Rabbi Yehuda Gabay, Head of NYHS, attended the pro-Israel rally in Washington D.C. on November 14. NYHS students Celia Rosenbaum, Evelyn Edwards, Hannah Klinghoffer, and Leah Gonzalez were also there. The Mane Idea sat down with Rabbi Gabay about the experience.
The Mane Idea: Why did you decide to go to the rally?
Within everything negative, there’s always something positive. This is a very dark moment for Am Yisrael, but at the same time, there’s so much light. The power of all the Jews coming together from all different backgrounds, and there for the same purpose of Am Yisrael Chai. Continuing the Jewish legacy is very powerful in supporting Israel, whatever we can do. That was a way that I felt they could support Israel; one more [person] being there.
Can you describe the setting? What was it like?
It was huge. It was a lot, almost 300,000 people. I thought security would be much tighter; it wasn’t, but it was very safe. You went into a huge area with a stage at the end. There were screens all over, and I met someone that I hadn’t seen in 20 years from Mexico. I met him there! So it was very beautiful to see Jews, like I said, from all over just supporting Israel.
How did you feel about the speeches?
I think the speeches were powerful. There were students, some politicians, and activists speaking. And I think all the speeches were the same: supporting Israel. And not just supporting Israel, but supporting peace in the world. And there was nothing that I felt was against Hamas, but more support for Israel, nothing against anyone. It was a very positive event.
What messages can you bring from the rally to NYHS?
We’re really a family, and we’re all the same. Because I saw people that were more observant, less observant, black, white, brown, whatever, and everyone there had one goal of bringing peace to Israel. I saw a lot of Christian groups also, with signs that said, “Christians for Israel.” It was beautiful to see how many people stand behind us for peace. So that’s the message I would like to bring: it doesn’t matter who we are or how different we are. We need to understand our differences and understand that that’s exactly what Hashem wants. He doesn’t want anyone to be the same. He wants us all to be different, but working towards one goal, to shine.
