NOVEMBER 23 • 2023 | 13

women speak, for me, was 
the most powerful part of the 
march,
” said Karen Alpiner of 
Franklin, who was there with 
her husband, Neal. “These 
women were strong in the 
face of what we can’t imagine. 
They got the biggest response. 
People kept chanting ‘Bring them home!’ to 
let them know we were with them.
”
Marcie Rosen of Farmington Hills, 
incoming president of Hadassah Greater 
Detroit, said, “It was the experience of a 
lifetime to be with 300,000 
family members. The families 
[of hostages] who spoke had 
us all in tears. And 300,000 
people, when asked to have a 
moment of silence, you could 
hear a pin drop. We cried, we 
sang and danced. My takeaway 
is that if Israel isn’t safe, none of us are 
safe.
” 

Many at the rally carried small posters 
showing faces and information about those 
who had been kidnapped. Others proudly 
wrapped themselves in Israeli flags, 
American flags, or a creative combination 
of both. Some davened. Some danced and 

sang during musical performances by the 
Maccabeats, Israeli musicians Omer Adam 
and Ishay Ribo, and Matisyahu. Chants 
and singing of “
Am Yisrael Chai” broke out 
spontaneously and were carried like waves 
through the crowd. 
“The sheer amount of people gathered 
for Israel touched my heart,
” said Ayal 
Starr, 13, of Southfield, an eighth-grader 
at Hillel Day School, who saw about 30 
minutes of the program. “The main point 
of the rally wasn’t to change officials’ 
opinions but to show a united front … and 
to show how much we love Israel and how 
much of a community we are.
”

Marcie 
Rosen

Karen 
Alpiner

Aaron, Rebecca and Ayal Starr

continued on page 14

LEFT: Marc, Jeff and 
Howard Kowalsky at the 
March for Israel. 
BELOW: Hostage Omer 
Neutra’s family, with his 
mother speaking to the 
crowd about her son.

COURTESY JFNA

COURTESY MARC KOWALSKY

