In the immediate aftermath of the October 7 atrocities, Jews all over the world -- from Los Angeles to Chicago to New York, Boston, Toronto, Buenos Aires, London, Paris, Berlin, and Sydney -- took to the streets in impressive shows of support.
It was a demonstration of pro-Israel sentiment not seen in a generation, and it spanned all Jewish denominations and brought together people of all different political persuasions. The same type of unity that became evident in Israel following the October 7 attacks became apparent in the Diaspora.
All the talk of Diaspora Jews drifting away from Israel melted away as Jews the world over gathered to sing "Am Yisrael Chai" and looked for ways to help their brethren in Israel. It was a spirit-lifting expression of peoplehood.
And it was not a given.
In fact, it was a significant shift from the way Diaspora Jews responded to past rounds of conflict in Gaza.
For instance, in July 2021, in the aftermath of Operation Guardian of the Walls, organized Jewry was reluctant to call for a massive pro-Israel rally in Washington out of fear that they could not get the numbers.
Instead, dozens of American Jewish organizations sponsored a rally in the shadow of the Capitol in Washington called “No Fear: A Rally In Solidarity With The Jewish People.” The impetus behind the rally was the spike of antisemitic incidents in the US since the Guardian of the Walls operation in Gaza in May of that year.
The organizers, realizing that Israel is a divisive issue among American Jews, played down the Israel angle – it did not appear in the name of the protests. The reason was that they did not want to chase away any left-wing Jewish organizations which do not view strident anti-Zionism as antisemitism per se.
But even that didn't work. Only 2,000 - 3,000 people showed up. Or, as a Washington Post headline read, “Hundreds denounce antisemitism during a rally at Capitol.”
Following October 7, however, things were different. This was not “just” another round of fighting in Gaza, but rather a full-scale war following the bloodiest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust. As a result, Diaspora Jews stepped up and took to the streets.
That was a month ago, with most of the major pro-Israel rallies now having taken place between three to four weeks ago.
It's time now for another round of these rallies, or perhaps one major one in Washington.
Anti-Israel, pro-Hamas protests throughout the world
Over the weekend, dozens of anti-Israel, pro-Hamas demonstrations took place around the world, including one that drew thousands to Washington. Along with calls for US President Joe Biden to cut off support of Israel, was the ubiquitous chant to eradicate Israel: “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
And that is just this past weekend. Over the past two weeks, there have been huge anti-Israel rallies. They have not been met by a similar uptick in pro-Israel demonstrations. Part of the problem has to do with fear: it is not that Jews don’t want to come out and publicly express support for Israel, but in some cases, they are simply afraid to do so.
In some cities, it is even difficult to publicize pro-Israel events, with the organizers concerned that if they hang posters and leaflets, then violent counter-demonstrations will show up at the rallies. In some cases, even getting the word out is difficult, with reports that in certain cities -- such as Chicago -- billboards announcing pro-Israel rallies have been vandalized.
Some may argue that these anti-Israel demonstrations don’t matter, and that as long as the US and other key governments remain firmly in Israel’s corner, then who cares about a few thousand Muslims, American socialists, or far-Left college students marching in Seattle who believe Hamas -- even with its murder, rape, and mayhem -- is the new radical chic.
It matters because it creates perceptions.
For instance, over the last few weeks there have been massive pro-Hamas demonstrations in Great Britain. The casual observer could look at the numbers -- 100,000 at a rally in London -- and think that the British public is all in the Hamas-Iran-Hezbollah camp.
But that would be a mistaken perception.
A YouGov poll published in The Sunday Times showed that the British are split regarding with whom they sympathize more. A November 2 poll conducted among 2,048 respondents found that 19% said they sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinians, 19% more with the Palestinians than with Israel, 31% said both sides, and another 31% said they don't know. In a similar poll in May, some 10% said they sympathize more with Israel and 19% said they are more sympathetic toward the Palestinians.
But, again, that is not the perception one walks away with after seeing the massive pro-Palestinian protests in the streets of London. Which demonstrates the importance of those protests in creating perception.
If an average American in Topeka, Kansas, turned on his television on Saturday and saw one of the many pro-Palestinian protests that took place across the country, he could be excused for believing there is a wellspring of support for Hamas and the Palestinians -- even though there is not.
It is important, therefore, for him to see as well pro-Israel rallies. It is important not to allow only one side take over this particular, very public playing field.
Pro-Israel demonstrations are important on another level as well, and that is to combat the perception of waning Jewish support for Israel.
Since outlier, anti-Israel Jewish organizations such as Jewish Voice for Peace and IfNotNow make their presence felt at the anti-Israel protests, a narrative gains traction that the Jews are turning on Israel.
Whereas a Jew wearing a kippa demonstrating for Israel is not news, Jews wearing kippot demonstrating against Israel most definitely are, and they attract an inordinate and disproportionate amount of attention, far beyond their real strength among the Jewish community.
Witness this online headline in The Guardian on Saturday: “'I, too, am the Jewish community': rift among US Jews widens over Gaza wars.”
A massive pro-Israel rally would demonstrate that those Jews demonstrating for a ceasefire that would enable Hamas to live to kill Jews another day are but fringe elements in the Jewish community. It is important that US lawmakers as well that these are outliers.
While large rallies of Jews showing support for Israel might not have been as necessary 30 years ago when Jewish support for Israel was widely perceived as a given, today – because of the amplification of anti-Israel Jewish voices – it is no longer perceived as guaranteed.
And, finally, these protests are important for another reason as well: Jews and Israel supporters -- and the pro-Isrel supporters need not be Jewish -- need an outlet during these trying days, a way to do “something.” Many Jews in the Diaspora, bombarded with television images from Gaza and an often hostile media, are asking what they can do to help. This is one answer.
If, however, for security reasons it is difficult at a grassroots level to organize pro-Israel rallies across the country, then perhaps one answer is a major rally in Washington, something akin to the massive 1987 rally when 250,000 people descended on Washington DC to protest on behalf of Soviet Jewry, or when 100,000 people demonstrated their support for Israel in Washington during the height of the second intifada in 2002..
Anti-Israel protestors are making their voices heard loudly around the world. Pro-Israel supporters -- of whom there are many more, at least in the US -- need to drown those voices out.