A massive show of support for Israel is planned for Tuesday, November 14th in Washington, D.C. and it is expected to attract a crowd of over 100,000 people on the National Mall according to the National Park Service. The march is organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organization to show support for Israel after Hamas killed 1400 of their people and took over 240 hostages on October 7th.
According to the Jewish Federation of North America website, the march will be an opportunity to come together in solidarity with the people of Israel, to demonstrate commitment to America’s most important ally in the Middle East, to condemn the rising trend of antisemitic violence and harassment, and to demand that every hostage be immediately and safely released.
“We expect there to be a massive crowd that will engage on these issues and ensure that America knows where we stand,” said William Daroff, chief executive of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations in an interview with the Washington Post.
Another group joining the march will also be Partners for Progressive Israel, a “peace bloc” composed of members of the “progressive Jewish community”. They pla to meet ahead of the rally across from the National Museum of American History on the National Mall, Maytal Kowalski, the incoming executive director for the group, wrote in a message to the group’s mailing list.
“We intensively debated whether to join this rally,” Kowalski wrote, adding that the group’s members will show up to “share our messages of peace, of a two-state solution for Israel and Palestine, and making it clear that there is no military solution to this political and national conflict.”
Buses from all over the East Coast are headed to Washington as this massive show of support for Israel comes together at this critical time when antisemitism is on the rise. Jewish and non-Jewish politicians, civil society leaders and celebrities are expected to speak at the rally, including actress Debra Messing, political commentator Van Jones and human-rights activist Natan Sharansky.
Senate Majority leader Democrat Charles Schumer of New York is expected to lead a large bipartisan group of legislators who will take to the stage in support of Israel. The Biden administration will have Ambassador Deborah Lipstadt, U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, as their representative.
President Biden himself will be unable to attend as he will be on Air Force One headed to San Francisco where he is hosting the 21-country Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference.
To promote security and safety, Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has provided extra police to the march and has requested the National Guard also be on hand along with the National Park Police to keep the peace.
