Skip To Content
JEWISH. INDEPENDENT. NONPROFIT.
Fast Forward

The Boulder firebomb attack has killed Karen Diamond, who leaves behind a Jewish legacy

Karen Diamond, 82, died of injuries sustained during the Pearl Street attack

An attack on a Colorado rally for Gaza hostages earlier this month has claimed the life of an 82-year-old woman, authorities said Monday.

Karen Diamond, 82, was one of eight people, ages 52 to 88, who were hospitalized for burns after molotov cocktails were thrown at them during the June 1 Run for Their Lives event, a weekly vigil and march for captives who are still held by Hamas. An 88-year-old Holocaust survivor, Barbara Steinmetz, was among those injured.

Prosecutors said the suspect, Mohamed Sabry Soliman, will be charged with first degree murder. Soliman yelled “Free Palestine” during the attack, according to law enforcement, and told investigators he wanted to “kill all Zionist people,” according to charging documents.

“This horrific attack has now claimed the life of an innocent person who was beloved by her family and friends,” Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty wrote in a statement. “Our hearts are with the Diamond family during this incredibly difficult time.”

Diamond’s Jewish legacy

Diamond was deeply involved in Jewish life in her community.

She was a member of Bonai Shalom, a conservative synagogue in Boulder, where she was part of a program that made deliveries to elderly and immobile congregants. She also helped the synagogue refurbish its space after the building was badly damaged in a 2013 flood, according to a leadership award she received from the University Women’s Club at the University of Colorado Boulder.

“Although our family tends to be somewhat more secular than religious, we recognize and honor our Jewish heritage,” Diamond and her husband, Lou, wrote in a statement about why they were donating to the synagogue. They said they “greatly respect the educationally important, socially relevant and often courageous work being done by the members of Bonai Shalom and its dedicated, inspiring leaders.”

In a statement announcing her death, Bonai Shalom Rabbi Marc Soloway said, “There are no words to express the pain of this horrific loss of our beloved member and friend.”

Diamond’s two sons, Andrew and Ethan, wrote in a statement that their mom was “a beautiful soul with limitless kindness and positivity toward everyone.”

The family held a private burial on Friday before Shabbat, Rabbi Soloway said.

Prosecutors upgraded the charges against Soliman after Diamond’s death, from an attempt to commit first degree murder to two counts of first degree murder. Soliman has also been charged with federal hate crimes, to which he has pleaded not guilty.

Republish This Story

Please read before republishing

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:

  • Credit the Forward
  • Retain our pixel
  • Preserve our canonical link in Google search
  • Add a noindex tag in Google search

See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.

To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.

We don't support Internet Explorer

Please use Chrome, Safari, Firefox, or Edge to view this site.