Reflections from the Greenstein family on their experience of attending the March for Israel in Washington, DC

 My husband Yonatan, having been born in Israel to American parents who made Aliyah, always had a strong Jewish identity.  I, however, grew up in Brooklyn in a family that emigrated here 40 years before the Holocaust. Early on, most of my friends weren’t Jewish and I attended a temple that didn’t really cater to a younger generation, so my Jewish identity really didn’t solidify until college where I joined Hillel, went on Birthright, made more Jewish friends, and soon after met Yonatan. Still, my experiences with antisemitism growing up were few and far between, and it was hard for me to imagine a world where Israel did not exist- it just seemed to be a given.  I attended a very progressive liberal arts college in Boston, and never experienced or noticed racism towards Jews. In the last few weeks, I’ve come to realize that my children might not be afforded this same privilege.

The atrocities of October 7th have shaken me to my core- as a mom, a Jew, a trauma therapist, and a human. While the violence of last month and the reverberating antisemitism are difficult topics to discuss with 8-year-olds, we feel that it is crucial for our kids to have an understanding of the current climate; they cannot be complacent or take their Jewish identify as a given as I did growing up.

 They need to learn now to advocate, use their voices for good, and to feel even prouder of their Jewish identify than ever. They need to understand the facts that can help guide their understanding of a complicated and nuanced history and inform their conversations with others.  Even more importantly, I believe, is what they saw in Washington.  Whatever struggles or adversity they may face in the future, I hope they now see that they will never be alone.  On Tuesday, they got to march, stand, cheer, sing, whine (because they’re 8), dance, high five, and just be with 300,000 people, mostly strangers, who are and always will be their friends, family, allies, supporters, and protectors.

Yonatan and I talked with them about why it’s important to show up even when you feel lost in an enormous crowd. The “collective we” showed them that you can support a cause peacefully with words, song, and spirit, not violence, intimidation, and hate, while still holding space for tolerance, sadness, and grief for the innocent civilians on the other side. Like in any situation, you can feel two things at once.  It breaks my heart and it seem so unfair that my 8-year-olds need to think about the fact that kids their age and much younger are being held captive and used as tools of terrorism, and others were killed “just because,” but we feel that they must know why we’re so sad and outraged, and also why our energy to come together and support one another as Jews is stronger than ever.  As Yonatan said when we were weighing our options on attending the rally, “Work and school can wait, but this once in a lifetime show of support for Israel cannot.”  I am so grateful that my children got to experience the pride and positivity in Washington this week, and I truly hope that if they ever attend another rally such as this, it’s only for celebration, not because they’re fighting to secure a future for the Jewish people and state.

A huge shout out to the Federation of Greater Metro West and Temple Emanu-El for putting New Jersey’s trip to Washington together so quickly. It was an organized, seamless day.  And thank you Bus 38 for putting up with some invigorated eight-year-olds on the ride back to Westfield.   

Lisa and Yonatan Greenstein