WASHINGTON (RNS) — In the weeks after Hamas terrorists rampaged towns in southern Israel, leaving hundreds dead and taking more than 200 hostage, Sheila Katz traveled to Israel to be with a friend who had five family members believed to be kidnapped. While she was there, they learned two had already been killed.

“I committed to people that I met there and here that I would spend every day speaking up until their family’s home, and that’s what I’m trying to do,” Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, told Religion News Service.

On Friday (Oct. 27), she addressed a crowd of people gathered in front of a massive Shabbat table erected near the Lincoln Memorial in Washington. The table’s chairs set empty. Fliers were distributed throughout the crowd, each with the name of a person missing since the Oct. 7 attack that left at least 1,400 dead, sparking an ongoing retaliatory Israeli assault on Gaza.

Katz’s organization is among a number of Jewish groups — including the Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which set up the D.C. event — that are working to raise awareness about the plight of U.S. citizens and Israelis taken hostage during the recent attack by Hamas along Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, with advocates staging demonstrations and meeting with lawmakers on behalf of those kidnapped.

The exact count of hostages remains in flux, as authorities continue to identify the remains of victims killed in the initial attack and work to confirm who among the missing is in Hamas custody.

“As we gather around empty tables yet another week, their absence is overwhelming,” Gil Preuss, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Greater Washington, told the crowd gathered in front of the empty Shabbat table on Friday.

“And yet this very Shabbat table in front of us and those like it around the world remind us that we are not alone. Our Jewish community is here to sustain us,” he added.

Attendees express support for hostages kidnapped by Hamas during a demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial, Oct. 27, 2023, in Washington. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)

Sitting in front of Preuss were family members of those believed to have been kidnapped by Hamas, at least 13 of whom are U.S. citizens. The group met with Vice President Kamala Harris immediately before the event, and some, such as Boaz Atzili, who explained that his cousin and his cousin’s wife are presumed to be among those kidnapped, addressed the crowd.

Atzili noted that two of the couple’s children were also in the region impacted by the Hamas attack but managed to survive.

“(They) are going through hell right now, not knowing whether they will ever see their parents again,” said Atzili, who was born and raised just a few miles from Gaza and now teaches international relations at American University in Washington. “This is beyond comprehension.”

Speakers led the crowd in chants of “Bring them home!” as well as songs and prayers in Hebrew. Many held flyers with the names and faces of those believed to be held hostage, with “kidnapped” scrawled across the top.

Other speakers included Rabbi Corey Helfand, head of a local congregation; William C. Daroff, head of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations; and Katz.

Sheila Katz, CEO of the National Council of Jewish Women, speaks before an illustrative Shabbat table, with empty chairs representing hostages taken by Hamas, at the Lincoln Memorial, Oct. 27, 2023, in Washington. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)

In her speech, Katz noted that among the songs sung at Shabbat dinner is one “welcoming the divine angels who join us for Shabbat for their blessing.”

She then expressed hope that the hostages in Gaza will know “our fervent prayers for their return are accompanying them, and that they can feel how desperate we are to have them home, feel blessed by our love, and that they can feel it fluttering like wings.”

Israeli Americans and supporters hold displays of kidnapped individuals, calling for their return, as they gather around an installation in Times Square featuring a 222-seat Shabbat (Sabbath) table set, a symbolic representation of hostages still held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Oct. 26, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

The demonstration was one of several staged in the U.S. to express support for the kidnapped. A similar Shabbat table was erected on the street leading to the U.S. Capitol last week, and another was placed in Times Square in New York City on Thursday. The New York demonstration was brief, but advertisements sponsored by the World Jewish Congress, which listed the names and photos of the kidnapped, continued to scroll across Times Square billboards throughout the day Friday.

Empty Shabbat tables have also been installed over the past two weeks on the lawn of Independence Mall in Philadelphia; in Tenafly, New Jersey; and in Beverly Hills, California. They have also been erected overseas in Italy, Australia and Israeli cities such as Tel Aviv.

Separately, the Israeli American Council staged a rally in Times Square last week calling for the hostages to be released.

The demonstration in Washington came a day after family members of the hostages met with lawmakers on Capitol Hill, working to accrue bipartisan support for their cause. During a news conference with lawmakers from both parties, Yehuda Beinin, whose daughter and son-in-law are believed to be among the hostages, thanked President Joe Biden’s administration and government officials for their support — including the U.S. State Department and the FBI, which are working to bring U.S. citizens who were kidnapped home.

“I feel it’s upon us to make sure that there is continued pressure on members of Congress and in the Senate to keep this topic front and center, and try to come to a resolution to the situation as quickly as possible,” Beinin said.

Yehuda Beinin, right, whose daughter and son-in-law are among those taken hostage, speaks on Capitol Hill, Oct. 26, 2023, in Washington. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)

They were flanked by members of both parties as they spoke, including Republican Rep. French Hill of Arkansas and Democratic Reps. Steny Hoyer of Maryland and Debbie Wasserman Schultz of Florida.

Four hostages — two Americans and two Israelis — have been freed so far, and on Friday afternoon, CNN reported that hostage negotiations with Hamas, spearheaded by Qatar, have made “significant progress.” However, the situation is still “very touch and go,” according to CNN.

Biden has repeatedly expressed support for the hostages, going so far as to dismiss calls for a cease-fire in Gaza until the hostages are freed.

Hamas “should have those hostages released, and then we can talk,” Biden said on Monday.

However, at least one of those with family members taken hostage by Hamas appeared to voice support for something resembling a cease-fire on Friday.

Attendees express support for hostages kidnapped by Hamas during a demonstration at the Lincoln Memorial, Oct. 27, 2023, in Washington. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)

“I’m not naive. I study international politics — I teach international politics. But we’ve had enough bloodshed. Stop the rockets. Stop the bombing,” Atzili said, sparking applause. “It only leads to more bloodshed. Start to look for a solution that will allow both Israeli and Palestinian families to life their lives peacefully.”

As the demonstration gathered in Washington on Friday, reports emerged of Israel escalating its assault on Gaza. According to the Gaza-based Ministry of Health — which is part of the region’s Hamas-controlled government — more than 7,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s counterassault so far, with that number expected to rise in the coming days.

Speaking to RNS after Thursday’s news conference, Ronan and Orna Neutra, duel U.S.-Israeli citizens and the parents of 22-year-old Omer, who is among those believed to be kidnapped, remained visibly shaken. But they said they were deeply grateful for the outpouring of support they have received from the Jewish community in New York, where they live.

“The Jewish community has been an amazing support to us,” said Orna Neutra, who noted Omer was a leader in his Conservative synagogue when he was younger. “It’s really heartwarming.”

Ronan Neutra added that they were also uplifted by a recent interfaith gathering in New York in support of the hostages.

Ronan Neutra, whose son is among those kidnapped by Hamas, speaks on Capitol Hill, Oct. 26, 2023, in Washington. (RNS photo/Jack Jenkins)

“It was pretty powerful to see wall to wall support,” he said, as his other son nodded next to him. “The situation here is not about politics, or ‘what’s your religion.’ It’s just identifying what’s good, what’s wrong, and supporting the sources of light. (It’s about) the sources of light and hope, getting together and working together, versus just blindly killing people and slaughtering them.”

Fiona André contributed to this report.