I had the privilege of attending the parade and rally last Sunday in support of Israel. Afterwards, I was talking with a fellow attendee who isn’t particularly knowledgeable about the issues surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and she isn’t even 100% sure which side she is on. But she made an important observation that I think speaks to the very essence of who we are and what we stand for. Without knowing any of the issues, she noted the stark contrast between our parade/concert vs. the pro-Palestinian protest that took place across the street. On the one hand, the pro-Palestinan protestors primarily comprised older adults who were cursing and yelling refrains such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” (i.e., Israel should be destroyed and all Jews should be killed in the process). On the other hand, the Pro-Israel parade and concert consisted of Jews of all denominations and ages who were dancing together and singing refrains such as “Am Yisrael Chai” (the Jewish nation should live on). The bottom line is that we focus on life and they focus on death. We focus on uplifting ourselves and others and they focus on tearing others down. All of the issues aside, I am extremely proud to be part of a pro-Israel community that continues to spread our vision of love and light and a deep desire for peace in Israel and throughout the world.