Candlelight vigil held for 3 boys kidnapped in Israel

FAIRFAX, LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Prayers, song and hope sprang from a candlelight vigil held Thursday at Pan Pacific Park in the Fairfax neighborhood, dedicated to three boys kidnapped in Israel.

Gilad Shaer, 16, Eyal Yifrah, 19, and Naftali Fraenkel, 16, went missing in Israel a week ago.

Gilad Shaer's aunt lives in Los Angeles and yearns to be with her family during this trying time.

"We think it's a nightmare, because it's just three boys. They are not in the army, they are not soldiers, they just were waiting in a bus stop," Leehy Shaer said.

In Israel, soldiers ransacked homes in an exhaustive house-to-house search. Reports said more than 200 people have been arrested since Friday.

Israel believes Hamas is responsible for the kidnapping, but the government is not talking about what it has found out so far.

But the Consul General of Israel to the Southwest does want his voice to be heard.

"Silence is an accessory to terror, and we are here, both in Los Angeles, and in communities around the world tonight, and throughout this week, to raise our voice against that silence, to condemn this act, and to call for the safe release of these kids," David Siegel said.

Back in Los Angeles, politicians and the Jewish community rallied around Gilad Shaer's aunt, telling her they stand with her and the State of Israel.

"I'm here alone by myself, new in LA, and I was so amazed and moved from all the support I get here from everybody in the community, in the synagogue, in the house," Leehy Shaer said. "They're all praying for these three innocent boys to return back home."