Vanessa Feltz and Mike Freer blow horns for hostages in St John's Wood

The 'Blow for Hostages' on Sunday (March 10) was joined by rabbis and community leaders who simultaneously blew their shofars - ceremonial ram's horns - at noon in solidarity with more than 100 hostages held in Gaza since Hamas' October 7 attack.

The ‘blow’ at St John's Wood synagogue lasted for 1.55 minutes marking the 155 days they have been in captivity.

Actor Dame Maureen Lipman OBE attended the event at St John's Wood Synagogue in Grove End Road on Sunday (Image: Denise Lester)Broadcaster Feltz, who lives in St John's Wood, gave a speech expressing sympathy with the mothers of hostages.

She said: “As a mother who hugely treasures her two precious daughters, on Mother’s Day my heart will be connecting with the mothers of the hostages who will have been emotionally tormented for 155 days. I will continue to trumpet the humanitarian message ‘bring them home now’.”

Dame Maureen Lipman passionately called for Hamas to release the hostages, lay down their arms, and that peace would then prevail.

The event, which was also joined by Nimco Ali OBE and Anthea Turner, was part of the global ‘Blow for Hostages’ initiative organised by Marcel Knobil, who recently created the Lovelock Hostage Bridge at JW3 in Finchley Road.St John's Wood broadcaster Vanessa Feltz gave a speech at the event which was held in solidarity with the Hamas held hostages in Gaza (Image: Jeremy Coleman)

Similar events took place in Cancun, New York, and Jerusalem at weddings, football pitches and other events.

Knobil said never before have as many shofars been blown simultaneously in the UK to "awaken the world to the conditions the hostages are facing".

He said: "The shofar is normally blown to spur a spiritual awakening. On this occasion the extraordinary haunting wails were intended to re-awaken the world to the horrific October 7 massacre, when around 240 innocent civilians were dragged into captivity in Gaza, and over 100 of them still suffer in dire conditions. Today more shofars will have been blown, than probably on any day in history, marking the unifying and desperate hope of Jews and sympathisers throughout the world that the hostages will be freed."

Rabbi Naftali Schiff, CEO of Jewish Future’s Trust, added: "The shofar is a symbol of prayer and hope. It is blown at the most poignant and holiest moments of the Jewish calendar. We are blowing the shofar as a universal act of prayer and hope that our innocent hostages - men, women and children shall come home."