Taglit-birthright israel Alumni Rally for Israel

By Josh Marks   

 

An estimated 500 Taglit-birthright israel alumni joined nearly 10,000 ralliers from across Los Angeles Sunday in a show of solidarity with the people of Israel during their conflict with Hezbollah.

 

On a sweltering hot summer afternoon, speakers from across the political and religious spectrum -- including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa -- gave impassioned speeches supporting Israel’s right to self-defense in response to the cross-border raid and kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by the radical Islamic terrorist organization. 

 

The theme of the Jewish Federation-sponsored event, which turned Wilshire Boulevard between San Vicente and Crescent Heights into a sea of Israeli and American flags, was “Ensure Security, Imagine Peace.”

 

Taglit-birthright israel alumni were a prominent presence throughout the day. At the beginning of the program, birthright alumni Dan Gold, Ilana Herscovitz and Nina Rubin presented brief biographies of the captured soldiers, including 19-year-old Corporal Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists on June 25 along the Gaza Strip border.

 

Reasons for attending the rally were as diverse as the people in the crowd and the speakers at the podium. 

 

Alumnus Ben Schwartzman, 24, recently attended an Israel Advocacy Training Seminar in New York City and came back motivated to take action. “I went to show support for Israel during this difficult time,” said Schwartzman. “It is important that the Los Angeles community shows Jews and non-Jews around the world that we stand with Israel.”

 

When 25-year-old alumna Adelle Gomelsky returned from Taglit-birthright israel: The LA Way - Los Angeles Community trip last month she felt a strong connection to the land and people of Israel, despite living 9,000 miles from Tel Aviv. “The rally solidified that ‘wherever we stand, we stand with Israel’ and more importantly we make that stand as a united community comprised of all races, religions and backgrounds,” explained Gomelsky.

 

As the rally wound down and the setting sun gave some relief from the heat, one thing became clear – Israel is not alone in this struggle. For one glorious day in late July, the loudest sounds coming from Wilshire Boulevard weren’t passing buses but the roar of “Am Yisrael Chai!”

 

To browse pictures from the rally go to the AlumNet photo gallery .

 

For updates on Israel in Crisis and how you can help locally go to www.JewishLA.org and for additional websites and other resources go to How You Can Help Israel

 

Josh Marks is a website production editor and freelance writer at Variety -- the trade magazine for the entertainment industry. He also writes movie reviews, covers local sports and profiles neighborhoods and small businesses for community newspapers in Long Beach, Santa Monica and the San Fernando Valley.