Hundreds gathered in La Jolla to show support for Israel in Gaza conflict

Looking to show solidarity with Israeli troops amid a conflict with Palestinians, hundreds of people attended a rally in La Jolla the evening of May 13.

Coordinated by Shield of David, a nonprofit organization dedicated to confronting anti-Semitism and teaching Jewish students how to counter acts of anti-Semitism, the event brought six speakers, including local politicians, rabbis and more, to the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center. Estimates of those in attendance ranged from 200 to 300.

During the event, Shield of David co-founder Eli Ben-Moshe said he saw Jewish people and “a lot of Christians” coming together, waving Israeli and American flags.

“This was not an Israel against Palestine thing, this was an America against anti-Semitism thing,” Ben-Moshe said. “We wanted to pinpoint the fact that if any other country was being bombarded the way Israel is, that country would have responded in a more serious way. We wanted to show solidarity with Jewish soldiers over there.”

The conflict began in east Jerusalem earlier this month, with Palestinian protests against attempts by settlers to forcibly evict many Palestinian families from their homes. It has reverberated widely, with Israeli cities with mixed Arab and Jewish populations seeing mobs from each community fighting in the streets and trashing each other’s property.

Hamas, contending to be defending Jerusalem, has fired hundreds of rockets into Israel, which has pounded the Gaza Strip with strikes. The Associated Press reported May 15 that since May 10, at least 139 people have been killed in Gaza, including 39 children and 22 women. In Israel, eight people have been killed, including a 6-year-old boy and a soldier.

As a result of the conflict, there has been an increase in misinformation and acts of anti-Semitism, Ben-Moshe said.

“My kids are seeing things like ‘Israeli soldiers are killing babies’ and ‘They are taking over land that isn’t theirs’ when they go on social media,” Ben-Moshe said. “These soldiers have to defend themselves and they have no choice. … It was great to see so many gather to show support for those fighting.”

— The Associated Press contributed to this report. ◆

By ASHLEY MACKIN-SOLOMON