Tens of thousands set to march for Israel in cities around the world
“At a time when Jewish life in Europe is threatened once again, the March of Life is connecting remembrance and reconciliation with a clear call to support Israel."
By MAAYAN JAFFE-HOFFMANMarch in Germany on May 2.(photo credit: Courtesy)
Thousands of Jews, including Holocaust survivors, and Christians, including descendants of Nazi perpetrators, will march in a series of pro-Israel rallies on Sunday. Coordinated by March of Life, the marches are focused on reconciliation, combating antisemitism and supporting Israel.“At a time when Jewish life in Europe is threatened once again, the March of Life is connecting remembrance and reconciliation with a clear call to support Israel and to say a resounding ‘No!’ to modern antisemitism and racism,” said March of Life Founder Jobst Bittner.Marches will take place on May 5 in Geneva and the Colombian cities of Cali, Neiva, Barranquilla and Bogota. More than 20,000 people are expected to take part.In Geneva, the march will begin at the United Nations headquarters and continue toward the historic synagogue constructed in 1859. It will end at the community town hall. A specific focus of this event is Switzerland’s history of antisemitism and refusal to accept Jewish refugees during the Holocaust.“As the daughter of a refugee who fled to Israel from Iraq, it is especially meaningful for me to participate in the March of Life together with such a large gathering of Swiss Jews and Christians who acknowledge Switzerland’s role in refusing Jewish refugees during the Holocaust and use this memory as an impetus to confront antisemitism and support the State of Israel,” said MK May Golan, who will be present at the event.Last week, MK Sharren Haskel attended the March of Life event in Stuttgart, Germany. She said that “hearing the descendants of Nazi perpetrators elaborate upon the role of governmental administration in perpetrating the Holocaust highlighted the responsibility that legislatures have to pay attention to injustices taking place and to take action to correct them.”That event was co-sponsored by the Jewish Community in Württemberg (IRGW) and the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem.In 2019, similar marches will take place in 70 cities throughout Europe, the United States, South America and the Dominican Republic with the joint message of “remembrance, reconciliation and making a stand for Israel and against antisemitism,” said Josh Reinstein, president of the Israel Allies Foundation, which is cosponsoring all of these marches.He told The Jerusalem Post that as antisemitism continues to spread, “We are continually working with our network of Christian leaders and political representatives worldwide to fight this scourge and strengthen support for Israel.”
