Hundreds attend rally for Israel in Maitland

MAITLAND— About500 people rallied Wednesday night in support of Israel, a week after the Jewish state reached a fragile truce with Hamas.

“Israel needs our help,” said keynote speaker John Loftus, a former president of the Florida Holocaust Museumand a U.S. Justice Department prosecutor of Nazi war criminalsduringtheadministrations of Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan.

The hourlong program, “Orlando Stands with Israel: A Rally of Solidarity,” started with the national anthems of the U.S. and Israel — “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “HaTikvah” (“The Hope”). It was part call to action and part pep rally.

Children, teens, parents and seniors waved blue-andwhite Israeli flags and sang “AmYisrael Chai” (“ThePeople of Israel Live”).

The Jewish Federation of Greater Orlando hosted the rally in the wake of renewed violence in the Middle East. Hamas and Israel agreed to a cease-fire after the event at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Orlando had been scheduled. But the federation still wanted to raise awareness about the conflict and encourage support of the Jewish state, said Dana Karen, a spokeswoman.

More than150 Palestinians and six Israelis were killed in the eight-day conflict that ended Nov. 21. Fighting escalated Nov. 14 when Israel responded to repeated rocket attacks into the country from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip.