18 | JULY 22 • 2021 

TOP: A diverse crowd was at the rally. 
 
 
BOTTOM: Oakland County Deputy Executive Sean 
Carlson, Oakland County Executive Dave Coulter, JCRC/
AJC Executive Director Rabbi Asher Lopatin, 
 
Bryan Gottlieb and Bella Gottlieb.

continued from page 17

OUR COMMUNITY
ON THE COVER

place on college campuses is 
often dubious, where anti-Zion-
ism is incubated and given quar-
ter with a false patina of intel-
lectualism. Bella needs to know 
how to distinguish between legit-
imate disagreements and healthy 
discourse — and antisemitism. 
Moreover, we want to arm her 
with facts so she can diffuse 
heated rhetoric, combat dogma 
with rational counterarguments, 
and educate those who are either 
ignorant or blinded by hatred.

ON THE GROUND
Arriving at the west front of 
the Capitol, its imposing edifice 
bringing the magnitude of the 
day’s objectives into relief, we saw 
multitudes of “Stand with Israel” 
signs, Israeli and American flags 
waving, and lots of sunshine; it 
was crazy hot outside. As the rally 
kicked off, Bella’s attention to the 
heat was supplanted by Meghan 
McCain’s outrage at the increase 
in antisemitic and anti-Israel 
attacks engulfing America. 
Estimates of the crowd size var-
ied, but there were at least 2,000 
people enduring the heat and 
humidity; enough people to show 
critical mass, but intimate enough 
that we had the opportunity to 
speak with people and share sto-
ries.
We also were able to meet up 
with Rabbi Lopatin. For those 
who don’t know who he is, you 
should Google him. He’s incred-
ibly smart, disarmingly engaging 
and one of the country’s leading 
voices within Judaism’s Modern 
Orthodox community. 
He went out of his way to 
praise Bella for making the trip 
to D.C., which underscored our 
intent: that showing up — taking 
action — is critical to making a 
movement effective. Then, one 
of the speakers Bella was eager to 
hear, a former white supremacist 
named Derek Black, took to the 

stage. She excused herself and 
made her way through the crowd 
to get a better view.
“Can you believe all it took for 
this guy to question his lifelong 
hatred was an invitation to a 
Shabbat meal?” she asked, adding 
(with a hint of teenage snark), 
“He didn’t say too much about the 
meal, but it may have been the 
cholent that changed him.
”
Seeking some respite from the 
sun, the three of us made our 
way toward a towering oak tree. 
Speakers were talking, we were 
sweating, and just when it seemed 
Bella’s engagement was tapped, 
a young woman about her age, 
a 17-year-old from the suburbs 
of Chicago named Talia Raab, 
introduced herself and shared 
an incredible story of mustering 
courage under extraordinary 
threats after simply posting some-
thing on Instagram about Israeli 
solidarity. The savage comments 
she received aren’t suitable for 
print in this publication, but Bella 
was mesmerized by the bravery 
Raab showed in the face of such 
hate. 
We didn’t make it to the very 
end of the rally, the heat besting 
us, but the seed Amy and I hoped 
to sow seemed to have taken root. 
We flew home later that evening, 
and I asked Bella to debrief with 
me the next day. 
“Of course, I’m worried,” she 
explained when I asked her about 
the pervasiveness of antisemitism 
and how she would comport her-
self in the face of it. “I know the 
easy way out would be to just not 
own my Judaism because then 
there wouldn’t be a problem. 
“But I also feel a responsibility 
to shut the hatred down. I may 
not organize a rally, and I don’t 
know what that ‘something’ looks 
like, but doing nothing can’t be an 
option either. 
“If I don’t get involved, then how 
can I make a difference?” 

BRYAN GOTTLIEB
AMY GOTTLIEB

Come visit our showroom with Generators On Display!

In-Stock and Ready to Install!

GeneratorSupercenterOfDetroit.com

53115 Grand River Ave • New Hudson, MI 48165

Powered By:

SAVE
up to $500

during your FREE

In-Home Assessment!

Have a friend or neighbor 
join your appointment
and SAVE an
additional $250!

GeneratorSupercenterOfDetroit.com

