Cincinnati–A crowd gathered at the Blue Ash Nature Park and Amphitheater in suburban Cincinnati August 15 to sing, pray and march in support of embattled Israel. The marchers wore pictures and the death notices of many of those killed in the increasingly frequent and deadly attacks on Jewish civilians. In the last month alone, a bomb placed in the cafeteria at Hebrew University murdered seven people (including five Americans). More than a dozen others have been killed by homicide-suicide bombers and by Palestinian gunmen.
Marchers also wore lanyards proclaiming “Cincinnati Stands With Israel NOW and Forever.” Sponsored by the Israel Now Emergency Fund, Rabbai Michael Zedek of the Jewish Federation of Cincinnati said that by marching “We hope that folks are going to focus on our heartfelt desire that there be peace in the Middle East. For that to happen, the Israeli’s must know they are not abandoned.”
When the crowd filed out of the Amphitheater in somber silence, a kind of belated funeral procession for those killed by radical Islamic extremists. As the marchers (estimated at 200-300 by Blue Ash Police) wound their way up Cooper Road towards Kenwood Road, some carried signs which read: “9/11 is 24/7 in Israel - Help Us Fight Islamic Terrorists.” A picture showing Palestinians dancing in the streets had a caption: “Remember Who Danced on 9/11.” Another sign showed a scrawled message on a wall proclaiming “Osama Bin Laden Is Hero.”
A heavy police presence surrounded the event. Originally scheduled to take place in Montgomery, the rally/march had to be moved to Blue Ash because of “security concerns,” said Zedek. “The Montgomery Police were concerned they might not be able to handle the needs and security concerns.”
Blue Ash Assistant Police Chief John Pohlman said no threats had been made on the event “that we know of,” adding “We’re here to make sure that it goes right and nobody gets hurt.” When asked if he had received any threats concerning the march, Zedek replied: “None that I’m going to comment on.”
The placards with the terror victims’ photos were a poignant reminder that most of those killed were average people going about their daily lives. “These are victims of terrorism killed in the name of a national identity gone mad,” said Zadek. “This is not a rally, but a remembrance…and an opportunity for us to recommit ourselves to our solidarity.”
Nancy Mendelson, 46, of Montgomery, was wearing a picture of Tomer Mordechai, 19, who was killed April 1, 2002. She said it made the march much more significant because “I think it brings reality to the fact that there is a name and a face to the body of someone who was killed by a terrorist’s attack.” Mendelson was there with her daughter Danielle, 17, a senior at Cincinnati Country Day High School. Danielle went to Israel last spring with a group of 20 other Greater Cincinnati-area youth as part of the JFC’s “Solidarity Mission.” The group toured an area that was the site of a bombing the very next day.
“When I was in Israel, I met a bunch of the soldiers,” she said, glancing down at the photo she wore, that of Corporal Aharon Revivo, 19, killed March 22, 2002. “He could have been someone I met or walked past.”
When asked how Israelis live with the constant threat of violence, Danielle maintained: “They aren’t scared. They just go on with their lives every day. If something happens they keep going on. They have to go on. That’s part of their life.”
The conflict in the Middle East will only end “when the Messiah returns,” said Phyllis Blackburn, mid-40’s, from Blue Ash. Blackburn and her family just moved back to the U.S. in March after living in Israel the past two-and-a-half years. They lived with the threat of violence daily. “Life goes on,” Blackburn shrugged stoically. “You learn to deal with it. You just pray every day that the children come home when you put them on the bus, “ she said, nodding towards her daughter Danielah, 16, and 15-year-old son Jacob.
The Cincinnati marchers for Israel were joined by several large contingents of youth from Columbus, Ohio who represented United Synagogue Youth. The group included Jennifer Liebman, 21, and Josh Cohen, 19, counselors at Camp Crusy - a camp for Jewish youth located in Livingston, Indiana.
Liebman’s brother lives in Israel “in one of the settlements” and she hears about the seemingly never-ending assaults from him. She was there this past Hanukkah. “You ride the bullet-proof bus and you’re always aware of where you are. It’s a daily thing,” Liebman said matter-of-factly. “You go to work and to the grocery and you sit in the coffee-shop and wonder if you’re gonna’ be safe.”
When asked if he thought the violence in the Middle East would ever end, Cohen sighed: “I hope so. It’s not all of the Arabs, by any means, but it seems like what their leaders want is the destruction of Israel….the destruction of the Jews. And that is not a solution for peace. There are some things that can’t be compromised for peace - the existence of the state of Israel.”
On stage, a succession of students spoke of their experiences on recent trips to Israel and urged people to not let the terrorism keep them from visiting the country. Some were in Israel on 9/11 and described their turbulent feelings at being in “a country of terror when terror hit our country.”
Zedek cautioned the crowd: Terrorism must not prevail. For its victory endangers the whole world. It puts everyone - Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu - all at risk.”
“Make no mistake,” Zedek said. “It is this simple and clear a contrast. If Israel’s army were to put down its arms, it would be the end of the Jewish State. If the Palestinians were to put down their arms, it would be the beginning of a Palestinian state. And of peace in the Middle East.”