By Jennifer Marino
The temple held a Stand with Israel rally on May 9, co-sponsored by the Conference of Jewish Organizations of Nassau County and Temple B'nai Sholom under chairperson Rabbi Barry Dov Schwartz. Everyone called for peace, but peace meant different things to the diverse speakers, which ran the gamut from a Roman Catholic nun to Guardian Angels founder and radio personality Curtis Sliwa.
Many speakers hoped for the killing to end and for Israelis and Palestinians to live together peacefully. Others viewed Yasser Arafat as an unwilling partner for peace.
The rally, which was held the day before the 35th anniversary of the Six-Day War in which Israel gained control over the West Bank including the Old City of Jerusalem, began with stirring renditions of both the American and Israeli anthems. The children in attendance waved plastic Israeli flags and carried signs saying Long Live Israel. Speaker Reverend Allen Ramirez, of the Brookville Reformed Church, impressed the crowd by addressing them in Hebrew.
One of the more charismatic speakers was Rabbi Jeremiah Wohlberg of Congregation Ohav Sholom in Merrick. He recounted a story from his childhood in Borough Park, Brooklyn stressing the importance of America for the Jewish people. On Memorial Day his father and other members of their temple, many of whom were concentration camp survivors, would go down to the parade and they would take off their hats and skullcaps when the American flag passed.
As a boy, Rabbi Wohlberg asked his father if this was okay and his father responded that to truly understand the meaning of the American flag, one had to come here from another country. Wohlberg also noted that the police were outside for traffic control, not protection as they are in many synagogues around the world. God bless America! he said, to the applause of the crowd.
Adina Mark also made an emotional speech. Her 53-year-old mother, Sarah Blaustein, was shot in the head and killed while driving in her car on the way to pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. There is only one Israel and it is ours, said Mark.
Her mother's killers were involved in the standoff at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. They should not be sent for vacation in Italy, she said. Mark, who received a standing ovation after her speech, urged that Israelis should not die in vain.
Curtis Sliwa was one of the last to speak, and he was more pessimistic about achieving peace. [The Palestinians will] never be your friends, he said, adding that the Palestinians will only respect power.
There was one word, other than peace, on the lips of attendees support. I'm here to support Israel and to show the people of Israel they haven't been forgotten, said Connie Salwen.
I feel that it's important that we support Israel and we need to show people that terrorism will not be tolerated, said Joshua Rosenfeld, 13, who attended with his mother.
The theme of the rally could be summed up by a large, colorful sign leaning against the wall of the room. It said, Our grandparents defeated nazism. Our parents defeated communism. Our generation will defeat terrorism. RVC stands with Israel.
