Volume 67, Issue 3

Israeli Supporters Rally Outside UN
by Zalman Abramchik

On Sunday, October 6th, Israel supporters gathered at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza outside the United Nations for a rally backing Israel’s and the United States’ war on terrorism.  The rally, coordinated by the Coalition for Jewish Concerns-Amcha, was the fifth one of its kind arranged by this group since June 2001, and the first of this academic year.

“The first goal of the rally was to combat complacence in the Jewish community,” explained CJC-Amcha Chairwoman Hillary Markowitz.  In a phone interview, Markowitz elucidated that because of the relative lull in suicide bombings and terrorism in Israel in recent weeks, the organization felt it important that the American Jewish community not become comfortable with the current situation.

The rally, which was heavily guarded by both New York City Police Department patrollers and independent guards hired by CJC-Amcha, featured speakers from all denominations, including Conservative, Orthodox, and Reform Rabbis, elected officials, terrorist victims, and Israeli citizens fresh out of their service in the Israeli Defense Force.

One woman attending the rally remarked on why she was there, “This is the least we can do. What else are we doing?”

One major theme conveyed at the rally was that the U.S. and Israel both have the right to defend themselves.  This message, conveyed on many posters, was enforced by Senior Rabbi of the Hebrew Institute of Riverdale and National President of CJC-Amcha, Rabbi Avi Weiss.  “We have come to declare that Israel and America have the right and responsibility to defend their citizens.”

Markowitz revealed that this message was in direct dissention to the rally held on the same day in Central Park where thousands of Americans gathered to protest a war on Iraq.  Indeed the rally supported and even encouraged an American war on Iraq, Markowitz noted.

State Comptroller Carl McCall, remarking on the same point, added, “Their battle is our battle.  We stand in Solidarity with our friends in Israel.”

Additionally, CJC-Amcha expressed the lack of moral equivalency between cold-blooded murder and self-defense.  This issue was best illustrated in an emotional speech delivered by Elinore Kaftori, a recently discharged IDF soldier: “I like going out to coffee with my friends.  I don’t want to be afraid all the time.”

The third theme on CJC-Amcha’s agenda was stressing to college students across America the idea that anti-Zionism is racism.  This idea was referred to in conjunction with the pro-Palestinian conference held one-week later at the University of Michigan on October 13th.

The official attendance at the rally, quoted by Markowitz in the name of city officials, reached 1500.  When asked if CJC-Amcha was happy with the turnout, Markowitz responded, “We were happy because it was the first non-chag Sunday.”  She further explained that because many people finally had the opportunity to do something not related to holidays such as family gatherings, the crowd expected was not large.

This attendance number was drastically down from previous rallies, where the reports usually quoted numbers in the several thousands.  Hypothesizing about the lower number, one Yeshiva student who did not go complained that the rallies are “getting old and boring.”  Another student criticized the lack of advertising and publicity for this particular rally.

While the crowd at hand was rallying for Israel’s and America’s cause, chanting catch phrases such as “Speak the truth - no moral equivalency,” “IDF,” and “Anti-Zionism is Racism,” there was a small gathering opposed to the demonstration.  Around the corner from the rally was a group of approximately 50 Chassidic Jews - members of the Neturei Karta - sporting signs such as, “Palestine belongs to Palestinians,” and “Zionism causes global anti-Semitism.”

The small counter-rally notwithstanding, the gathering seemed to be a success.  According to Eliot Schiff, a Yeshiva College sophomore in attendance, “It was nice to see Jews uniting to show their solidarity with Israel.”

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