We read with great interest The Jewish Link’s coverage of the March for Israel rally in Washington, DC (November 17, 2023) and appreciated your reporting on this historic event. We attended the rally and found it exhilarating.

There were Jews from all walks of life! Families with children, college students, the elderly. Religious and secular. There were even some non-Jews: We saw Christians and Iranians standing with the Jewish community. And most amazing of all was the unified support for Israel. The speakers were inspiring. It wasn’t just the supportive words. It was the moral clarity they all shared: the realization that Israel had suffered a terrible crime, and had the right and the duty to defend herself. When it was done, we were left with a feeling of both sadness and hope. Sadness when we looked at the huge crowd and realized that if Hamas had its way, they would all be dead. Down to the last child. But hope flowed from the crowd itself, from its unity and resolve. Hamas won’t have its way, ever again!

The Israelis who spoke seemed extremely touched that Americans Jews and Americans in general had come out in such tremendous numbers to support them. They reiterated the sense of all of us being family, and having each other’s backs.

Being in the middle of thousands of Jews was great—we felt so safe and comfortable, despite the crowding. People’s politics varied, as you could tell by who cheered whom the loudest, but we all agreed on the three key points of the rally. And that felt so… unusual and relaxing. It was also kind of amazing to hear people say things out loud (on camera!) that you almost never hear anymore—expressions of Jewish love and pride. We’ve gotten so used to keeping our heads down, I think, so as not to appear arrogant or (lately) “privileged.” It was lovely.

But there were a lot of difficult emotional parts, too, particularly when the hostages’ families spoke. Hashem wasn’t mentioned much—the speakers were largely secular, though the audience was very mixed—but we kind of wondered if He was the One being addressed with the “Bring them home “ chant…

Laura Beck
Dirk Ruiz
Highland Park