American Jewish record executive Scooter Braun, who has managed top music careers including those of Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato, and Ariana Grande, spoke at a protest event held by the families of the hostages.
"I wasn't sure what to say tonight, so I decided to speak from the heart," he began. "A week ago, I woke up and decided that I had to visit Israel, to stand with my people. I wasn't sure what I would find here."
"What I found here was not a nation filled with hate or anger, but a nation of lions, filled with hope and courage and kindness, and it let me know that the hostages will come home.
"They need to come home now. I know the international community is confused and being bombarded with all kinds of information, but there should not be even one conversation that does not start with the hostages coming home now."
He added, "I've worked in the music industry for 20 years, and I've put a lot of my time into that industry. I have the opportunity to meet with survivors of the Supernova festival, when I watch them dancing and singing and hugging each other, I told them it was the most beautiful thing I had seen since coming to Israel."
"300 kids died that day, and another 40 are still being held hostage. I will not stop using my voice to speak up for them, and shame on my industry if it does not start speaking up immediately."
"My grandmother was a survivor of Auschwitz. She would always say is that for everyone she lost, she was convinced that's why she had a beautiful life on the other side. The Hamas terrorists believed that the actions of October 7th would break the spirit of the Jewish people, but they have made a terrible mistake. They have not only woken the people of the people of Israel, but the Diaspora, and now we are one people around the world. We will not be silent - we will scream at the top of our voices. 'Am Yisrael Chai,' and bring them home now!" he concluded.