada
and the European Union.
For seven hours, empty chairs — each with a poster featuring the victim’s photo, name, age and biographical information taped to it — sat around a set table.
“What we’re doing is quiet and peaceful,” said Liat Gilbert, a lead organizer with Chabad of Marin in San Rafael. “We’re not here to support violence, we’re here to support the innocent people taken.”
“I want people to realize that these people aren’t soldiers, they’re innocent civilians,” said Mark Gilbert of Chabad of Marin. “I want people to see
that they are people just like us. They deserve to go home, to be released.”
The significance of Shabbat is essential to the display, according to Guila Rice, co-director of Chabad of Marin. Rice said the day, central to Judaism, is when people gather with family and bless the day, night and the events that have happened.
“How can you do this at a table where your parents or your children are missing?” Rice said. “How can I celebrate Shabbat with those I love knowing that somebody is missing?”