Groups of smiling students clad in graduation gowns to get their pictures taken were juxtaposed by a group of more than 100 people expressing their support for Israel in the ongoing conflict in Gaza.
A week after pro-Palestinian protests that led to more than 70 arrests at Arizona State University’s Tempe campus, a group advocating to support Jewish students congregated Sunday morning
The group of people, many of whom waved or wore both Israeli and American flags, stood near University Drive and College Avenue. The demonstrators called for Hamas to release the remaining hostages that were captured during an attack on Oct. 7, 2023 that led to the deaths of about 1,200 people.
The rally came as a wave of pro-Palestinian protests arose on college campuses across the country with protesters criticizing Israel’s attacks and bombings that have killed thousands of Palestinian civilians — including women and children — as well as aid workers and journalists attempting to cover the war.
More than 30,000 Palestinians have been reported to be killed in Gaza according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health since Oct. 7. UNICEF reported that more than 13,000 children have been killed since.
More than 130 hostages, including five Americans, are believed to be in Hamas captivity in Gaza since the start of its war with Israel last fall.
Debbie Yunker Kail, executive director of ASU’s Hillel chapter, called for unity among the Jewish community.
“I’ve never had a year like this,” Kail said to the crowd. “In my young Jewish adult life we have never had a year like this. And what we need more than anything is to be together in community.”
Kail said she described what a protest was to her 7-year-old son and why she was participating.
“In 7-year-old terms, I tried to explain the world to him just a little bit,” Kail said. “And afterwards, I realized that is what we’re doing for each other every single day — trying to make sense of the world just a little bit.”
Rabbi Shmuel Tiechtel, founding executive director of the group Chabad at ASU, said Jewish leaders and students held the rally to express their public support for Israel and Jews everywhere.
“We stand with Israel,” Tiechtel said. “ASU stands with Israel. The community stands with Israel. And we’re here together to show that Israel has a lot of support. And also, we support the Jewish students on campus. There’s been some challenging times in campuses around America recently — anti-Israel encampments that have led to anti-Semitism in a number of places.”
The Anti-Defamation League tracked 163 antisemitic incidents in Arizona in 2023, a sharp spike from 53 such instances in the state only the year before.
There were 8,873 antisemitic incidents nationwide in 2023, according to the ADL. A 140% surge from the year before, the number of incidents of antisemitism in 2023 was the highest the ADL has recorded since it started gathering data in 1979.
More: ‘Our world has stopped’: Phoenix-area Jewish community grapples with antisemitism, identity
When asked about growing condemnation from those who accuse Israel of killing non-combatants in its response to the October 7 attack, Tiechtel said no innocent lives should be lost but maintained that Israel had a right to defend itself from aggressors.
“I don’t want any civilians to be killed,” Tiechtel said. “That is my prayer. I pray for that regularly. And this war can be over quickly if the hostages will come home and Hamas will stop doing its terror. Once they attack, we have to do what we can to make sure the terror does not come back to Israel — October 7 does not happen again.”
A handful of counter-protestors waved Palestinian flags across the street, sometimes exchanging verbal barbs with pro-Israel supporters crossing the street as the rally drew to a close.
“(Supporting Israel) doesn’t mean that everybody agrees with what’s going on over there,” a pro-Israel rally member said to a man holding a Palestinian flag.
“Dude, you can disagree on pizza toppings — not on genocide,” the man said back.
In January, the International Court of Justice — the U.N.’s top court — ordered Israel to take measures to limit death and destruction in Gaza as part of a case brought by South Africa alleging that Israel’s military action in its war with Hamas amounts to genocide.
Israel has argued that Hamas fighters hide behind civilians and use buildings typically barred from being targets during armed conflicts under international law, such as hospitals, as hideouts.
Hamas and medical staff denied fighters were present at Al-Shifa Hospital, one of the oldest Palestinian health institutions. The destruction of the hospital was followed by a two-week military operation and siege by the Israeli military, where at least 21 patients died, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported.
ASU police officers at times separated members of the two groups when tensions became more heated but didn’t appear to make any arrests.
Marina Thomas said she wanted to show her support for the Palestinian people as a Native American woman who equated Israel’s actions to what the United States did to the indigenous tribes.
“Being indigenous, I know my own history and what happened to my ancestors and how all of this land was obtained,” Thomas said. “It was through the genocide of our own people and it was through the manipulation of the United States government. And so now we’re watching real live what happened to my ancestors.”
Thomas said people can oppose Israel’s actions without being anti-Semitic and believed some supporters of Israel misunderstood what its critics want changed.
“It just boils down to humanity,” Thomas said. “They should be upset that they’re just dropping bombs on babies. They should be upset that — like I’m seeing children with white phosphorous poured on them.”
“I see my nieces and my nephews and I see my own relatives in these kids and I go ‘if a government entity is able to do this, then they could do it to anybody.’”
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Pro-Israel rally held at ASU following pro-Palestinian protests
Source Agencies
