The Holocaust survivor who was injured during a terrorist attack in Boulder, Colorado, has spoken out about what she experienced on Sunday when Mohamad Soliman hurled Molotov cocktails at a group of Israel supporters.
She told NBC News that “We are better than this” and indicated that she is worried about the direction of the country.
In her first words spoken publicly since Sunday's gruesome attack on a group of demonstrators advocating for the return of Israeli hostages in Gaza, Barbara Steinmetz told NBC News that what happened "has nothing to do with the Holocaust, it has to do with a human being that wants to burn other people."
Steinmetz said she and other members of the group Run for Their Lives were "peacefully" demonstrating when they were suddenly attacked.
During a brief interview, Steinmetz still appeared to be rattled by the ordeal.
"It's about what the hell is going on in our country," Steinmetz said. "What the hell is going on?"
Asked if there was anything more she wanted Americans to know after the attack, Steinmetz said she "wants people to be nice and decent to each other, kind, respectful, encompassing."
"We’re Americans," she said. "We are better than this. That’s what I want them to know. That they be kind and decent human beings."
88-year-old Holocaust survivor Barbara Steinmetz is recovering after being injured in the Boulder, Colorado, terrorist attack this past weekend. She was participating in Run for Their Lives, peacefully raising awareness for the 58 remaining hostages currently held in Gaza when… pic.twitter.com/Zpgd3RbwHi
— Humans of Judaism (@HumansOfJudaism) June 4, 2025
Soliman allegedly targeted participants at a “Run for Their Lives,” an event aimed at raising awareness of Israeli hostages kidnapped by the terrorist group Hamas. While carrying out the attack, the suspect shouted anti-Israel epithets and told police that he wanted to kill Zionists.
Rabbi Marc Soloway, who leads the Congregation Bonai Shalom in Boulder, said Steinmetz suffered minor burns but would recover. He referred to Soliman as “deluded and misguided.”
"If he thinks that an act of unspeakable brutality and violence is going to help the condition of the suffering of the Palestinian people in Gaza, he is so deluded and so misguided," he told NBC News.
Soliman was residing in the country illegally after having overstayed his visa. On his social media account, he expressed support for Mohamed Morsi, leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, an organization suspected of having ties to terrorist groups.
During his attack, he allegedly used Molotov cocktails and a makeshift flamethrower, injuring at least 12 people. He told investigators that he only threw two cocktails because he “got scared and had never hurt anyone before.” He expected to die during the incident. He remains unrepentant, saying he would do it again if he had the opportunity. The suspect is facing several charges related to the attack.
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