"The best thing we could say is this is a really horrible time to be funding for the Israel military," said Lisa Rofel, with Jewish For Peace. "This is led by children and grandchildren of Holocaust survivors and they are demanding 'never again' for anyone."
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Protesters chanted as gala attendees arrived at the fundraiser, which was hosted by a group called Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, who say the dinner celebrates 75 years since the establishment of the modern state of Israel.
MORE: Thousands rally in SF during international protest supporting Palestinians
"We need a cease-fire and we need to stop arming Israel," said Seth Morrison, a resident of El Cerrito.
A handful of counter-protesters also showed up to the event, and a police SWAT team was out controlling the crowd, which did have a couple of altercations.
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"I'm here because I'm an American Jew and how dare they kill Palestinians in my name. The state of Israel does not represent me," said Laura Ostrow, an Oakland resident.
"I think the majority of people here want peace and just want people to be able to live their lives," said Imran Maskatia, who made the trip from Palo Alto.