‘5,000 attend pro-Israel rally in Washington’

The following is an article that I wrote, which appeared in the June 13, 2024, edition of the Washington Jewish Week:

June 1967 is a significant period in the annals of Jewish history. In response to attacks by Jordanian forces and mobilization by Arab forces, Israel mounted an assault on the morning of June 5, 1967, and succeeded in disabling the Egyptian air force. By the end of the Six-Day War, Israel defeated Egypt, Jordan and Syria and brought about the reunification of Jerusalem.

On June 5, we celebrated Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) and marked 57 years since Motta Gur, commander of the Israel Defense Forces’ paratroopers brigade, proudly and famously proclaimed “Har HaBayit B’Yadeinu” (The Temple Mount is in our hands).

In this month’s installment of “Remember When,” we look back at an event that preceded the historic reunification of Jerusalem by just a few days. In an article titled “5,000 attend pro-Israel rally in Washington” that appeared on the front page of our June 1, 1967, issue, we reported on a large rally organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington in response to events unfolding in the Middle East.

The purpose of the gathering was to “urge a firm United States commitment to the security of Israel.” U.S. Sen. Eugene McCarthy (D-Minn.) assailed Egypt’s blockade of the Gulf of Aqaba, calling it “an affront to any nation respecting international law and the traditions of the open sea,” and noting that “the U.S. must respond to Israel’s aid if she is attacked.”

Other speakers also spoke about the importance of the U.S. standing with Israel in the face of threats to its borders by its Arab neighbors, including Msgr. George G. Higgins, director of the social action department of the U.S. Catholic Conference, Rev. Walter E. Fauntroy, Washington representative of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, and Rev. Graydon E. McClellan, general presbyter of the Presbytery of Washington, who said that Egypt’s blockade presents an “intolerable threat to the security and integrity of a nation whose existence has been certified by the United States.”

At the event, Rabbi Ralph Simon, vice president of the Rabbinical Assembly of America, said that “the existence of Israel is not negotiable.” At the end of his remarks, Simon asked the audience to join with him in singing Hatikvah, Israel’s national anthem.

The notion that the American Jewish community needs to be vocal and active in seeking and securing the United States’ support for Israel is as relevant today as it was in June 1967. In the wake of the horrific and barbaric terrorist attacks by Hamas on Oct. 7 and in the face of the serious threats facing Israel from Hezbollah, Iran and others, we need to continue rallying and working with other faith communities to advocate for a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. With antisemitism and anti-Israel sentiments rising in the U.S. and around the world, we are duty-bound to make our voices heard.