Western Massachusetts residents with very different opinions on the conflict between Israel and Palestinians made their feelings heard on Monday.
About 15 people boarded a bus outside the Amherst Jewish Community building. They were headed for a March for Israel event on the National Mall in Washington.
Karen Loeb of Amherst said she was going to support Israel.
"Jews have to defend themselves and that's why I'm here and also to bring the hostages home and also against anti-Semitism, which seems to be a losing battle," she said.
Supporters of the Palestinians protested outside the Springfield offices of U.S. Senators Ed Markey, D-Massachusetts, and Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, urging them to support a ceasefire.
Arlene Avakian, who lives in Northampton, said Israel isn't defending itself.
"It is the aggressor," she said. "OK, the October 7 attack did happen but the terrible things they're doing in Gaza now is disproportionate."
The ceasefire supporters said they tried to drop off letters to the senators but were unsuccessful.
![The UMass campus overlooking academic buildings and the W.E.B. Du Bois library [far left].](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/27e95cf/2147483647/strip/true/crop/4032x2246+0+0/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fa9%2F56%2F25581c7a4eb1bd73805ad27419e4%2Fimg-0521.jpg)
