By Rebecca Kalmar, Staff Writer
On a cloudy Sunday morning, Yeshiva University students clambered onto buses. Although their planners were filled with impending midterms and assignments, armed with packed lunches, the students settled in for a long day ahead. They were heading to a pro-Israel rally in Washington, D.C., unsure what to expect.
Early on in the event, Idan Raichel, an Israeli singer-songwriter, began to sing, and as the music swelled, the crowd rose as one. People streamed onto the field and towards the stage as if drawn by an irresistible force. Arm in arm, shoulder to shoulder, they sang together with Raichel, draped in white and blue. Several minutes later, a stream of people could be seen heading in the opposite direction back towards the roofed part of the stadium. It had started to drizzle, and people wanted to avoid getting wet.
The “Stand Together” rally, organized by the Jewish Federations of North America and Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish American Organizations, was held on Nov. 10 at Nationals Park. The rally and L’maan Tzion Pre-Event Chizuk Program hosted by the Orthodox Union (OU) were attended by some 40 YU students. Speakers at the event included politicians, soldiers, entertainers, family members of hostages and college students and featured song and dance performances.
At the Pre-Event Chizuk Program, Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Executive Vice President of the OU, spoke about Avraham, the first of the three Patriarchs, who went to war to rescue his nephew Lot who was taken hostage. As the Jewish people, “We do everything we can to be there with each other, to be there for each other,” he said.
Michael Herzog, Israeli ambassador to the United States, said to the crowd, “May we never forget that our strength lies in unity,” while comedian Tiffany Haddish added that “unity in this moment is not just important, it’s essential.”
YU students who did attend the rally believed that it was important to go, despite the long trip in the middle of exams. “Am Yisrael is going through such a difficult time,” Rebecca Henner (SCW ‘26) told the YU Observer. “It is important to show our fellow Jews that we not only think and pray for them, but we are willing to show up as a unified group to rally for the return of the hostages and safety of Jews throughout the world.”
Many YU students believed that it was important YU specifically have a presence at the rally. “It’s important to go to the rally as part of YU’s delegation, so we make it shown that YU has a presence at a large and important event,” Brandon Melamed (YC ‘25) told the YU Observer.
The response to the rally itself was mixed. Shalhevet Cohen (SSSB ‘25), Beren Campus Student Government (BCSG) President, found that “the program was extremely moving.”
“Idan Raichel performed and, while he was singing, I noticed a group of traditional Native Americans dancing with Israelis and Jews” she told the YU Observer. “It was a beautiful reminder of what we stand for and all that we can accomplish when united, both with Jews and with our allies.”
Vered Gottlied (SCW, ‘26) told the YU Observer that “the attendance of Jews from all over the United States, politicians from all across the political spectrum and artists from many walks of life, was a powerful reminder that we aren’t alone.”
However, some YU students were disappointed at the attendance turnout. “The rally was very nice and really a great way for us to show support for Israel, but unfortunately it was a little bit underwhelming,” Naomi Rose (SCW ‘25) told the YU Observer, adding that “not that many people showed up in comparison to the overall size of the stadium.” Rose explained that while many YU students initially committed to attending, they backed out due to valid conflicts such as midterms.
Uriel Sussman (YC ‘25), President of Yeshiva College on student council (YCSC), told the YU Observer that despite limited interest from students, attending the rally “was important and worthwhile in order to bring YU as an intuition to the event.”
Sussman explained that the OU paid for YU’s transportation and would have been willing to pay for additional students to attend, however, there wasn’t sufficient student interest. “Even among the students that signed up less than half showed up to come on the buses with us to Washington,” he said.
Sussman also told the YU Observer that despite an initial push to encourage students to come, including eliciting the backing of YU Roshei Yeshiva, which was met with a “lukewarm” response from them, further efforts to push students to attend the rally were deemed unnecessary due to the fact that the“size and importance of the event” was predicted to be on a smaller scale.
Looking back on the decision to send a delegation of YU students, Cohen told the YU Observer, “In the end, a group of students attended the program, and although small, the cohort was strong in determination, achdut (unity), and impact.”
Like the famed “March for Israel” rally held in D.C. last year, the Stand Together rally had moments of inspiration, prayer and song. Yet, one of the most influential messages came from Rabbi Shmuel Silber, Rabbi of Suburban Orthodox Congregation Toras Chaim in Baltimore, M.D., who spoke at the Pre-Event Chizuk Program. Referencing the emotional and physical fatigue of this long war, Rabbi Silber said, “It is now that we must work even harder.”
This rally showed that yes we are tired and yes it’s really hard, but we must all do our utmost to continue to show ourselves and others that we stand united and that Israel is not alone.
Photo Caption: YU Students in Washington at the end of the “Stand Together” rally
Photo Credit: Naomi Rose