New York City – Thousands of people gathered outside the Israeli Consulate in New York for a rally in support of Israel.
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The rally – attended by more than 8,000 supporters, according to police estimates – was co-sponsored by the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York in cooperation with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations the OU and several other groups.
Politicians and Jewish communal leaders turned out to show their solidarity with Israel in the face of the conflict in Gaza.
New York Governor David Paterson emphasized the importance of standing with Israel because of the anti-Semitism that has followed on the heels of Operation Cast Lead, using as an example the Jan. 5 beating of a teen-age girl in France. “This kind of anger and hatred spreads like a disease, and one thing I’ve always pointed out is there’s no place for hate in the Empire State,” Paterson said.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said that Israel was defending itself in the most humane way possible and, he added, “We say to the Palestinian people in Gaza ‘Israel is not your enemy, Hamas is.'” U.S. Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.) also took to the podium to offer strong support of Israel.
New York state Assemblyman Rory Lancman, who attended the rally with his son Jonathan, told JTA that “it’s very important for me that he’s here to see that Jews, as public-minded people, have an obligation to come out and speak our mind and make our voices heard” and “not just sit at home and yell at the TV.
too bad we couldnt hear and divrei chizuk or leadership from anyone in the agudah, moetzes, igun …. they are mafrish min hatzibur for not joining and leading the way.
where is big mouth yehuda levin now? he has so much to say when gay people have a rally but for eretz yisroel, he is silent? silence = irrelevance.
do we really need all these rallies ? DOESNT IT GET THE IMAS HUOLAM EVEN MORE UPSET AT US. like the satmarer rebbe said its a no win situation.
Noone proved that this war is a productive one. We do not need empty gestures if support. If this war will end up saving lives we should support it. if not we should not. Who knows the truth? some evil rabbit-eating zionist?
Yeshivas and Kollelim should empty out and come to Rally in support of Acheinu Bnai Yisroel at a time like this, when so many Jews are in mortal danger and the liberal jews and anti-semites are trying to sway the world against out brothers and sisters in Israel. Ditto for the “heimisha” balei batim in Flatbush and Boro Park who are leisurely eating breakfast and lunch at restuarants or otherwise killing time. Don’t they realize that they are one step away from being subject to the same riots they see in London and Paris.
For NYC a very poor turnout – from the frum community a dismal turnout. Too much trouble to show up – let the hesder boys do our jobs ( no everyone was not learning or saying tehilim instead of going to the rally) we should be ashamed.
How come I did not know about this “rav reisman said in the name of rav scmulevitz somebody who is quiet by this war that jewish blood is spilled is like iyov who was quiet and he got yesurim as an oinesh”
Let’s scream “if it hurts we scream if we dont scream it is asimon that itdoes not hurt chas vesholim”
THANK YOU GOVERNOR PATTERSON FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF TRUTH
“chofetz chaim Says: Noone proved that this war is a productive one. We do not need empty gestures if support. If this war will end up saving lives we should support it. if not we should not. Who knows the truth? some evil rabbit-eating zionist?”
The Chofetz Chaim spoke more sensitively than that and chose his words carefully. If you don’t exercise that level of care you should not use his name.
i have become more and more disenfranchised from ‘yeshivish’ and ‘chassidish’ Judaism over the years, this is just one more nail in the coffin. There should have been 20,000 people there! The yeshiva and chassidish world should have been there to show their support for their brethren. I guess they were too busy outspending each other.
and to the first post, don’t even get me started on Satmar. You are dangling on the edge of Taliban territory.
G-d Bless all those who attended and May G-d Bless the wonderful volunteers from Hatzolah too!
AMEN!!!
It was freezing. I went with my husband and young daughter and were there standing with our fellow yidden protesting. How cold are the chayalim who are fighting for Eretz Yisroel? How many hours are they out there risking their lives for the safety of our people? Can we not spare an hour or two of discomfort to show our support? There were people there pushing strollers with babies. Who protested during WWII? We have an achrayis to show our support!! The media is watching; we have to show how much we care. The palestinians outnumber us in Israel and they outnumber us twofold in their support of their people. The famous saying is: The squeaky wheel gets the oil. We must scream our support so the media will hear us loud and clear.
Our shul in flatbush had a special learning seder followed by theilim from 11 to 12:30 for all those that did not go to the rally
Look, it’s lip service. No, I’m not talking about those who showed up. I’m talking about the politicians who represent us in Washington. Put your money where your mouth is and unleash Israel. I always say check the voting records of these do gooders.
Patterson spoke well, but his opinion as the unelected Governor of NYS doesn’t carry that much weight – unless he had the power to send the New York National Guard there.
Senator Schumer is an opportunist who cares more about abortion on demand and undermining the War in Iraq. The guy represents a lot of Jews, so he shows up. Just don’t ever stand between him and a microphone, you could lose your life.
What is wrong with people? Of course the rallies mean something. Forget Gaza, forget the IDF, forget everything else; the point is to SUPPORT Israel, show encouragement, show the world that people speak up for what they believe in. The war is not only a physical one, it’s being fought with PR and propaganda, and if you think appearances mean nothing you are sadly mistaken. And enough with the ridiculous rebbe this and rebbe that. There is a time and place for asking rabbonim shailos, but stop being sheep and think for yourselves!!!!!! You don’t need to have a rabbi tell you to go to a rally, or go to the bathroom! It’s bewildering how people need rebbe wheels for thinking. Look at the pro-Palestinian rallies, they organize them in minutes flat and have thousands and thousands of supporters show up, and we can’t even organize a few measly protests? For shame. It’s hard enough to find a website that lists pro-Israel rallies, but when one IS put together, such a tiny percentage of people show up? In NEW YORK? Horrible. I would have loved to go, but there were no rallies where I live that I know of. Wake up people, bring your Israeli and American flags, and attend some rallies to show the world that you support Israel and appreciate the support of anyone else who does too.
How will bashing other jews save any of us in Isreal???? Do you know how many yidden wether chassidish litvish yishivish say tehilim everyday? How many people were learning extra during the rally? Torah is true ammunition. I’m not saying that people shouldn’t rally, they should but don’t forget that we are in Hashem’s hands. By strenghtining tefilah and ahavas yisroel we win wars. Let us not get side tracked of kochi viatzim yodi! Respect all types of jews we are one nation!!!
Why blame Aguda or other organizations – theoretically adults are able to make their own decisions and don’t require permission to do the right thing.
I was at the rally – my Rav announced it in shul. It is the membership of Aguda who should call their office and demand they get involved or you will no longer be a member.
Either get involved now or wait till things happen here – because the Arabs want the world – and some of you won’t be able to blame the zionists then, or will you?
Also stop hiding behind the Satmar Rebbe – things have changed in the world since 1940s.
What would have been so terrible if major Jewish organizations, like Agudah and/or Torah Umesorah had gotten the schools to come out in numbers? What would have been so terrible if we woudl have gathered together to publicly daven and publicly say tehillim? Extra hours here or there are wonderful! Extra learning sessions and extra tehillim gatherings for those who weren’t there today are wonderful! But, we need to be “in their faces” with our tefillah; “in their faces” with our support of our Jewish brothers and sisters who are living in the Hamas rockets direct paths! We need to be out there together, in achdus and unity, to support the chayalim on the front lines, both in Gaza and Northern Israel and at every holy site and city that they are keeping watch over day and night, so that we can have an Eretz Yisroel to live in and visit. Where were we?! During WWII, there were those Jews who were “comfortable” and then later “shocked” when shoved into ghettos, onto train cars, into work camps and gas chambers. If history is not the best teacher, what is?! We must look/listen/read the news about the things that are happening to Jews across Europe and here in the US and stand together publicly to cry out against them. Maybe this is our “destiny”…to prevent, Chas V’Shalom that we ever know it firsthand, another Holocaust……my fellow Yidden, WAKE UP!!!
one quick question. no one was arrested correct? go look at the pro palestinian protest, 10 arrested. need anything more be said
I was at the rally. There was a decent turnout, probably much more than the 8000 they posted but it could have been much larger. I agree that it’s shameful that not more showed up but the crowd did stretch on 42nd Street from 2nd Ave till past 3rd Ave toeards Grand Central. the crowd was mostly liberal jews and modern orthodox. very few black hatters or yeshivish fellow were present. they were surely finishing Thillim in their Shuls at that hour.
What the heck is wrong with YOU people?????!!!! Where were all the bessere menchen from Far Rockaway, Boro Park,.. The Five Towns??? What were you too busy at the all women’s exercise class to make a trip into the city? If Bloomingdales had a buy one get one sale on juicy couture, you could bet your last diamond earring you’d be there before ANYONE. And the men.., where were you? The cold couldn’t have kept you away cuz you walk to shul without a coat in this freezing weather. You all should be ashamed, because it’s not just the saying tehillim, it’s standing together with your downtrodden yidden in eretz Yisroel who don’t have the option of leaving when succos vacation ends. They live in Ashdod or Ashkelon or Sderot and their lives are made increasingly difficult. The next rally, get up earlier, daven and say tehillim and get yourself over there, whatever the temperature..
So they’re supporting the bombing and killing of thousands of people in Gaza, people trapped without electricty or water or even a chance to bury their dead bodies?
People should not be marching in support of Israel, they have got the whole White House, Senate and Congress worshiping Israel they shouldn’t worry much about Israel and its future, but this moral hypocricy and the state terrorism Israel is practised and have always practised since its foundation troubles me a lot.
Remember… Hamas was founded 20 years ago, way after Israel started murdering civilians and taking away their land
A FEW POINTS:
1. ALTHOUGH WE FOLLOW THE NEWS CLOSELY,WE DONT LOSE “ENOUGH” SLEEP (THE GEDOLEI YISROEL DO!)
2. YES 8-10,000 PEOPLE IS A SHAME -THE SHEER NUMBER OF ORG. THAT SPONSORED THE RALLY REPRESENT HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS kain yirbu”
3- why aguda didnt show …is a seperate shmuess- the point is that the MODERN ORTHODOX did NOT heed the call of their leadership , ( satmar can bus in 8000 all by themselves with 48 hours notice)
4- the people who did show are surely sincere
when the Rabbonon felt that pikuach nefesh was involved they were even Mechale Shabbos to travel to Washington to demonstarte. Unfortunately today we do not have thew caliber of Rabbonon of previous generation nor people like Mike tress who would have gotten all the yeshivas to go out and join the rally.
We can see from history how successful the Kahane and SSSJ demostrations were in giving Chizuk to our bretthren in Russia and how it helped get the issue of Freedom for RussiaN jEWS ON PAGE ONE CULMINATING WITH THE PASSING OF THE jACKSON-vANICK AMENDMENT. At that time so called Rabbinical leadership did not feel that it is a yeeshivishe thing to go out to demonstrayte, but the outcome shows that they were given bad advise as it clearly helped.
forget agudah and their ilk. the dont care about eret yisroel. as long as they can send their bratty meidlach to seminary for the shidduch and the bochrims to say the were in de mir, they other wise dont give a flying fig. (unless they are rich enough to go to a fancy hotel for succos, in which case they care a little).
they are mafrish min hatzibur. and their pretend extra seders and tehillims in the little shuls in midwood are no big deal.
how many people had no problem braving the freezing cold to come to the HASC concert last night? they can do that but they cant come to the asifa at the consulate??? for shwekey ya, but for eretz yisroel no. if all the fye yidden can do it, if the governor can do it, WHY CANT THE MIDWOOD FRUMMIES???
a shonda. a busha.
Don’t you all think the fact that the weathermen predicted 6-8 inches of snow may have accounted for the weak turnout?
I know I took that into consideration being from out of town.
Also – the time was terrible. 11 am for a rally. Hardly gives anyone the time to get there. Poorly planned and poorly executed.
I am saddened to read these comments and see negative remarks about various sects of Judaism. Especially now, during a time of war, Jews worldwide-whether you are yeshivish, chassidish, modern orthodox, conservative and anything in between- should unite and show concern and care for one another. There is no place for blame and negative remarks. In this zechus may we see the coming of Mashiach and true peace speedily in our days. AMEN!!