On the eve of the one-year anniversary of Hamas attacks on Israel, a Jewish group gathered to demand an end to U.S. weapons support of Israel at the Maine State Pier this afternoon.
Jewish Voice for Peace is a grassroots organization working for peace and the preservation of human rights and equality for the people of Israel and Palestine.
On Sunday the group performed a ritual called a Tashlich in which Jewish people wear white on High Holy Days and throw stones or bread into a body of water to symbolically let go of oppressive policies.
Madeleine, the group's spokesperson, asked that her last name not be used for safety reasons.
"In this instance what we want to let go of and cast off is the US support of the Israeli military, which is committing egregious war crimes and genocide. We will gather to cast small stones into the water and demand that the U.S. organize a ceasefire immediately," she said.
Jewish Voice for Peace wants President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Maine's Congressional Delegation to call for a ceasefire immediately.
Human rights groups say that more than 41,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began October 7, 2023.