On Thursday evening, amid pouring rain, over 100 people from various local Jewish groups gathered inside the Unitarian Society of Northampton and Florence, demanding an end to Israel’s U.S.-backed, “ongoing forced starvation in Gaza.”
Inside it was solemn, with attendees packed into the church’s pews, singing chants of “let aid into Gaza” and “let food into Gaza.”
To attendees, the gathering symbolized a bridging of divides between members of the local Jewish community who are critical of Israel and those who support it.
Speakers encouraged those in attendance to sign a group letter to local lawmakers demanding they take action to save lives in Gaza. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield, has previously co-sponsored legislation attempting to criminalize boycotts of Israel, while Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, has criticized Israeli policy and U.S. support for it but has also faced pressure from local protesters to do more.
The large gathering was spontaneously organized, according to attendees, with groups like western Massachusetts’ Jewish Voice for Peace chapter and Standing Together, an Israeli civil rights organization, playing a role in promoting the event.
The demonstration comes as world leaders have increasingly raised the alarm in recent weeks as starvation grips Gaza, pressuring Israeli leadership to dramatically increase the amount of humanitarian aid allowed into the besieged enclave.
Israel’s siege has severely limited the entry of food, water, and aid for months, while intense bombardment and ground operations have devastated infrastructure and displaced much of the population, pushing the region into near-famine conditions in recent weeks.
Yet, critics say, Gazans’ reports of their own forced starvation have been ignored for months, with the recent wave of condemnation from members of Congress and other powerful supporters of Israel coming far too late.
The ongoing military campaign in the Gaza strip has also threatened and claimed the lives of hundreds of civilians trying to reach the small amount of aid that has trickled in.
Earlier this week, former Green Beret Anthony Aguilar told news outlets that he witnessed indiscriminate use of force against civilians seeking food aid at sites run by the U.S.- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
A U.S. Senate vote to stop arms shipments to Israel also failed this week, with 24 Democrats voting for the measure — the highest number to back such legislation since independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders first introduced a similar proposal in November 2024. Both of Massachusetts’ senators, Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, voted in favor of the proposed blockade on weapons sales to Israel.
Inside the Unitarian church, the mood was sometimes tense, with some attendees expressing frustration at others they saw as uncommitted to Palestinian human rights.
“Where were you guys for the past two years?” one could be heard asking others.
After one speaker ended their address by calling for an end to the “humanitarian disaster” in Gaza, a young person in the back of the crowd yelled, “It’s a genocide!”
One man, who said he was raised Jewish, stormed out of the event in frustration, saying, “It’s a bunch of Zionists in there.”
To Mattea Kramer, a member of Jewish Voice for Peace who stood in the rain outside the church with a large banner reading “Stop Starving Gaza — Kids Are Dying,” the recent shift from some in the Jewish community was welcome.
“It’s very, very delicate. And the generation before me, it’s very hard to come to terms with what Israel is doing,” Kramer said.
“The turnout today was actually really notable,” Kramer added, arguing that it “mirrors the larger awareness that’s happening.”
While she understands the frustration of Jewish community members who feel that others have waited too long to speak up, she said she’ll always welcome the change of heart.
“I think that what is really, really important is that we set our differences aside and really think about, what would you say if there was a starving child in front of you?” she said.
Dan McGlynn is an investigative reporter covering social movements and institutional power in western Massachusetts. He can be reached at danmcglynn@protonmail.com. Follow him on Instagram @danmcglynn_ or on X @danmcglynn_.
