March for Israel

The rally took place a little over a month after Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. In the weeks that followed, its organizers framed the event as a public demonstration of support for Israel, a demand for the release of hostages taken by Hamas, and a stand against terrorism and antisemitism. The announced slogan was “Americans March for Israel, March to Free Hostages, March Against Antisemitism.”[1]

The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Federations of North America organized the march. Their stated intention was to unify American voices in support of Israel while drawing attention to the hostages and antisemitism.[1] William Daroff, chief executive of the Conference of Presidents, was identified as one of the organizers.[6]

The event was planned amid reports of heightened concern about antisemitism in the United States. In a Senate floor statement on the day of the rally, Senator Mitch McConnell said harassment, vandalism, and assault against American Jews had risen nearly 400 percent in the first week after Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad killed 1,200 Israelis. These figures and descriptions were part of McConnell’s remarks, rather than an independent attendance or incident assessment in the sources documenting the march.[7]

The day before the event, a Jewish medical tent was vandalized. A House resolution adopted in December later referred to the incident as having occurred “the evening before the March for Israel” and said the tent was spray-painted with “Free Gaza,” “Palestine Will Be Free,” and “Gaza Will Win.” The resolution records this episode in connection with the rally but does not describe the march’s program or attendance.[8]

Before the march, organizers sought a permit for 60,000 people, while Jewish leaders hoped attendance would exceed that number. News reports said expectations were in the tens of thousands; these were pre-event projections, not counts of the crowd that ultimately arrived.[9] Local Jewish federations, schools, synagogues, community centers, and Israeli expatriate groups coordinated travel, while others made their own arrangements.[10]

The March for Israel took place on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. It was presented as a rally and march in support of Israel, hostages, and the Jewish community, with opposition to terrorism and antisemitism among its central themes.[1][11] The Jewish Agency reported that the gathering was also broadcast live to Hostages Square in Tel Aviv, where members of the public and hostage families assembled.[11]

The site and surrounding area were prepared for a large, security-intensive gathering. One account placed the stage near Fourth Street on the National Mall, with hostage flyers displayed on barricades and participants wearing shirts bearing hostages’ names and faces.[5] The Times of Israel reported that the Department of Homeland Security designated the event a “Level 1” security event, which the article described as the highest classification in its system. It also reported roadblocks, bag searches, and a requirement for substantial federal law-enforcement assistance, citing two officials who spoke to the Associated Press.[10]

Travel was organized across the country by community institutions and groups. An American Jewish Committee board member described her family having roughly a week’s notice: one daughter made sweatshirts for relatives and friends, and another made bracelets reading “Am Yisrael Chai.” The writer recalled seeing people from different Jewish denominations, friends reuniting, students, hostage families, elected officials, and allied participants. She said she had been told that Yeshiva University alone sent more than 40 buses.[12]

Other accounts describe a mix of buses, trains, and flights, including overnight travel. Students raised money from relatives, and Jewish federations helped fund last-minute airfare, according to a report from the National Mall. That account described security arriving before dawn and two thirteen-ton dump trucks being positioned as a barricade near the stage by 8:30 a.m.[5] A separate travel report said a Detroit Federation delegation of 900 was stranded at Dulles Airport after bus drivers refused to take the group to the event, according to Daroff.[13]

A youth gathering preceded the main program. The Jerusalem Post reported that 30,000 students and young people met before noon for a special pre-march rally. Participants included students from Jewish schools and youth movements, and the article described them discussing antisemitism on campus and the importance of attending.[14]

The program included hostage-family representatives, survivors of the October 7 attacks, senior U.S. government officials, and actors. The Jewish Agency reported that its chairman, retired Major General Doron Almog, Board of Trustees chair Mark Wilf, and North American emissaries took part. The gathering also included a joint prayer for the peace of the State of Israel.[11]

Hostage families were a prominent presence. Calcalist reported that more than 100 hostage families attended as part of a Chabad delegation after visiting the Lubavitcher Rebbe’s grave in Queens the previous day. Among the family representatives who spoke were Orna Neutra, mother of hostage Omer Neutra; Elena Zaytchik, whose six relatives were held hostage; and Rachel Goldberg, mother of Hersh Goldberg-Polin. During speeches by Neutra and Zaytchik, participants shouted, “Bring Them Home.”[6]

Goldberg spoke about her son, identified in the account as one of the hostages abducted on October 7. She wore a piece of tape marked “39,” representing the number of days since she had last seen him, and said, “We hostage families have lived the last 39 days in slow-motion torment.” The SAPIR Journal account describes the crowd falling silent and still for three minutes during her remarks.[15] The Times of Israel also reported Goldberg’s appeal and described the hostage relatives’ calls for the captives to be brought home.[10]

The repeated chant “Bring … Them … Home!” became a central call to action, according to SAPIR Journal, rising during and between speeches, sometimes in unison and sometimes in waves.[15] A Senate statement described participants as gathering in mourning, worry, fear, and shared resolve, and focused attention on the more than 240 hostages held after the October 7 attacks, including a three-year-old American boy and at least eight other Americans.[7]

Israeli President Isaac Herzog addressed the crowd remotely from the Western Wall in Jerusalem. He said the gathering was for the hostages and for Jews’ right to live proudly and safely in America, Israel, and around the world, and declared, “Never Again is now.”[14] Calcalist quoted him describing the assembly as a family marching for Israel and for those held hostage by Hamas.[6]

A bipartisan group of congressional leaders appeared on the program: Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Senator Joni Ernst. Attendees and speakers joined chants including “USA,” “Never Again,” “Bring them home,” and Am Yisrael chai.[16] In a later interview, Jewish Federations of North America president Eric Fingerhut said four congressional leaders—Johnson, Jeffries, Schumer, and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell—came together at the rally in support of Israel and held hands. He also said police told him that they had received more expressions of thanks that day than during their entire careers.[17]

Deborah Lipstadt, then the U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism, invoked President George Washington’s 1790 reassurance to the Jews of Newport that the United States would give “bigotry no sanction and persecution no assistance.” She said the U.S. government stood against antisemitism and described the crowd as people of different faiths, beliefs, identities, and backgrounds. Lipstadt urged participants not to intimidate those who disagreed with them, while also telling them not to be afraid.[18]

Other speeches addressed the attacks and the conflict. In his Senate statement, McConnell characterized the rally’s message as “Stand with Israel” and argued that terrorism and self-defense should not be treated as morally equivalent. He also discussed Israel’s efforts to protect its people and bring hostages home, and claimed that Hamas used civilian sites and humanitarian aid in its war effort; these are political assessments attributed to McConnell.[7]

The program also featured performers. The Maccabeats, Matisyahu, Ishai Ribo, and Omer Adam were among the musicians named in an attendee’s account.[12] Calcalist reported that Ishay Ribo and Omer Adam attended and that Adam sang the Israeli national anthem to loud applause.[6] TRADITION’s account also lists actors, musicians, broadcast news personalities, and hostage-family representatives among the program’s participants.[4]

A separate congressional gathering took place before the march. Calcalist reported that 150 members of Congress met at the Old House Office Building to watch a film produced by the IDF Spokesperson’s Unit documenting Hamas’s October 7 attack. The account said that members who usually opposed Israel, including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, were among those present and that senior Biden administration officials gave a briefing after the screening.[6]

Published attendance figures varied, and the available sources do not establish one independently verified count. The Jewish Agency reported more than 250,000 attendees.[11] The American Jewish Committee said more than 290,000 people had gathered, and the Anti-Defamation League described attendance as nearly 300,000.[2][19] The Center for Israel Education’s timeline estimated “some 300,000 American Jews” and called the gathering the largest-ever demonstration by American Jewry.[20]

Organizers gave figures near 300,000. Conference of Presidents CEO William Daroff said more than 290,000 people attended and described the event as the largest pro-Israel gathering in history.[13] He said another 250,000 people watched through livestream and on C-SPAN; that separate figure refers to remote viewers, not in-person attendance.[13] A JNS report said Daroff attributed the in-person tally to magnetometers used by security at entrances. The National Park Service told JNS that it does not make crowd estimates for permitted events, leaving attendance determinations to organizers.[3][16]

Other reported figures were lower or less precise. JNS described published estimates that included a Los Angeles Times figure of 160,000 and Crowd Counting Consortium entries ranging from 20,000 to 300,000, including “nearly 300,000” and “at least 200,000.” The JNS article said the Los Angeles Times figure was based on an average of high and low estimates in news coverage.[3] The Times of Israel also reported that Jeffries described the crowd in his speech as “more than 100,000 strong,” while attributing the figure above 290,000 to Daroff; it supplied no independent count or verification method for either figure.[10]

Other accounts use broad descriptions rather than a definitive total. SAPIR Journal refers to “hundreds of thousands” and calls the gathering the largest rally in American Jewish history. The Jewish Review of Books account describes tens of thousands and quotes an attendee estimating “100,000 people.”[15][5] TRADITION reports almost 300,000 people in Washington and a further quarter of a million watching online, while emphasizing that the figures are approximate.[4] Calcalist reported more than 200,000, citing Daroff’s estimate and his statement that organizers counted people using metal detectors at entrances. Fingerhut later said the Jewish Federations of North America brought 300,000 people to the demonstration.[6][17]

The descriptions “largest Jewish assembly” or “largest pro-Israel gathering” are therefore attributed to organizers or organizational leaders, rather than presented here as independently verified rankings. Different estimates reflect different sources and methods; the material documents both the event’s exceptional scale and the absence of a single agreed total.[3][17]

The rally’s public message joined support for Israel with demands for the hostages’ return and opposition to antisemitism. The Jewish Agency said participants came to express solidarity with Israel, condemn rising antisemitism, and call for the hostages’ release.[11] The American Jewish Committee described the march as expressing support for Israel and the Jewish community, opposition to terrorism and antisemitism, and commitment to bringing home every hostage held by Hamas.[2]

The event also served as a large gathering of American Jews and allies at a moment of grief and anxiety. The Jewish Review of Books account characterized it as both a demonstration of pride and defiance and a communal mourning gathering, calling it “the world’s largest shiva.” It described the mood as combining fear, grief, and resolve, while portraying the atmosphere as spirited, orderly, and akin to a family gathering.[5]

The sense of communal gathering appeared in participants’ recollections. The AJC attendee described seeing Jews from different denominations and people reconnecting with friends, alongside hostage families, students, elected officials, and allied voices. She called the experience uplifting and like a family reunion, while noting that the march did not end antisemitism or the war and did not bring the hostages home.[12]

The rally’s call for hostages to be brought home also evoked earlier Jewish mobilization. SAPIR Journal compared the gathering with the 1987 National Mall demonstration for Soviet Jewry, which it says brought 250,000 people under the banner “Let My People Go!” Natan Sharansky spoke at both events. The journal suggested that the campaign for the hostages could become “this generation’s Soviet Jewry moment.”[15]

Sharansky addressed students near the stage, telling them, “You are not frightened, you are not silenced.” Lipstadt similarly urged attendees not to cower and to allow no one to make them afraid.[5][18] Almog, the Jewish Agency’s chairman, said that being among the crowd underscored the Jewish people’s deep connection with Israel. He said the task ahead was to draw strength from unity and work together to build and restore the State of Israel.[11]

The event’s political breadth was a stated aim as well as a visible feature. The organizers sought to unify American voices in support of Israel, while TRADITION described their intention as reaching “across divisions” and being bipartisan. That account named Schumer, Johnson, Jeffries, Lipstadt, and Herzog—who addressed the crowd by video—as prominent speakers, alongside hostage-family representatives and figures from entertainment and broadcasting.[1][4] Calcalist reported that the gathering brought together groups with different ideological positions, including Americans for Peace Now and the Zionist Organization of America, led by Morton Klein.[6]

The rally did not itself resolve the concerns that had brought participants to Washington. The AJC attendee who described the event as uplifting also observed that it had not ended antisemitism or the war and had not returned the hostages.[12] The organization’s post-event article urged readers: “Let yesterday’s March be a rallying cry, not just a rally,” and set the gathering alongside calls for further efforts to protect American Jews.[2]

Its scale and public visibility were subsequently described by participating organizations as evidence of support for Israel and the hostages. The ADL said it helped bring the march together and presented the gathering as a demonstration of commitment to supporting Israel, demanding the release of hostages, and opposing antisemitism.[19] The Jewish Agency likewise highlighted the solidarity expressed in Washington and the live broadcast to Hostages Square in Tel Aviv.[11]

The march also formed part of a wider period of public and political response to the October 7 attacks. In the lead-up, members of Congress attended a screening of footage documenting the attacks, followed by a briefing from senior Biden administration officials, as reported by Calcalist.[6] At the rally, federal officials and congressional leaders spoke, and the program connected concerns about antisemitism in the United States with support for Israel and the demand for the hostages’ return.[7][18]

Accounts of the march emphasize different aspects of its meaning: a mass demonstration of support for Israel, a gathering centered on hostage families, a public response to antisemitism, and a moment of Jewish communal solidarity. The Center for Israel Education called it the largest-ever demonstration by American Jewry, while SAPIR Journal and other accounts compared its scale and purpose with earlier Jewish mobilization.[20][15]

The comparison with the 1987 Soviet Jewry rally became a particularly vivid frame. SAPIR Journal noted the shared National Mall setting, the participation of Sharansky in both demonstrations, and the parallel between “Let My People Go!” and the 2023 demand to “Bring … Them … Home!” Its suggestion that the hostage campaign might become a new Soviet Jewry moment was an interpretation of the rally’s historical significance, not a settled account of what its long-term legacy would be.[15]

The size of the crowd is central to later accounts but remains difficult to summarize as a single established number. Reports range from tens of thousands or a quoted estimate of 100,000 to organizer-linked figures above 290,000 and estimates near 300,000.[5][3] The sources also distinguish attendance in person from livestream and C-SPAN viewership, and report that the National Park Service did not estimate attendance at permitted events.[13][16] Accordingly, claims that the march was the largest pro-Israel or Jewish gathering in U.S. history are best understood as descriptions made by organizers and participating institutions.[3][17]

Some accounts present the event as both political demonstration and communal ritual. The Jewish Review of Books’ description of a “world’s largest shiva” foregrounded mourning, while the recorded chants, hostage images, speeches, and calls for action underscored public solidarity and determination.[5] The AJC’s appeal to treat the event as a “rallying cry” likewise framed it as a beginning for continued work rather than a self-contained conclusion.[2]

Disagreement about attendance figures is the most persistent factual dispute in accounts of the march. Organizers and Jewish organizations reported figures from more than 250,000 to about 300,000, while media and crowd-counting estimates included substantially lower totals.[11][3] The National Park Service said it did not estimate attendance at permitted events, and the sources do not establish one agreed, independently verified count.[16]

The choice of speakers and the question of whom the rally represented also drew criticism. TRADITION reports that some observers faulted the event for a “murky message” and that Rabbi Aharon Feldman of Ner Israel and other Orthodox rabbis withdrew their support. It also says Conference of Presidents executive vice chairman Malcolm Hoenlein explained that rabbinic speakers were not included because representation across Jewish denominations would then have been required.[4]

The Times of Israel reported that progressive groups objected to the invitation of evangelical pastor John Hagee and noted that no Jewish clergy were on the speakers’ list.[10] These disputes reflected broader questions about religious representation and how to bring together Jews with different political and religious outlooks, rather than evidence that every participant shared a single interpretation of the event.[4]

Attendees also expressed differing views about the war and its conduct. The Jewish Review of Books account records some participants supporting continuation of the war against Hamas and opposing a cease-fire, including chants of “No cease-fire!” and a sign reading “All war is bad; some war is just.” The account describes these as views voiced by some rallygoers, not a position held by all attendees.[5]

Speakers’ interpretations of political slogans were contested. JNS reported that Johnson characterized “From the river to the sea” as a call for Israel’s eradication, while Schumer said it meant that present-day Israel should be a “Jew-free land.” These were the speakers’ interpretations, reported in the context of their remarks.[16] Accounts of the rally therefore record both a prominent shared message of support for Israel and hostages and debate over representation, political framing, and the meaning of particular slogans.[16][4]