(Jewish Group) I helped organize the Washington rally against antisemitism. It wasn't perfect, but..

[Behind the Aegis]

I helped organize the Washington rally against antisemitism. It wasn’t perfect, but it was necessary.

When Nazi tanks surrounded Warsaw, my father related in a rare moment of frustration, the Jews were in shul arguing over who should get “shlishi” (the honor of being called up third to the Torah).

It was a story I thought about often on Sunday, on Tisha b’Av. The day marks the destruction of our Temple in Jerusalem and the beginning of exile, the day our sages teach was brought about by our anger at each other. And it’s a story I couldn’t shake from my head this past month as our small team of organizers worked nonstop to inspire Jews and our allies to join us in Washington, D.C., for a rally against antisemitism.

Critics and doubters awaited us at every turn.

We were criticized for asserting that anti-Zionism was a form of antisemitism. How dare we include groups who praised Donald Trump, many asked. How dare we exclude groups who call for an end to the Jewish state? Cynical left-leaning Jewish publications ran articles claiming that this rally would be a right-wing gathering, warning their readers to stay away.

We were criticized for having a diversity and inclusion statement. Certain right-leaning Jewish leaders circulated concerns by email and social media, arguing that the rally had been compromised by the left. How dare we include groups who use terms like “occupation,” they asked. How dare we exclude groups who call for hatred or violence?

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JTA and their verbose titles!

Of course, I remember all the news reports about this gathering and the messages from the rally as reported on MSM.