Photos: Napa 'Unite For Israel' Rally Not Deterred By Rain

NAPA VALLEY, CA — A crowd of around 100 people turned out in the pouring rain Sunday in a local show of support for Israel.

The "Napa Valley Unites For Israel" was meant to send a strong statement of solidarity with the people of Israel in the wake of the terror attack in Israel that killed over 1,000 Jews, according to one of the main event organizers, Rabbi Elchonon Tenenbaum from Chabad of Napa Valley.

In addition to the rabbi, several community leaders and elected spoke during the rally: Barbara Nemko, Napa County Superintendent of Schools; Napa Vice Mayor Beth Painter; Joanna Waldinger, trustee for the Napa County Office of Education; Luce Moretti, from U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson's office; Alex Pader from state Sen. Bill Dodd's office; and Johanna Meckel, project manager for StandWithUS, an international non-partisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism.

Meckel, another of the main event organizers, knew rain was in the forecast and hoped it would not hinder the event.

"I was quite worried about the turnout so I went to the Rabbi’s house on Saturday and he said, 'We support Israel in the rain or shine so let’s do it' and I'm so happy he pushed me to not to reschedule," Meckel said.

Bringing home the hostages was the main issue Meckel and others spoke about Sunday.

"I have been working at StandWithUs for the past 10 years so for me this information about Hamas being a terrorist group is not news," Meckel told Patch."It almost feels like the rest of the world is finally catching up. We always knew what Hamas was capable of, we just never thought they’d have the opportunity to do it. We just want our hostages back at this point. We have already lost so many lives and we can’t afford to lose more and that was really the sentiment of the entire crowd on Sunday—bring home the hostages."

According to the Napa Police Department, it was a peaceful gathering with no reported incidents.

"I did not hear of any feedback or concerns regarding the event," Napa police Lt. Chase Haag told Patch. "I do know that our patrol folks drove by and kept an eye on things, but there were no issues reported."

As the rain came down in droves, organizers were thankful for those who turned out in solidarity.

"I’m so grateful for all those who came out to support — not just from Napa but from Sonoma and Vallejo as well," Merkel said. "We had members from so many different communities who showed up for our Jewish community. It’s really just a testament to the community of Napa, at large."