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| Rally in support of Israel on October 13. Only the beginning? (JTA) |
This has been demonstrated in a variety of ways over the last month - since that horrible day that on October 7th. ‘Which will live in infamy!’ (...to borrow an appropriate phrase from FDR)
I mention this in light of a planned massive March for Israel in Washington DC scheduled for November 14th of this month. One week from today. From JTA:
Jewish Federations of North America, ...is organizing the rally jointly with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations…Participants will be demanding the return of the estimated 240 hostages Hamas terrorists abducted during its Oct. 7 attack on Israel, Fingerhut said. They will also be calling for efforts to combat antisemitism, which has spiked worldwide since the attack. And they will be demonstrating their support for the unabashed backing Israel has so far received from both parties in Congress and the Biden administration.
The organizers are encouraging people from all over the country to come to Washington in support of Israel. I am happy to report that Yeshiva University has canceled all of its classes so their students can attend the rally. I’m sure there will be more schools doing that.
Based on similar rallies of the past, estimates of over 100,000 people attending are expected. With the potential of a great many more. I hope that happens by orders of magnitude.
More than ever Israel needs the support of their own people and the support of the people of the United States, which their representatives in government are enthusiastically giving both in word and in deed.
But I would go one step further than asking for support from our own people. What I would like to see included in this rally is a massive turn out of Americans of all faiths. Starting with evangelical Christians, who have been highly supportive of the Jewish state for many many years. As exemplified by preachers like John Hagee.
I believe that in light of what happened on that day, American support for Israel is at its apex. Going well beyond evangelical support. The good people of America know the truth. They know who the good guys are. And perhaps more importantly, they know who the bad guys are.
What I would like to see are numbers along the lines of the March on Washington back in the 60s advocating for the civil rights of black Americans. Where Dr. Martin Luthor King Jr. uttered one of the most memorable quotes ever made by an American orator. Which was about not judging people by the color of their skin but the content of their character. The national mall was filled beyond capacity on that day.
The same thing could happen next Tuesday. If Americans of goodwill, regardless of their religious beliefs show up in those kinds of numbers, it would send an important message to those who believe that Israel has somehow lost its moral bearings because of the way they are responding to terrorists in Gaza. That instead Israel is fighting a just war for its own survival.
I think it can happen with the right kind of promotion. I sure would like to see it, because at the very least it would more than validate my belief in the goodness of the American people. Making it more than a belief. Making it an indisputable fact.
It would also put to rest the notion that the anti Israel protesters have a moral leg to stand on. That they are in any case a relatively small minority of the American people. Showing most of them to be the antisemites they are. A massively attended march in support of Israel would go a long way towards that end.
Wishful thinking? Maybe. But it sure would be nice if something like that really happened. But in any case, the more that show up\ next Tuesday, the better. God bless the Jewish people and God bless the United States of America.