(Portland, OR) -- A Jewish activist group calling for a ceasefire in Gaza held protests in Portland and seven other U.S. cities last night on the eighth night of Hanukkah. Protesters with the group Jewish Voice for Peace blocked traffic on the Burnside Bridge in Portland, carrying a large menorah onto the bridge. They also called on Oregon Senator Ron Wyden to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley called for a cease-fire last month. Protesters also blocked rush hour traffic on major bridges in Seattle, Washington, DC and Philadelphia on Thursday, and also held demonstrations in Boston, Atlanta, Chicago and Minneapolis. The UN this week demanded an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza, where Israeli forces have killed nearly 19-thousand people in its war against Hamas.