Thousands of activists shut down Grand Central Station.

Protesters in Grand Central Station Oct. 17. Photo: Ellen Davidson

Thousands filled the central hall of Grand Central Terminal on Friday night, Oct. 27, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza. The action, organized by Jewish Voice for Peace, included a massive nonviolent sit-in culminating in hundreds of arrests. The station was shut down for hours, and after the arrests began, many demonstrators moved to the street corners outside to join the many protesters who had been unable to join the action inside after police shut down the entrances. Jane Hirschmann of Jews Say NO!, who was arrested along with her daughters, said, the Palestinians had nothing to with the Holocaust and did not deserve the holocaust they are experiencing now. “I am a child of Holocaust survivors,” she said. “My whole family was affected by the Holocaust in Germany. And I understood, I grew up understanding that ‘never again’ means everybody, not just for Jews, but for everybody. And Palestine right now is very important, that we Jews stand up and say ‘no, not in our name, stop the genocide, stop the killing.’”

Jane Hirschmann (right) and her daughter leaving Grand Central Station in handcuffs Oct. 27. Photo: Ellen Davidson

More photos by Ellen Davidson: https://photos.app.goo.gl/8T7t2u2FH8ifXTrb6

Video by Dave Lippman

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