Around noon, trudging through the dirty slush on my way to the bus stop, I walked by this demonstration at the corner of Dearborn and Adams.
After I saw the first of dozens of Israeli flags, which werehanded out to demonstration participants, I remembered reading about the event [1]a few days back. In fact, I intended to blog on it last night, but forgot after a long day of class.
Police officers stationed in the area told me to “join them or keep on walking,” but I was drawn to stay, to pace back and forth on the block listening to Steven Nasatir, the organization’s president, vehemently defend the state of Israel to a cheering crowd:
“It is incomprehensible that—60 years after the birth of the modern State of Israel—we are still defending Israel’s right to exist in the court of world opinion and on the streets of Chicago!
Let’s say it plainly. This is not about a two-state solution—it’s about an attempt to destroy the State of Israel.”
Meanwhile, across the street, a few grumpy old men handed out pamphlets in opposition to Israel, promoting a Palestinian state.
The scene, in the middle of dreary downtown, made my eyes water.
My roommate and I have discussed the conflict and the current tragedy in Gaza. She’s Jewish, and I’m Christian and “pro-Semitic,” but we’ve become torn over this outburst of violence—when civilians in Gaza are being killed in such large numbers and Israel is so hesitant to permit humanitarian aid.
As much as we’d like to see the age-old conflict end during our generation, we’re confronted with what seems like the reality of the situation: the bombing continues, the fighting does not stop.
I look over the crowd at the Jewish Federation demonstration, with their signs to stop Hamas, their blue-and-white flags, and their concerned faces, and I want to support their cause and rally with them. American politicians and media seem to loyally and continuously do so; a pro-Israel stance comes natural.
But the other side of me says I can’t cheer for a country that has reportedly trapped civilians and barred passage to the Red Cross [2]. I understand the position of groups such as the Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater Chicago, which has spoken out, calling Israel’s violence a “massacre” [3] and offered charity for emergency relief in Gaza [4].