On The Ground at Mob-Filled Rally in Washington

Much has been made of the nasty and perverse anti-Israel demonstration on Saturday April 27 outside the White House Correspondents Dinner at the Hilton Hotel on Connecticut Ave. NW in D.C. The glitzy affair featured President Joe Biden hurling jabs at GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump while also offering dire warnings of the fate of democracy in America if he isn’t re-elected in November.

Author: Jared Feldschreiber

But this sixth night of Passover proved to be unlike any other. I wound up in a scrum with virulent anti-Semites who were posing as ceasefire activists. They claimed, in no uncertain terms, that the Jewish State has been committing genocide in Gaza with President Biden complicit to these crimes. Nothing could be further from the truth, but that did little to quell this mob from incessantly chanting, “From The River to the Sea” and all else. Living a block away from the Hilton, I had enough of this cynical and misguided hatefest. The theme of the rally was to undermine, impugn, and delegitimize Israel — the only pluralistic democracy in the Middle East. 

Perhaps it is the soft prejudice of low expectations, which continually has garnered sympathy for the Palestinians’ plight by leaders and citizens around the world. Psychologically, though, it stems more from a deeply-rooted sense of envy toward the flourishing and vibrant State of Israel, which has long relied on its distinctive qualitative edge. 

In Oct. 1953, Israel’s Strategic Doctrine took shape. At the time, Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion imagined Israeli society maximizing science and technology coupled with an inherent Jewish motivational drive for excellence as part of its policy of defense. This strategy has been implemented to out-wit its much larger — in quantity of population and overall land size — hostile neighbors. “Our human resources in general are no worse than any other country with our moral and intellectual ability far exceeding our neighbors. And for now, it is virtually our only one; to exploit their role fully. They must be equipped with full exploitation of all innovative scientific and technological conquest of our defense,” said Ben-Gurion. 

Being the sole defender of Israel on this particular evening, as there were no counter-protests to be seen in defense of the Jewish state, nor any Israeli flags in sight, this put me in an unenviable position. I yelled back at an angry assembly of anti-Israel protesters. I deeply resented that they rudely, and with great malice, jeered administration officials, journalists, and celebrities who arrived for the annual dinner. 

Knowing full well of nationwide campus harassment against Jews, I just about had enough of what I was hearing by a mob hellbent on tearing down the very meaning of Zionism and the ethos of Jewish strength. I came down from the steps at the Generator Hotel — where the media had already been camping out — to confront them. Even as facts and historical context were on my side, it hardly seemed to matter. While engaging with them, a ticking bomb inside me had gone off. There was no point of return. 

“What you are chanting (“To the River to the Sea…”) amounts to hate speech!”, I incredulously screamed at the top of my lungs, which surely got their attention. I was instantly cursed at, and like locusts, they swarmed around me. They formed a shoulder-to-shoulder human chain. I maintained my cool, knowing full well that my nefesh yehudi would guide me — no matter how dangerous things could become. 

The mob brigade kept me in its circle for close to seven minutes before I managed to extricate myself — only to find myself in another one. I was cornered and called all sorts of nasty names. While threatened by violence by thugs, that result never happened.

Instead, two DC Metro cops ultimately grabbed me rather hard and pulled me out of the fracas. 

“We are doing this to protect you, Sir,” I was told multiple times later. 

“Really? Me? You’re dragging me out?” 

I am enraged that ignorant and misinformed people concerning the Arab-Israeli conflict are guided by anti-Semites and Sharia Law adherents, and probably by wealthy organizations and nation states, doing all they can to eviscerate Jews and their ancestral homeland. All are doing Hamas’s bidding for free. 

I am comforted by the fact that we as Jewish Zionists remain defiant with truth on our side.

Cover Photo Credit: Jared Feldschreiber