March for Israel draws thousands to the National Mall
Politicians join activists in call for release of hostages
Thousands of protesters descended on the National Mall in Washington on Tuesday to express solidarity with Israel in its ongoing war with Gaza, condemn antisemitism in the United States and globally, and demand the release of hostages taken by Hamas in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel.
With the US Capitol in the background, musicians performed and speakers including actors, politicians, and activists addressed the crowd from a stage bedecked with the flags of Israel and the United States.
Speaking remotely from Jerusalem, Israeli President Isaac Herzog thanked the protesters for gathering in support and marching for “good over evil, for human morality over bloodthirst, for light over darkness.”
“I vow to you,” Herzog said, “that we will heal, we will rise again and we will rebuild.”
The “March for Israel” rally, organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, comes amid a deepening war in Gaza and renewed fears of antisemitism in the United States. Harassment, vandalism, and assaults against Jews soared by nearly 400 percent during the weeks after the Hamas attack, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism, which catalogues antisemitic, white supremacist and other hate-driven incidents.
Adam Halioua and Jack Benaim walked along the National Mall on Tuesday morning with large Israeli flags wrapped around their shoulders. The childhood friends drove overnight from Toronto to join thousands of others.
Here, in the nation’s capital, they said they felt comfortable in a way they hadn’t back home. “I feel safe here,” said Benaim, 42, a software developer who is also an Israeli dual citizen. “We wanted to drape ourselves in that identity, especially at this time and in this place.” One of Benaim’s cousins died in the Oct. 7 attack on Israel by Hamas militants, who killed 1,200 people and abducted about 240 others. Benaim said he wanted to feel hopeful and proud standing among the crowd today.
The friends, who are both Jewish, were among thousands of people arriving hours before the 1 p.m. rally, many waving small Israeli flags, holding signs that declared their support for Jewish college students and wearing shirts that declared, “Bring them home,” referring to the hostages taken by Hamas.
Protesters from across the country joined the rally, with many traveling by bus or flying from as far away as California. Organizers anticipated that 100,000 people would attend the event, according to a permit issued by the National Park Service.
The protesters waved Israeli flags, wore Jewish fraternity shirts and stickers that read “Am Yisrael Chai” — meaning, “The people of Israel live” — and held signs of support from Philadelphia, Miami, Milwaukee, Chicago, Memphis, Cleveland, Boston, and Canada. Despite the grim realities that brought rally-goers to Washington, people smiled and cheered while celebrating their Jewish identities, ties with Israel, and shared demands to bring the hostages home.
Although people of all ages were represented among the crowd, many attendees trended younger, with large groups of friends arriving with matching signs that read, “We stand with Israel.” Others brandished homemade signs declaring, “Make Gaza Flat Again.”
Tuesday’s rally in support of Israel was held 10 days after a large pro-Palestinian protest in Washington that brought together thousands of people opposing Israel’s bombardment of Gaza and demanding a ceasefire.
The rally comes at an increasingly fraught time for American leaders as they balance support for Israel with increasing demands for a cease-fire or a halt to Israeli bombing of Gaza, where more than 11,000 people have been killed in airstrikes, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
CNN commentator Van Jones was cheered at the rally when he expressed his support for Israel, but when he called for an end to the bombing of Gaza, the crowd erupted in a chant of “No ceasefire.” Senate majority leader Charles E. Schumer, Democrat from New York, also addressed the protesters, standing alongside lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. “We are here, united, Democrat and Republican, House and Senate, to say we stand with Israel,” said Schumer, who was joined by House Speaker Mike Johnson, Republican from Louisiana, minority leader Hakeem Jeffries, a New York Democrat, and Senator Joni Ernst, an Iowa Republican. “The Jewish people will be resilient,” Schumer told the cheering crowd. “We are here today to show we will not hide in the face of adversity, in America and in Israel.”
Rachel Barmatz, 37, of Baltimore, sat on the grass with her four children near the gates of a security entrance by Ninth Street, patiently awaiting wristbands for entry into the rally. Hundreds surrounded them in a line that snaked around the Mall. Security at the event was visible but did not appear overwhelming.
Barmatz, who has immediate family in Israel, said she wanted to be at the rally to show support for Israel, demand the release of the hostages, and show gratitude to the US government for supporting Israel.
Maggie Feldman-Piltch, 31, of Washington, D.C., held a white sign above her head with pink writing that read: “Zionists for Nuance and Peace.” As thousands of people streamed in past security, several stopped when they saw her to take photos or ask for clarity on her message.
“What does that even mean?” one woman asked. “It means whatever you want it to mean. But it mostly means you can love Israel and not every choice Bibi makes, and that is perfectly OK,” she replied, referring to Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by his nickname.