EXCLUSIVE: Bay Area man with captured family helping keep Hamas hostages in the spotlight

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A Bay Area man is helping keep the more than 200 hostages still being held by Hamas, front and center.

"It's really important for me that the hostages are kept in the forefront of people's minds," said Oren Rubinstein.

The Pacifica resident is taking it upon himself to put up posters of the hostages throughout San Francisco.

"I get captivated and caught in some of these faces when I look at them," said Rubinstein, noting some of these faces are his own family members.

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"My first cousins, three of my first cousins have been kidnapped," he said. "My cousin Ilan, his wife Shiri, and their 18-year-old daughter. And she's one of the people that is listed as the children."

His family members were kidnapped when Hamas attacked Kibbutz Be'eri, killing more than 100 people.

"It's hard to even imagine what these hostages are facing right now," said Zack Bodner, CEO of Palo Alto Jewish Community Center. "How they're kept underground. Are they being fed? These are children. These are elderly. These are people who need medicine."

Bodner is one of the Jewish Bay Area leaders traveling to Washington DC, where more than 250,000 people are expected to march for Israel on Tuesday.

"We want to let our government officials and everyone in Washington, D.C. know that we have to bring home the hostages," said Bodner. "We have to support Israel in their war against terrorism, and we have to stand against anti-Semitism wherever it rears its ugly head."

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Meanwhile, Rubinstein says putting up hundreds of posters is just one way he feels he can do his part.

"I think going through this sort of grief and being far away, I felt like I had to do something that was that I can contribute to," he said.

Soon Rubinstein will be heading to Israel to lay some groundwork to help raise money to rebuild his family's kibbutz.

"I think keeping people involved and aware of the situation will keep people activated and wanting to help," said Rubinstein.

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