WASHINGTON — As he strode through the National Mall, Michael Cohn wore an olive-green shirt honoring the Israeli army and a bright blue hat declaring Atlanta’s love for Israel.
The east Cobb County businessman dropped everything to attend the March for Israel, a show of support to demonstrate unity with the Jewish state, condemn antisemitic attacks and demand the release of more than 200 hostages taken after Hamas militants stormed Israel on Oct. 7.
“It’s the most important thing I can do. There’s no place else I’d rather be than here today,” Cohn said. “Seeing the hate spread as fast as it has around the country and across campuses, I knew I needed to be here to stand with other Jews.”
Cohn was among a sea of people who stretched from the U.S. Capitol to the Washington Monument to hear from political leaders, community advocates and the families of hostages captive in the Gaza Strip. Organizers called it the largest pro-Israel gathering in U.S. history.
The Associated Press described the crowd as being in the tens of thousands.
The event came at a fraught time for U.S. leaders facing backlash for unequivocal support for Israel and growing calls for a cease-fire or a de-escalation of violence amid retaliatory strikes that have killed more than 11,000 people, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry .
The escalating war has divided younger, more liberal voters who are increasingly less likely to reflexively support Israel, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released last week that showed steep divisions over the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
But the Israel-Hamas war has also hardened a bipartisan coalition between Republicans and more mainstream Democrats who have found common cause in backing Israel’s vow to dismantle Hamas after terrorists killed 1,200 Israelis.
That alliance was on display last week when 22 Democrats joined nearly all Republicans to formally rebuke Democratic U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, who is the lone Palestinian American in Congress, for repeating a rallying cry that many see as calling for the elimination of Israel. The censure resolution was sponsored by Republican U.S. Rep. Rich McCormick of Suwanee.
And senior Democrats joined with Republicans to voice their support for Israel’s military campaign, which they’ve framed as crucial to eradicating the Hamas militant group that governs Gaza.
“We are here, united, Democrat and Republican, House and Senate, to say we stand with Israel,” said U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who was joined by bipartisan leaders of the House and Senate.
Among the speakers was Deborah Lipstadt, an Emory University professor whose role as the U.S. special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism has taken on more significance.
Attacks and harassment targeting Jews has soared by nearly 400% since the Hamas attack against Israel, according to the Anti-Defamation League’s Center on Extremism. Muslim groups have also reported experiencing increases in violent incidents.
“Antisemitism is wrong. It’s hateful. It’s an immediate threat to Jews everywhere,” Lipstadt said, adding that’s it’s a “direct danger to our democracy.”
Stephanie Weiss of Sandy Springs, part of a contingent of about 1,000 Jews from Atlanta, said she felt a sense of safety and security at the rally that she has sought since the attacks.
“For me, I needed to be among like-minded people so I didn’t feel alone,” she said. “It can be very isolating, and this provided a safe bubble to be together. We feel so vulnerable right now, and it was amazing to hear so much support.”
A string of speakers delivered passionate pleas to free the hostages and unite behind Israel. Demonstrators waved blue-and-white Israeli flags, wore shirts and hats emblazoned with the Star of David, and brandished posters of hostages in Gaza. Many waved signs evoking the Holocaust that read: “Never again is now.”
“There is no greater and more just cause than this,” said Israeli President Isaac Herzog, who addressed the rally by video from Jerusalem.
“Today we come together, as a family, one big ‘mishpacha,’ to march for Israel,” Herzog said. “To march for the babies, the boys and girls, women and men viciously held hostage by Hamas.”
Others offered words of caution to the crowd, which at times chanted “let our people go” and “no cease-fire.” U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat, warned that the “narrative has shifted” against Israel. But he said the U.S. and Israel must not relent.
“I want to be crystal clear: A cease-fire with a terrorist organization is not a peace agreement. It’s a death sentence for Israelis,” Torres said to bursts of applause. “Everyone who wants Israel to cease to exist is calling for a cease-fire. Our answer to them is ‘No.’ ”
The Atlanta group mostly arrived Monday and Tuesday on caravans of buses from local synagogues or after buying last-minute airline tickets. About 40 college students from five Georgia universities joined the rally, as well as leaders from community groups.
State Rep. Esther Panitch, the lone Jewish member of Georgia’s Legislature, said she was particularly moved as the rally sang “Hatikvah,” the Israeli anthem, which she said served as a reminder that “Israel and the Jewish people are not going anywhere.”
Marc Gary, a veteran executive who arrived early Tuesday and took a late-night flight back to Atlanta, said he hoped the Jewish community made an “important statement” to the global community.
“We support Israel. We are concerned about antisemitism. And we want the hostages released,” he said. “And I hope we sent a message today that we will never let those hostages be forgotten.”
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