On Tuesday, Nov. 14, nearly 140 people from Greater Indianapolis attended the March for Israel in Washington, D.C., where they joined 290,000 other attendees in the single largest gathering of the Jewish community in American history.

Attendees heard from various speakers and joined the calls for a release of the hostages taken Oct. 7, solidarity in Israel's war against Hamas, and to stand resolutely against the global and domestic rise of antisemitism.

“My biggest takeaway right now is how proud we Jews are to be Jewish,” said Miriam Dancziger, a South Bend resident who attended with the Hoosier group. “From the most observant to the least affiliated, we were all there together today, proclaiming our love of G-d, Israel, and the Jewish nation.

She continued, “I have experienced a range of emotions this past month, from fear and despair to hope and empowerment. But today all I feel is pride. It was thrilling to see the distant cities that people traveled from, to chat with the attendees who stood near me, to be cheered by Israelis in the Pentagon City mall for wearing a sweatshirt with a Magen David, to stop at a rest stop and observe men praying Maariv.”

Like Dancziger, Dr. Jack Cotlar, who also attended with the Hoosier group, was emotionally inspired by being part of the heavily attended March.

“This was by far the largest family gathering I have ever attended,” he said. “Like many families, we were an eclectic group of all ages from young children to grandparents; a group with different perspectives of Israeli politics, Judaism, and levels of observance. But, no one felt any divisions, we all felt united in love for Israel and the Jewish people. After all, we are one!”

Thanks to Glick Philanthropies, the Federation was able to charter a bus to bring members of the community to the nation's capital. This group joined with dozens more Hoosiers, including students representing IU Hillel, Tuesday morning at what was a lifechanging moment for many members of the community.

 

A Message from Helen Kurlander Goldstein, President of the Jewish Federation of Greater Indianapolis

On Nov. 14, history was made and I am proud to have been a part of it. I stood alongside more than 130 people from Indiana and hundreds of thousands of people from across the United States in support of Israel. I grew up in Indianapolis and yet didn’t know most of the Hoosiers standing beside me. This event drew us together and engaged many who may have never been involved before.

I was in awe and inspired to see that the majority of those in attendance - tens of thousands – were young people between the ages of 18-40. The media portrays a large young population in support of Hamas and the people of Palestine, but this rally shows that there are a lot of younger pro-Israel supporters as well.

While the attendance was record-breaking, the impact was slated to be more significant. It was a shame that hundreds from Detroit and even more from other areas around the United States were met with a bus driver boycott. An airplane from Detroit carrying hundreds of passengers hired a bus service to take them from the tarmac to the March. When the driver learned where they were going, he refused to move the bus. This is a real example of Jew hate that is going on currently. So instead, these eager activists were forced to sit on the airplane for almost 8 hours.

All of these reasons show why our Jewish community is coming together. The Jewish Federation combats antisemitism like the example we saw at the March, as well as the sharp increase of incidents we are seeing in Indiana. The Federation’s role is to also convene, plan, and fundraise for the entire Jewish community. Our Federation that you support led this effort. Our Federation raises critical funds to meet the needs of the people in Israel during this war, and right here in Indiana.

All of our Jewish community leaders have participated in weekly meetings since the war began and everyone is working together toward a common goal to fight antisemitism and Israel demonization. Our community continues to show up for one another and come together because we cannot do the important work we do alone. We find strength in numbers, whether it’s almost 300,000 people at a March in D.C. or hundreds if not thousands right here at home. There could not be a better time to show up for your Jewish community, to give, and to get involved.