An Encouraging Walk in Balboa Park in Support of the Israeli Hostages in Gaza

By Miriam Gershenson

SAN DIEGO — I had the privilege of participating in a “Bring Them Home Now” march through Balboa Park in San Diego on Sunday, April 7.  The organizers of this event, Ortal Elkayam, Shoshi Barkai, Dan Pritsker, and Margarita Pinhas, did a phenomenal job. The communication was excellent, the execution was flawless, and the direction was clear.

The purpose of this march was to commemorate six months since the Hamas massacre and kidnappings in Israel on October 7th, 2023. Approximately 1,200 men, women, and children were murdered on that day, and over 250 were taken hostage. Since then, some have been released and some have been murdered. There are 133 hostages that are still in captivity and presumed alive.

It was important for me to participate, because my childhood best friend, Daniel Ben Senior, was murdered by these terrorists while she was at the Nova festival promoting peace. It was important for me to participate because I’m Israeli and my nation is traumatized. It was important for me to participate because my global Jewish community is in tears. It was important for me to participate because my heart is broken and I’m trying hard to put it back together. It was important for me to participate because I needed to be near people who are experiencing the same.

Leading up to the event and as we were congregating, the topic of counter-protests and potential hate speech and violence aimed at us was brought up. We were briefed on how to handle such a situation if it were to come up. The general gist was to ignore and not engage. We were reminded that we had security for our safety. Of course there was some concern and tension going into this.

There were about 100 people, each wearing a yellow t-shirt and representing a hostage. I was walking with the poster of 19-year-old Naama Levi. She was one of the hostages who was seen in videos paraded by Hamas terrorists on October 7th. She was covered in blood with her hands bound behind her back and shoved into a black jeep in Gaza.

Some marchers also had flags; American, Israeli, and even a flag with both. Some had tape with 184 written on it, representing how many days the hostages have been in captivity.

Before the march began, we posed for a picture. We created the yellow ribbon symbol that represents the hostages by standing next to one another in our yellow shirts. I have never in my life seen a group of people be so willing and so easy to organize. Everyone was listening and doing as directed. I was fascinated from the get go because that never happens.

As a group, we marched from the parking lot on Space Theater Way and made our way to the big fountain next to the Fleet Science Center. We continued down El Prado until we got to the other side near the Balboa Park Visitor Center. Along our route, people looked, photographed, and recorded videos of us. We passed by a tent of missionaries, one of them waved a small flag of Israel. He was thanking us.

We stopped so those who happened to pass by could see us, welcoming them to approach us to ask any questions they may have. We posed for pictures and had news channels filming. During this time, I had a moment to truly notice the variety of participants. I heard people speak in English, Hebrew, Russian, Spanish, etc. People were connecting with one another and supporting each other. Strangers were hugging as eyes were watering. Phone numbers were exchanged and new friendships were made. Suddenly and collectively, we were singing Hatikva, the Israeli national anthem followed by Star Spangled Banner. The feeling of unity was unbelievable not just between us but between the two nations, Israel and the US.

We headed back the same way, passing by the missionaries tent again. Still holding his flag, the man was saying ”shalom.” That word was so meaningful at this time for its meaning of “hello,” “peace,” and “goodbye,” as all three meanings had a place at that moment in time.  We stopped at the big fountain by the Fleet Science Center. Another news agency filmed. The pause was welcome as the cool breeze came in and light drizzles of water from the fountain reached us. During this stop, I had a chance to pet the dogs that came along on the journey.

All in all, I was so happy that I participated. As a newcomer to San Diego, I have been trying to get involved with my new community. Today was validation that I’m on the right track. My heart is still broken but it is feeling the love of my fellow Israelis, Jews, and humans as a whole.

Today, I realized that all hope was not lost. Going through a park with so many people from all walks of life, we did not have a single bad experience and were met with support from strangers. At a time when antisemitism is peaking, I am reminded that humanity prevails and we have a lot more support than we know.

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Gershenson is a dog-loving, Israel-born, HR professional currently residing in Escondido.