By SARI ZEIDLER
Closer to home, rallies and protests grew common as New Yorkers expressed strong feelings about events in the Middle East.
In Manhattan on Jan. 11, police patrolled what they estimated to be 3,000 people crowded into a three-block stretch of 42nd Street, from Lexington to 2nd Avenue. The demonstration, outside the Israeli Consulate, was one of several held recently in support of Israel. Rabbi Charles Klein of the Merrick Jewish Centre, who has organized such gatherings himself, encouraged Merrick-Bellmore residents to attend the rally.
In the crowd, people could be seen wrapped in Israeli flags or wearing red caps representing solidarity with the Jewish state. Off to one side, meanwhile, a group of around 20 people waved peace signs. "We don't believe this is the time to stand with any side," said Charles Lechner, originally of Tel Aviv and now a resident of Brooklyn, who organized the smaller group. "We want cease-fire now."
Klein, a vocal supporter of Israel, explained that while people like him want a cease-fire, too, the safety of Israel must be ensured before he would favor an immediate end to the conflict.
"Israel has no interest in fighting a war," said Klein. "It just wants to make sure its citizens are protected. It is important that there is a cease-fire, but it is important that a cease-fire, once in effect, limits the possibility of a recurrence of the conditions that led to this unfortunate war."
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