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March for Israel

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March for Israel
DateNovember 14, 2023 (2023-11-14)
VenueNational Mall
LocationWashington, D.C., United States
CauseResponse to 2023 Israel–Hamas war
Participants290,000 (claimed by organizers)
Websitemarchforisrael.org

The March for Israel was a pro-Israel demonstration that took place at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on November 14, 2023.[1][2][3] The rally was organized by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CoP) and the Jewish Federations of North America in solidarity with Israel during the 2023 Israel–Hamas war.[4]

Initially, the number of attendees was predicted to be 60,000.[5][6] Event organizers said the final turnout was much higher, estimating that 290,000 people attended the rally and an additional 250,000 joined via livestream. Organizers said the March for Israel was "the largest pro-Israel gathering in US history" and "the largest Jewish gathering in US history."[7]

The stated goals of the rally were to support Israel, call for the release of hostages taken by Hamas, and to combat antisemitism.

Background

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For broader coverage of this topic, see Israel–Hamas war protests and Antisemitism during the Israel–Hamas war.

The 2023 Israel–Hamas war has sparked numerous protests, demonstrations, and vigils across the world. The protests have focused on a variety of issues related to the conflict and have been held on varying scales since the October 7 Hamas attacks.[8]

According to March for Israel website, the rally had three main objectives. In addition to standing in support of Israel, the other two goals were to raise awareness for and demand the release of the more than 240 hostages still being held by Hamas after over a month since the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel. The rally was also aimed at condemning a perceived rise in antisemitism following the start of the war, during which the New York City Police Department reported a 164 percent increase in New York City, and the Los Angeles Police Department reported a 140 percent increase in Los Angeles.[1][9]

Attendees and speakers

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Demonstrators with the United States Capitol in the background

The organizers, Jewish Federations of North America and Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, initially estimated 60,000 people would attend the event, according to the permit they filed to hold the event.[5][6] However, Tuesday evening, organizers said the total turnout was much higher, estimating that 290,000 people took part.[6][10] They further reported that 250,000 people joined via live stream.[11] That number of attendees would make the March for Israel the largest pro-Israel and the largest Jewish gathering in US history.[12][13][14]

The Homeland Security Department designated the event as a "level 1" security event, that required substantial law enforcement assistance from federal agencies. While the FBI and Homeland Security had sent out a joint bulletin to law enforcement agencies prior to the march warning about potential violence, the bulletin did indicate that no specific actionable threat had been identified.[15]

Protesters holding signs with images of kidnapped individuals that are a part of the Kidnapped from Israel series by Israeli artists Nitzan Mintz and Dede Bandaid

Many attendees came by charter buses organized by their Jewish communities. Groups came from New York, New Jersey, Los Angeles, Houston, Miami, Boston, Kansas City,[16] Philadelphia, Birmingham, Alabama and other domestic and international locations.[4] Attendees who flew in from Detroit, including Michigan state senator Jeremy Moss, were unable to attend when bus drivers scheduled to take them from Dulles International Airport staged a walk-off.[17][18]

Speakers at the rally included Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson,[4] House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries,[19] senator Joni Ernst, televangelist John Hagee,[20] Israeli president Isaac Herzog (via video from Jerusalem), and U.S. envoy on antisemitism Deborah Lipstadt.[21] Other notable speakers included Natan Sharansky[22] actress Debra Messing,[23] actor and comedian Michael Rapaport,[24] and family members of hostages kidnapped by Hamas.[25] Organizers told The New York Times that the diverse speaker roster was intended to reach "across divisions" and be bipartisan, reflecting broad support by the United States Congress.[26] Several musicians also performed at the event, including Ishay Ribo, Omer Adam, Matisyahu, and the acapella group The Maccabeats. The Maccabeats performed Acheinu, the Jewish prayer calling for the release of captives,[27] and the group joined Matisyahu for a rendition of Matisyahu's hit song "One Day."[28]

March for Israel in Washington, D.C.

According to Eric Fingerhut, President and CEO of Jewish Federations of North America, President Joe Biden was unable to speak at the rally as he was traveling to San Francisco that day for the 2023 APEC Summit.[29][30]

Political analyst Van Jones called for a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas.[31]

Criticism of John Hagee's attendance

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John Hagee's presence at the demonstration was criticized by progressive Jewish organizations such the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, J Street, and IfNotNow, and by the Council on American–Islamic Relations.[32][33][34] The leader of one such Jewish organization said he was blindsided by the apparent last minute decision to include Hagee, claiming his inclusion had been shot down before the march as organizers wanted to ensure a big-tent protest.[35]

Hagee has a history of making controversial remarks; writing in MSNBC, Emily Tamkin highlighted how Hagee had previously stated that Adolf Hitler was sent by God to carry out the Holocaust to "help Jews reach the promised land".[36][32] The Council on American-Islamic Relations said that Hagee had a history of "Islamophobia and antisemitism" and should not have been invited to speak, arguing it was hypocritical to invite Hagee while criticising pro-Palestinian marches of being antisemitic.[32] Congresswoman Summer Lee wrote: "I'm deeply concerned that members of both parties shared a stage yesterday with noted antisemitic bigot John Hagee. This must be condemned."[33]

In defense of Hagee's attendance at the rally, one of the organizers stated: "The comments that people object to from Pastor Hagee are older, and he has disavowed these comments and they have not recurred," and "I think we all believe that people can grow and learn and evolve."[29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Ortiz, Erik; Ainsley, Julia; Siemaszko, Corky (2023-11-14). "'March for Israel' rally to condemn rising antisemitism at D.C.'s National Mall". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  2. ^ Silverman, Ellie (2023-11-14). "March for Israel in D.C. expected to draw thousands at the National Mall". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  3. ^ Yan, Holly; Mascarenhas, Lauren (2023-11-14). "Security ramps up ahead of tens of thousands expected in DC today for 'March for Israel'". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  4. ^ a b c Robertson, Campbell; Wines, Michael; Montague, Zach (November 14, 2023). "Jewish Groups Rally for Israel on National Mall". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Peterson, Beatrice (2023-11-14). "Tens of thousands expected in DC for pro-Israel rally, with National Guard assisting police". ABC News. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  6. ^ a b c "March for Israel draws huge crowd to Washington, D.C. - CBS News". www.cbsnews.com. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  7. ^ "'March for Israel': Organizers declare it largest rally of Jewish people in modern history". FOX 5 DC. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  8. ^ "AP PHOTOS: Protests by pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian demonstrators span the world as war escalates". AP News. 2023-10-11. Archived from the original on 2023-10-13. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  9. ^ Siemaszko, Corky (2023-11-01). "The Gaza crisis is stoking antisemitism in the U.S." NBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  10. ^ "Nearly 300K attend 'March for Israel' in DC". LiveNOW from FOX | Breaking News, Live Events. 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  11. ^ "March For Israel | Milwaukee Jewish Federation". www.milwaukeejewish.org. 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  12. ^ Magid, Jacob (November 15, 2023). "'Let our people go': Nearly 300,000 rally in Washington for Israel, hostages' release". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on November 15, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  13. ^ "March For Israel | Milwaukee Jewish Federation". www.milwaukeejewish.org. 2023-11-07. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  14. ^ "At 290,000-strong, 'March for Israel' is 'largest pro-Israel gathering in history'". Christians United for Israel. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  15. ^ Santana, Rebecca; Balsamo, Michael (2023-11-14). "Tens of thousands of supporters of Israel rally in Washington, crying 'never again'". AP News. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  16. ^ Ortiz, Erik; Ainsley, Julia; Siemaszko, Corky (2023-11-14). "Throngs gather for March for Israel rally at D.C.'s National Mall to condemn antisemitism". NBC News. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  17. ^ Mackay, Hannah; Muñoz, Marnie; Aimery, Jakkar (2023-11-14). "Hundreds of Metro Detroit Jews stranded at D.C. airport by 'malicious' bus drivers". The Detroit News. Archived from the original on 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  18. ^ "'Deliberate and malicious': Charter buses allegedly refused to drive pro-Israel demonstrators to rally". Yahoo News. 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  19. ^ Axelrod, Tal (November 14, 2023). "Thousands gather in Washington to demonstrate in support of Israel". ABC News. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  20. ^ Carnell, Henry; Van Pykeren, Sam (2023-11-14). "Here's what we know about DC's March for Israel rally". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on 2023-11-15. Retrieved 2023-11-14.
  21. ^ Magid, Jacob (November 14, 2013). "Biden envoy at pro-Israel rally: Those chanting 'glory to the martyrs' are inciting hatred". Times of Israel. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  22. ^ Smilk, Carin M. (2023-11-14). "Natan Sharansky: 'We'll defeat our enemies today'". JNS.org. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  23. ^ Klein, Zvika (November 13, 2023). "'March for Israel' rally to feature Debra Messing, Van Jones". The Jerusalem Post. Archived from the original on November 13, 2023. Retrieved November 14, 2023.
  24. ^ Borschel-Dan, Amanda (14 November 2023). "College student tells DC pro-Israel rally: 'Our Stars of David will shine on our chests'". timesofisrael.com. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  25. ^ Yan, Holly; Cohen, Gabe; Grise, Katherine (2023-11-14). "Families of hostages kidnapped by Hamas give heart-wrenching details at the packed 'March for Israel' in DC". CNN. Archived from the original on 2023-11-14. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
  26. ^ Robertson, Campbell; Wines, Michael; Montague, Zach (Nov 14, 2023). "Jewish Groups Rally for Israel on National Mall". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 14, 2023. Retrieved November 15, 2023.
  27. ^ "Acheinu – A Modern Classic". The Jewish Press. 2023-11-30. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
  28. ^ Matisyahu Matisyahu singing One Day at Washington DC peace March for isreal, retrieved 2023-11-16
  29. ^ a b "The Opportunity and Difficulty of Unity: On the Israel March". 18Forty. 2023-11-28. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  30. ^ "Biden in San Francisco for APEC: Timeline of president's visit". KRON4. 2023-11-13. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  31. ^ "Pro-Israel Rally Chants 'No Ceasefire' Over Call for 'No More Bombs' in Gaza". The Daily Beast. November 14, 2023.
  32. ^ a b c Ortiz, Erik (16 November 2023). "Divisive megachurch pastor draws criticism for role at March for Israel". NBC News. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  33. ^ a b Riley, John (15 November 2023). "Anti-Gay Pastor John Hagee Speaks at Pro-Israel Rally in D.C. The Right-wing pastor has a history of making bigoted, anti-LGBTQ comments, as well as attacking Muslims and Catholic". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  34. ^ "Progressive US Jewish group denounces pro-Israel rally in Washington, DC". Al Jazeera. 14 November 2023. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
  35. ^ Summers, Charlie (17 November 2023). "Liberal Jewish groups lament DC rally's rightward bent, say progressives pushed away". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  36. ^ Tamkin, Emily (15 November 2023). "Why televangelist John Hagee was a shocking March for Israel speaker". MNSBC. Retrieved 18 November 2023.
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