Contrary to what is sometimes felt in Israel, the War of Iron Swords includes battles beyond those happening in the country. One of these is the ongoing fight against rising antisemitism around the world. The disturbing images and painful reports from anti-Israel protests and horrifying statements by university leaders often lead to frustration and a sense of helplessness.
It sometimes feels as though there is no adequate response to such hatred, and even if there were, it seems impossible to achieve tangible results. However, when examining the situation on the ground, the reality is quite different. The fight is extensive and intense, with many successes.
Hila, an Israeli resident of New York, shared with us the numerous efforts made by the local Jewish community: “Every Sunday, without exception, there is a rally in Central Park calling for the release of the hostages. Families of the hostages come here and meet with the community. We’ve celebrated the birthdays of Romi Gonen and Kfir Bibas here and work constantly to raise awareness.”
“In the beginning, we hung up stickers and signs everywhere,” Hila explains. “When antisemites started taking down the stickers, a member of the Jewish community who owns several hotels decided to project banners and messages supporting Israel and the hostages onto the buildings themselves. The Jewish mind always finds a creative way to win.”
“Every June, there’s an annual march for Israel here, and this year, thousands participated. The most beautiful thing was seeing the enjoyment and support of the local police during the march. The police here understand that pro-Israel demonstrators are peaceful, and none of them climb poles or tear down or burn American flags, like what happens at the counter-protests.”
“There are so many positive points here. I walk around the city with my bag full of yellow ribbons, and I’m sure that if anything happens, people will come to help me. So many collaborations have formed between organizations trying to figure out how to fight antisemitism and support Jewish students in schools. It’s really important for people to know about all the good things happening here.”
