Mr. Moishe Bane: Ten Reasons One Should Attend Attend The Upcoming Rally in DC

Moishe Bane, President Emeritus of the Orthodox Union shared the following letter to Rabbanim in the Diaspora.

“Below are ten reasons explaining why one should attend the November 14 rally in Washington, DC:

1. Both politicians and the media are scrutinizing the degree of support that Israel enjoys among American Jewry. Politicians take careful note of annual attendance at the Israel Day parade. All the more so they will translate attendance on November 14 as reflecting our degree of support for lsrael.

2. If we are to expect non-Jewish American supporters of lsrael, such as Evangelicals and other community sectors, to continue to express their allegiance to Israel, these non -Jewish supporters need to be encouraged by observing the passion of American Jewry in support of lsrael.

3. If we are to expect pro-Israel politicians and media outlets to continue to resist the burgeoning tidal wave of anti-Israel sentiment, the American Jewish community needs to evidence a greater degree of passion and commitment than we expect of them.

4. Both politicians and the media are scrutinizing how significantly and seriously American Jewry is taking the massive spike in domestic antisemitism. As we call for greater government funding for security, and as we call on universities, public schools and local police forces to take antisemitism seriously, we must first demonstrate that we take it seriously.

5. Recent events, both in Ilsrael and locally, have jolted much of non- observant American Jewry into revisiting their degree of identity as a Jew. Whether they attend the November 14 rally, or merely read or hear about it, these less affiliated Jews need to see that they are part of a large family of American Jewry in which we are each committed to each other as family.

6. In addition to our Tefilos and Tehillim, Hashem observes our actions and sacrifices as additional manners of prayer. Taking a full day out of our busy schedules to express our concern for the safety and security of Israel is a powerful form of Tefila that will surely shake the gates of Shomayim.

7. The November 14 rally will be an expression of enormous achdus of American Jewry. Our pleas to Hashem resonate with particular clarity in Shomayim when expressed in the context of extraordinary achdus.

8. The November 14 rally is a rather exceptional occurrence of American Jewry acting as a collective tzibur. If possible, it behooves everyone to refrain from being poresh min hatzibur, particularly when so much is at stake.

9. It would be foolhardy for any parent to squander the opportunity to demonstrate to their entire family the significance of extending oneself on behalf of Kla/ yisroel. November 14 will be a day upon which all children will be observing their parents’ degree of commitment and sense of responsibility.

10. And perhaps most significant of allis that every Israeli, whether soldier or private citizen, whether observant or not, is currently suffering enormously in multiple ways. They both need and deserve the Chizuk we will be offering on November 14 by loudly declaring our commitment to, and identification with, their pain and grief.”