Westwood rally shows solidarity with Israel after recent violence

A crowd of over 200 gathered outside the Wilshire Federal Building on Sunday to demonstrate solidarity with Israel, after rising tensions in the region have left dozens dead.

Since mid-September, according to the Associated Press, violence broke out in the region primarily over access to what is known to Jews as the Temple Mount and known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, a shrine in East Jerusalem considered holy in both Islam and Judaism. The violence has left 74 Palestinians and 12 Israelis dead.

Waving the flags of Israel and the United States as well as holding signs reading “Israel Deserves Security,” and “The Hamas Charter Promotes War,” the supporters rallied among speakers, music and persistent honks from the traffic along Wilshire Boulevard.

Yael Markovich, the event’s organizer and Miss Israel International 2012, cited that the rally was in response to the rising tensions and violence currently happening in East Jerusalem, the West Bank and the border of the Gaza Strip.

“We are trying to rally and organize the Jewish community in order to stand strong and together,” said Markovich.

She said she thinks the protest will help empower and unite the entire Jewish community in the wake of current experiences of the Jewish people at home, abroad and in Israel. She expressed concerns for Jewish students possibly being confronted with hatred and said she hoped that having a more proactive Jewish community could empower them.

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Rabbi Dovid Gurevich, director of the Chabad House at UCLA, said he attended the event to support Israel in response to the recent security threats and violence. He expressed his desire for a strong alliance between the Israeli and United States governments in order to stay vigilant amid the global threat of terror from groups such as the Islamic State and al-Qaeda that are causing violence throughout the globe.

Omer Hit, president of Bruins for Israel and fourth-year neuroscience student, referred to the afternoon’s events as a celebration of life. He said he hopes to continue the inter-religious dialogue on campus to further create a united university.

“The UCLA administration is doing a great job at changing the climate on campus,” said Hit.

He referred specifically to the work of the vice chancellor’s office of Student Affairs for working toward collaboration between the many faiths represented on campus to achieve a positive coexistence, despite any differences between the groups.

Markovich and other rally organizers are currently writing a petition on change.org. Markovich said she intends for this petition to address issues regarding the security of Israel and violence between Israel and Palestine. Although the petition itself is still being worked on, the only specific demand currently in the petition is a clause calling for the United States to reject the Iran deal.