I just got back from the massive March for Israel rally on the National Mall, which organizers said had over 200,000 attendees. After weeks of having seen videos of violent, hateful, and anti-American pro-Hamas protests in U.S. cities and on college campuses, I found it spiritually healing to be around so many patriotic Americans eager to show their support for Israel and their opposition to antisemitism. The organizers attempted to keep the event bipartisan, so speakers included Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries as well as House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senator Joni Ernst. Van Jones spoke, as did Natan Sharansky.
Hopefully the crowd helped send a powerful message that people who support Israel can organize and vote as well, and at least in the U.S., they vastly outnumber the pro-Hamas contingent.
Here is the crowd singing “The Star-Spangled Banner.”
And the Israeli national anthem, “Hatikvah.”
And here are some additional photos and signs I observed.
