Hundreds Gather in Manhattan to Shame UNESCO

Following the third ad absurdum resolution by the UNESCO denying that Judaism and Christianity have any connection to the Temple Mount and Western Wall, it’s time to unite and get loud.

Over 100 people gathered in front of the Israeli Consulate in New York City Thursday afternoon for a rally calling out the UNESCO that seems to be blindfolded by its own agenda and seems to operate with people who have never read the Old and New Testament of the Bible.

While Christians call for a ‘send a Bible to the UNESCO‘ movement, New York’s Jewish communities hold together once again and with more than 14 organizations behind the event a noticeable crowd marched to the United Nations’ Building to publicly shame the institution.

Picture credit: Ido Siman Tov

“It is not a rally of the right or the rally of the left, but it is of all Israel. […] because today there is a new anti-Semitism disguised as anti-Israelism. And when you declare that Christianity and Judaism have no ties to Jerusalem, that is anti-Semitism.” This is how Avi Weiss, the acclaimed Rabbi and speaker, summed up what’s really happening at the UN.

Avi Weiss – Picture credit: Ido Siman Tov

While we marched towards the UN Building, Meredith Weiss, one of the organizers, said that the reason we are here today is simple:

“All people of moral conscience must stand with Israel, and the Jewish people united against UNESCO to let the world know we refuse to allow them to take Israel apart…piece by piece. We won’t allow them to delete Jewish or Christian history. Jerusalem, the Kotel, and the Temple Mount will forever be ours.”

As most probably the only Christian standing there with the Israeli flag, it warmed my heart that none of the speakers forgot to mention that it wasn’t only about Judaism, the resolution hurts the most fundamental heritage of the USA, Europe, and Israel.

While we were waiting for the familiar giant Pinocchio effigy – often used by Artists 4 Israel on campus demonstration – to be inflated, I wanted to define the take home message from the event.

Photo credit: Ido Siman Tov

And what would that be?

It is certainly Rabbi Joseph Potasnik‘s words that should be told loud enough that everybody hears it:

“You cannot be morally neutral. If you are moral, you are not neutral. If you are neutral, you are not moral.”

We might not have changed the world today, but every change starts with a step – and that was taken today.

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Meanwhile, on the other side of the street…

Photo credit: Virag Gulyas