290,000 Unite Against ‘Tsunami of Hate’ At ‘March for Israel’ In Washington D.C. (Worthy News In-Depth)
By Worthy News Director George Whitten reporting from Washington D.C. with additional reporting by Worthy News’ Correspondent Stefan J. Bos
JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – Organizers estimate that 290,000 people, predominately Christians and Jews, traveled from various parts of the world to express solidarity with war-facing Israel and the Jewish community at the March for Israel event held at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., despite heightened security concerns.
In a rare display of bipartisanship, the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties united at the largest recorded pro-Israel rally in U.S. history, which was attended via video by the Jewish nation’s president.
Those who participated in March for Israel on Tuesday disregarded the threat level assessment the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provided.
Organizers saw the rally as a miracle. It was put together within a week, with crowds as far the eye could see flocking into the U.S. capital and many chanting “Never again!” or “Am Israel Chai!” meaning “The Nation of Israel Lives!”
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, the outspoken Democrat from New York, and U.S. House of Representative Speaker Mike Johnson, the Christian Republican from Louisiana, delivered speeches to an estimated crowd of nearly 300,000 at the March for Israel rally at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
“We are here united. Democrat and Republican, House and Senate, to say: ‘We stand with Israel!’” ensured Schumer at a time when Israel was battling against Hamas.
He told the crowd there are “no words” for the “horror” that happened on October 7 about the Hamas attack that killed hundreds of Israelis, including babies and toddlers, and ignited conflict in the region.
“It brings back much darker days. Let us not forget history. History showed us that when the world ignored antisemitism, it led to the worst catastrophe in human history,” Schumer recalled in an apparent reference to the Holocaust, the Shoah, in which 6 million Jews were murdered.
“We cannot must; we must not let that happen again.”
Darkest Days
Schumer said that “even in its darkest days,” the United States has always stood with Israel, and “we will do everything to see that that never changes.”
Israel has said that it fights for its existence, and the recently elected U.S. House Speaker Johnson rejected calls for a ceasefire in Gaza, where Israel has launched a barrage of airstrikes and expanded ground incursions.
“Israel will cease their counter-offensive when Hamas ceases to be a threat to the Jewish state,” Johnson said.
He joined others in condemning the rise of antisemitism in the United States, where many also took time to pray for the Jewish nation. Johnson said few issues unite the different parties as much as Israel. “The survival of the state of Israel and her people unites us together and unites all Americans. And the United States stands unequivocally with our neighbor, our friend and ally Israel.”
Ahead of the March for Israel, he expressed frustration that U.S. President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris didn’t attend the rally. “It would certainly be nice to have the president or the vice president or both at this rally. They need to be here,” Johnson told Fox News television’s Fox&Friends program. “[Biden] needs to show his support, and we need to project strength on the world stage.”
There was an emotional moment at the March when Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked the hundreds of thousands of people participating in the rally for their efforts as the Jewish nation fought for its existence.
“Eighty years ago, Jews came out of [Nazi death camp] Auschwitz and vowed ‘never again.’ As the blue and white flag was hoisted over our ancient homeland, we vowed, ‘never again,’” he said.
Terrorist Army
However, “40 days ago, a terrorist army invaded the sovereign State of Israel and butchered hundreds upon hundreds of Israelis in the largest massacre since the Holocaust. Let us cry out together: never again. Never again is now,” the president said, referring to Hamas.
He commented in a live broadcast from the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City, where he noted that he was “speaking to you from the single most sacred site in the Jewish world – the Kotel— the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The Kotel reminds us that Am Yisrael (The people of Israel), we, the people of Israel, are eternal, and no one will break us.”
He added, “From the Jewish symbol of the fulfillment of our ancient dreams to the American symbols of freedom, liberty and democracy. Thank you, all people of goodwill, friends from different communities, faiths, and denominations, who have gathered today for this massive show of solidarity.”
Herzog praised those praying and expressing solidarity for Israel in Washington, D.C. “In the State of Israel’s darkest moment, you stood up and declared: Hineini, I am here. We are here. There is no greater and more just cause than this.”
MARCH FOR ISRAEL
He said, “Today we come together, as a family, one big Mishpacha, to march for Israel. To march for the babies, the boys and girls, women and men viciously held hostage by Hamas. To march for the right of every Jew to live proudly and safely in America, in Israel, and around the world. Above all, we come together to march for good over evil, for human morality over blood thirst. We march for light over darkness.”
His words were music to the ears of U.S. actress Debra Messing. “I know you are in pain,” she told the crowd in a speech interrupted by “Shalom,” meaning “peace” in Hebrew. “I know you are afraid. I know you feel alone and abandoned by the people you thought were your friends. I know you feel misunderstood and maligned. I know because I do, too,” said Messing, who is Jewish.
She still urged hope, prompting cheers from the crowd. “looking out at all of us today, you also know that we are not alone because we have each other.” She said that Jewish people and others supporting them and Israel are all being tested. “A tsunami of hate has crashed down upon us. And then a defining silence,” she said, fighting back tears.
SEEING JEW-HATRED
“We see naked, virulent Jew-hatred being disguised as a noble call for liberation. And we reject it.”
Referencing the death of 59-year-old pro-Israel rally-goer Paul Kessler in Los Angeles earlier this month, Messing asked: “What does Israel’s defense in response to a terrorist attack have to do with an elderly Jewish man in California killed for holding an Israeli flag?”
Messing declared: “This is madness. This is terrorism. But we will win. We always have. We are strong, resilient, and devoted. And we will not lose ourselves. We will worry for our global Jewish family and also hurt for the innocent Palestinians used as human shields by Hamas. We will work to eviscerate Hamas and also pray for a free and flourishing Gaza.”
Throughout the day, posters of the 240 individuals abducted by terrorists on October 7 were frequently raised high, accompanied by spontaneous chants of “Bring Them Home!” occurring more than a dozen times.
On Monday night, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) elevated the threat level for the March in Washington D.C. to level 1, its highest rating for a security threat. This decision followed last week’s events when anti-Israel protesters, shouting “Allu Akbar” (‘Allah is greatest’), marched to the White House, where its gates were spray-painted red. Observers noted that the Pro-Palestinian protests last week also expressed “explicit disdain” for the United States.
But on Tuesday, several speakers reiterated the “enduring role of the United States as a safe haven for the Jewish people” for more than 200 years. That was illustrated when all sang the national anthem of the United States, the nation so many Jews and others call home.
“The Star-Spangled Banner” reverberated through the streets of Washington D.C., where at least some participants expressed trust that the Biblical promise to Israel will remain a beacon of hope.
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