10 | NOVEMBER 30 • 2023
J
N
PURELY COMMENTARY
student’s corner
The Rich Irony of Hate
A
s a senior in high
school, things that
would typically be
consuming my thoughts, like
getting college applications in
on time, taking a “gap year”
after graduation and other
“details” that once seemed
important, were brought into
stark relief following the ter-
rorist attack against Israel on
Oct. 7.
The world, at least the world
I thought I knew, changed that
Shabbat. I remember my dad
coming home from synagogue
saying something terrible was
happening near Gaza, but the
grizzly details were not known
to us until after Shabbat ended.
Each day since Oct. 7 has
been filled with stories of
anti-Jewish, anti-Zionist pro-
tests that pile on the other, cre-
ating a gravity that consumes
more of the world I once
thought I knew. And still, as a
Jew, I do what we Jews do best:
carry on.
When the March for
Israel on Nov. 14 was first
announced, I was, ironical-
ly, on my way home from
Washington, D.C., having been
on a class trip with my A.P.
U.S. Government teacher and a
handful of classmates.
The Jewish Federation of
Detroit chartered several
flights to take residents and
students to the rally that would
be held on the National Mall.
Our mom had flown in earlier
that day, but my brother, Ari,
15, a sophomore, and I decided
to travel with our peers from
Frankel Jewish Academy and
Farber Hebrew Day School.
We looked forward to standing
up against antisemitism, exer-
cising our First Amendment
rights to assemble and protest
peacefully.
Landing at Dulles airport in
northern Virginia, we waited
for the buses that had been
chartered to transport us to
Washington, D.C. We waited
longer. And we continued to
wait until the complete picture
became clear.
We were told the bus drivers
who were supposed to take us
to the rally had, at the literal
11th hour, called in “sick” after
learning they would be trans-
porting groups to a “pro-
Israel” rally. My first reaction
was a feeling of disbelief.
We traveled all this way
to rally against antisemitism
and, in rich irony, were being
prevented from doing so by
the very antisemitism we
planned to protest against. I
felt depleted. The next three
hours were filled with ripples
of hope as organizers scram-
bled to find alternative trans-
portation.
We deplaned onto the tar-
mac; we went back on the
plane. We deplaned again.
With the hours passing, one
notable aspect of our ordeal
was a refusal by fellow pas-
sengers to allow spirits to be
dimmed. No one sulked or
acted bitter. Instead, collec-
tively, we sang Israeli songs
and made the best of an awful
situation.
After it became clear we
would not make the rally, we
spent the rest of the day —
and well into the next, as we
ultimately didn’t leave Virginia
until 2:30 a.m. — in an airport
hanger. I expected to come
back from D.C. feeling a sense
of pride in attending a rally
with my brother, my friends
and 300,000 of our fellow cit-
izens.
I anticipated having amaz-
ing stories to share, imagining
running into camp friends
who had also flown in — from
Los Angeles, New York and
Miami — collectively calling
out hate. Instead, I have a dif-
ferent story to tell: How hate
for my community instilled an
even greater sense of purpose
in me to stand up for my reli-
gion and Zionism.
Rather than feel defeated, I
turned a sour moment into an
overall uplifting and moving
experience. Despite spending
24 hours at an airport instead
of shoulder-to-shoulder with
others at the Mall, I was still
able to show my love of and
support for Israel.
What will I do with this
experience? I’m not sure. But
I know what I won’t do: be a
bystander. I will continue to
use my voice to advocate for
Jews and for the right of Israel
to exist peacefully in the face
of hate.
Joely Gottlieb, 17, a senior at Frankel
Jewish Academy of Metropolitan
Detroit, lives in Huntington Woods
with her parents, Amy and Bryan, and
her brother Ari; her sister, Bella, is a
sophomore at Yeshiva University in
New York.
A senior at Frankel Jewish Academy recalls her trip to Washington, D.C.,
and an up-close lesson about antisemitism.
JOELY GOTTLIEB
Spirits remained high among Detroiters stuck at Dulles airport after
their transportation to Washington, D.C., became disrupted by drivers
refusing to transport the delegation. Pictured from left: Eliana Israilov
and Joely Gottlieb (seniors, FJA); Grace Kleinfeldt (junior, FJA); and
Cami Katzen (senior, FJA).