Making History, Caffeine-Free

I attended the March for Israel on Tuesday, November 14^th in what was a last-minute decision. The event showed up in my feed, and my decision to go was immediate. Never, ever have I decided to go somewhere so quickly and with ease. I needed to be there among my people showing our solidarity with Israel and Jewish people around the world. Make no mistake, they are one. I know this, even if some of my Jewish friends don’t. They will. I just fear it will be under terrible circumstances.

When I left the house, Michael commented, “You are a part of history.”

My journey to DC was rather physically trying. I flew in from Colorado to LaGuardia on Monday night, headed to my friends in Scarsdale, woke up at 4am to catch the 5:00 bus to DC from their temple with 40 or so others, drove 5 hours, parked in the suburbs at the JFK football stadium, walked ½ hour to the subway, rode ½ hour on the subway, exited on the mall, stayed for three hours, waited on line for the return subway for an hour and reversed the entire trip.

All of this…wait for it…with no coffee. Somewhere in the quick planning, my morning coffee got lost. And let me tell you, that was a bummer man. I basically couldn’t have a coherent conversation with my close, childhood friend all day long, and as the day progressed my stomach was warning me, “You’re going to end up with a screaming headache.” All I ate for two days was pretzels, pound cake and peanut butter and jelly or turkey sandwiches, and that is a recipe for one of my screaming, digestion-related migraines which came on full force on the bus ride back to Scarsdale.

But, despite all of this, the day was beautiful. I hope no one is using the word protest for what this was, because it was not a protest of anything. We were not there to reject, or hate, or chastise or call for the death of anyone. We were there peacefully, quietly, calmly, united in support of bringing home the hostages and supporting Israel in their fight against terrorism. There were no pro-Hamas protestors to speak of, aside from a few bus drivers who prevented over 600 people from Detroit from being at the event. There was no screaming, no threats, no violence.

Security was virtually non-existent, so I don’t know if they were being subversive, or that we were left on our own, but it was kind of striking. In Israel, wherever you go, there are soldiers protecting the perimeter. I guess I was expecting that on the mall. But despite the lack of security presence, I didn’t feel exposed or threatened. One could have easily dropped a bomb on the subway and killed over 100,000 Jews at one time. Wouldn’t that have been a joyous day for the young, blindsided, ignorant people ripping down posters of children who have been kidnapped and calling for the death of Israel and the Jews?

I emphasize this because I think it needs to be noted and celebrated. Juxtaposed onto the radical protests that are taking place on the streets of our cities and our college campuses.

I returned home feeling good about being there. With a full heart and soul, until I turned the news back on. The Protests against support for Israel started the minute we left Washington.

So did I make history? I think so. I’m on the right side of history, I know that. When years go by – and who knows how long that will be? – and we look back, I have to believe that the truth will win and good will win over evil. I said to a friend last week, “If I were Biden, I’d be thinking about my legacy and not the polls. If he goes down in history as the last president to support Israel and the war on terrorism, that would be a noble legacy!” Given his age, he can die a hero. Maybe not now, but years from now. My friend replied, “Not to everyone.”

And that right there is what makes my heart hurt. That people don’t believe that Israel is on the right side of morality and human decency. It would be subhuman to look at the images of people dying in Gaza and not want it all to end. We all feel that.

I have been following the news in Israel. The IDF publicizes virtually every move they make so the world can have evidence of their actions. What they have uncovered in the hospital is gut-wrenching. Weapons and bombs, items left from kidnapping, a baby bottle and clothing aside the motorcycle that was used to invade a Kibbutz to rape and kill. And that’s just what was located behind an MRI machine that clearly hadn’t been used for weeks, maybe months. The evidence of evil is there before our eyes.

When we’re a looking at Good vs. Evil, we may be blind sighted. We may be ignorant, uneducated. Our ideologies may cloud our view. This entire generation may pass without recognizing the truth of what is happening right now. But somewhere in the future – somewhere – the truth will come out. And then, as there was after the Holocaust and the liberation of the slaves, there will be some sort of reckoning. I believe that, and I will continue to stay on the side of Good. Of democracy, truth, and the freedom to be who we are, to have equal rights for all people and to express ourselves. And if you need to unfriend me because that makes me some right-wing, patriotic nut, so be it.