20 | MAY 27 • 2021 

M

ore than 100 people attended a 
pro-Israel rally on the west side 
of Orchard Lake Road in West 
Bloomfield on Friday, May 14, to show 
support for Israel in its ongoing clash with 
Hamas. The event was helmed by the 
Zionist Organization of America’s Michigan 
Region. 
In attendance was Eugene Greenstein, 
former ZOA-MI president, who hoped the 
rally expressed the local support for Israel.
“We felt we needed to come out and 
say something and get some attention,” 
Greenstein said. “We think it’s important 
to make a statement. We care about Israel, 
we’re here to show support for Israel, and we 
shouldn’t be afraid to show this is something 
we believe in.”
Greenstein is concerned for what’s hap-
pening in the Middle East. “It’s very scary,” 
Greenstein said. “Every life is precious; it 
doesn’t matter if it’s Jewish or Arab.” 
Executive Director of ZOA-MI Kobi Erez 
led the rally and stood firm in his support 
of Israel.
“We are standing with our brothers and 
sisters in Israel, and we want to show our 
support and solidarity, that we are proud 
to be Jewish and have a strong connection 
to Israel,” Erez said. “We believe America 

should stand beside Israel as well.” 
Erez said another reason for the rally 
was due to “anti-Israel rhetoric all over the 
place.”
“It’s important for us to show Americans 
that we are proud of Israel, that Israel is 
America’s best friend and to show we believe 
in the morality of what Israel is doing. 
“We don’t want to stay silent to antisemi-

tism or to hatred, and we urge everybody to 
support Israel in words and actions, and to 
reach out to Congress and reach out to your 
neighbors and friends,” Erez said. 
Rabbi Asher Lopatin, the executive direc-
tor of the Jewish Community Relations 
Council/AJC, attended the rally on a per-
sonal level. 
“I love that it’s such a positive rally,” 
Lopatin said. “It’s about peace, about love 

for Israel, and that’s exactly what we need. 
“I hope that on the other side, you could 
have pro-Palestinian peace. All of Israel 
should be about peace and love and, God 
willing, we’ll have an end to the hostilities.” 
The recent conflict began with clashes in 
eastern Jerusalem over expected legal Israeli 
Supreme Court evictions of six Palestinian 
tenant families from an eastern Jerusalem 
neighborhood and by restrictions of access 
to Palestinians on the Temple Mount after 
violent clashes broke out. 
Then, Hamas and other terrorists 
launched more than 4,000 unguided rockets 
at Israel from Gaza and encouraged the riot-
ing by some Israeli Arabs. Israel followed 
with targeted assassinations of terrorist lead-
ers in Gaza and bombardments of military 
targets, often intermingled in civilian areas. 
A ceasefire was reached on May 21.
The Health Ministry in the Gaza claimed 
243 people had been killed since hostilities 
erupted on May 10, with 1,910 wounded.
Hamas’ rocket fire killed 12 Israelis. Scores 
more have been injured. 
President Joe Biden spoke May 17 with 
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, 
expressing his support for a ceasefire, while 
also supporting Israel’s “right to defend itself 
against indiscriminate rocket attacks.” 

ZOA-led rally held at 
Orchard Lake Road.
Solidarity with Israel

“IT’S IMPORTANT TO 
SHOW AMERICANS WE 

ARE PROUD OF ISRAEL.”

— ZOA’S KOBI EREZ

OUR COMMUNITY

LEFT: Eugene 
Greenstein and Kobi 
Erez. RIGHT: Scenes 
from the May 14 
Rally for Israel

DANNY SCHWARTZ STAFF WRITER

