I was heartened to hear nearly 300,000 people attended the March for Israel in Washington, D.C. yesterday.
Had I been there I suspect I would have felt better than I did when I attended the Anti-Semitism March and Rally in New York City in January 2020. That rally occurred amid a wave of violent anti-Semitic attacks against Jews in New York and New Jersey.
Now Israel is under attack and a critical mass of the world has chosen to proudly display its hatred of Jews.
A friend of mine who lives in the D.C. area estimated that 4% of the U.S. Jewish population was in attendance. Mind you, there were many non-Jews in attendance. Still there was a safety in numbers that has not existed for Jews since Hamas' attack on October 7th.
With this much hatred towards Jews, there were bound to be those who objected to the march. Sadly. some who object the strongest are Jews. Case in point: Dave Zirin of The Nation:
It was a political event like nothing I’ve seen in two decades of covering rallies in this town. In the incessant calls to keep bombing Gaza, it was a celebration not just of war but of war crimes. (Former U.S. Ambassador to Israel David) Friedman’s joy over such a showing is not surprising. What turned the stomach was watching the leadership of the Democratic Party—Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, Hakeem Jeffries—join in the revelry just hours before Israel Defense Forces captured Gaza’s Al-Shifa hospital, and it came amid another round of killing civilians and targeting journalists trying to show these horrors to the world.
No, what is stomach turning is accepting Hamas propaganda at face value. Of course, the BBC fell for it yet again and evidently so did Zirin.
If yesterday's March for Israel was a hate rally and celebration of war and war crimes, then what does make pro-Hamas marches?
What of the pro-Hamas marchers in Sydney, Australia who chanted, "Gas the Jews!!!"?
What of the pro-Hamas supporters who chanted, "We are Nazis and we are proud!!!" on the Paris Metro?
Well, I guess Hamas are Dave Zirin's kind of people.
No comments:
Post a Comment