Tuesday marked one month since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war after the terrorist organization infiltrated southern Israel, murdering civilians and kidnapping others to hold as hostages. Now, U.S.-based Jewish groups are calling for a “March for Israel” on Nov. 14th in Washington, DC, according to WUSA9.
The Jewish Federations of North America filed for a special permit on Nov. 2nd with the national park service to hold a demonstration and are anticipating 40,000 to 60,000 participants. The purpose is to show solidarity and support for Israel and its people.
The organization’s greater Washington website says the event will take place on the National Mall from 1 until 3 PM with the gates opening at 10 AM. Pre-event programming will begin at 11:30 AM.
As the weeks pass and tensions continue to seethe, the Jewish Federation wants to remind people of the hostages abducted over a month ago.
Eric Fingerhut, CEO, and President of Jewish Federations of North America told WUSA9, “Hamas still holds over 240 hostages for over a month. We must keep the focus on freeing the hostages.”
Fingerhut indicated with the increase in antisemitic threats on university campuses, at synagogues, and other community sites, the Jewish community as a whole felt unsafe. He indicated the rally and coming together was a way to reinstate a sense of security.
“There has been a rise in antisemitism on our college campuses and high schools in our communities; it is an attempt to intimidate people for their support of Israel…and we are going to march to show that we are not intimidated and we’re standing strong, and we are going to continue our support,” said Fingerhut.
He also stressed the march had Americans uniting in a show of support for Israel as they fight terror. He emphasized this war was no different than the U.S. fighting ISIS.
Groups from around the country are planning to attend the event. A group of about 40 from Portland, Oregon, is preparing to come, according to KGW8 News.
Meira Spivak, director of Oregon NCSY – an organization for Jewish teenagers – said, the ‘March for Israel’ is a call for the safe return of the hostages and a stand against antisemitism. “We have to do this; that’s how I feel. It doesn’t make sense we’re spending all this money, traveling and not sleeping, but it does make sense because we have to stand up for what we believe in.”
Jewish Organizations at the Ohio State University are sending several dozen students to the March for Israel event. The students said although they had felt support at OSU, in recent weeks they had experienced hatred. They expect the march to be uplifting and filled with light.
Meanwhile, in France over 180,000 marched alongside former presidents Sunday, denouncing antisemitism and condemning the hatred of Jews according to the Jewish Chronicle.
Robyn Spradlin is a freelance journalist working as a contributor for Christian News Journal covering news and politics on the national and state levels. She has worked as a copywriter for Victory News on the Victory Channel since 2022. Robyn has an BA in Communication Studies and MA in Journalism from Regent University and is a member of the Evangelical Press Association. She is an author, evangelistic minister and a musician.