Why I joined hundreds of thousands to march for Israel

To those who may ask why I went to Washington with thousands of others to march for Israel for release of the hostages and to stand up against antisemitism, the answers are simple.

At a time when Israel has been brutally attacked, innocent men women and children have been taken hostage and antisemitism is bursting out all over, it was compelling to not stand on the side lines. I feel I had go. I am happy 290,00 agreed with me.

President Biden, who has been steadfast in his support for Israel, needed to see that his support is appreciated and must continue.

The world had to see that the evil and brutality of Hamas must be stamped out, and the hostages must be released and Israel must be supported. The people of Israel needed to see we have their back.

Decent people everywhere needed to see that we must stand up against hate and antisemitism.

Unity at this time is more important than ever. Just as Israelis who have been at odds with one another over threats to checks and balances in their democracy over proposed judicial reform and over many other issues came together immediately on Oct. 7 after the country was attacked. We as Jews had to come together with those in the diaspora to show them that they do not stand alone. As President Herzog said during the rally, we are all Mishpacha and must stand together.

I went to stand up for Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state that was founded as a nation in 1948 on land where Jews had lived for thousands of years with the support of the UN as a safe haven for Jews who have been persecuted and threatened with antisemitism forever, including the horrors of the Holocaust.

I went to support Israels right to defend itself from the Barbarism and terrorism of Hamas who killed 1400 Israelis, and went into civilian homes and terrorized, raped and burned and mutilated innocent victims and kidnapped and took as hostages 240 men women and children and on an ongoing basis hurled rockets toward Israeli communities.

I went to support Israel's right to do whatever possible to destroy the ability of Hamas to continue to threaten the safety and security of Israel in view of their primary goal under their charter of killing Jews and wiping Israel off the map, and the Hamas lack of concern for the safety of Palestinians who they have used as human shields and even killed as they attempted to flee and find safety from the hostilities of the war.

I went to rally support for return of the innocent kidnapped hostages and say, "Let my people go," just as I did many years ago with 200,000 fellow Jews on the mall when we demanded freedom for Soviet Jews, as was noted by Natan Sharansky during the rally.

I went to stand up against antisemistism, which has erupted and increased by more than 300% in recent weeks, with special concern about the threats and intimidation to Jewish students on campuses all over our nation, and to demand that all people must call it out and to demand accountability directed at perpetrators of hate.

I went as in the famous movie "Network" to symbolically scream out the window as powerfully and loudly as I can "we cannot take this anymore and hate and antisemitism have no home here."

At the rally, Debora Lipstadst, our State Department Ambassador on antisemitism, made clear on behalf of the Biden administration that those who display anti-Jewish conduct and call for the destruction of Israel and spew antisemitic and anti-Zionist comments on our campuses and elsewhere must know that such hate must be stood up to and has no place here.

I went to the march to say "Hene matov umah naim shevaet achim gam Yachad," the words of a song that expresses how good it is to come together in unity. Looking around at the thousands from every corner of the U.S. from coast to coast showed all that we are together in unity.

I went to the march to stand for hope, the meaning of the Israeli anthem "Hatikva," with hope that when this war comes to an end, the end game will be peace and security of Israel and recognition of the need for revitalization of a two-state solution where Palestinians and Israelis can each have a homeland where they can live and prosper with security.

One of the inspiring moments of the rally was hearing 290,000 people sing "Hatikva" together, showing we do have that hope.

Most importantly ,I went to the march to scream out the words of another song: Am Yisreal Chai," Israel Lives and will continue to live. Hearing so many share those words at the rally was also inspiring. Hearing it screamed from both Democratic and Republican leaders on the stage on a bipartisan manner was powerful and important for the long term support of Israel in the US.

Those three songs say it all. I only hope people everywhere, Jews and non Jews, Americans and Israelis and people of the world, will join in lending support in any ways that they can, To those who ask why now, I simply share the words of the Jewish sage Hillel: "If not now when?"

• Elliott Hartstein is former mayor of Buffalo Grove.