הפגנת המיליון בירושלים
הפגנת המיליון בירושליםצילום: Erik Marmor/Flash90
It felt like a historic moment.

How true that is, time will tell but it certainly was hugely uplifting and exciting standing with multitudes of Israelis that poured into Jerusalem to declare that this is a Jewish country before and above anything else.

Marveling at the beauty of the sea of blue and white flags with the ancient Jewish symbol in the middle, I reminded myself that Left demonstrations (for which the Jewish aspect of Israel is a growing threat) were also accompanied by the same flag.

But there are differences

Sprinkled amongst the Israeli flags in the Left demonstrations are always the multicolored LGTB flags. (Before their PR experts told them it would lose them support, the earlier Left demonstrations were laced with the enemy of Israel - the PLO flag.) What really is the message? How does this define Israel, their Jewish state?

I stopped short at the site of a table upon which was standing a Torah scroll. The public was offered to share one letter in the Torah thus uniting Jews in holiness.

I watched in awe as many, with and without yarmulkas, stopped to kiss the scroll.

This best defined the DNA /identity of the hundreds of thousands, now estimated at 600,000 or more, who congregated on the streets of Jerusalem. (the mainstream anti-religious media reported tens of thousands at first- yes, perhaps on one corner and early in the evenng - but since a left wing demonstration a while ago that filled Kaplan St. near the Knesset was reported by those same media as 100,000 strong and aerial views showed that last night's demonstration filled at least six times the area of Kaplan Street, the truth is clear, as Radio Galei Yisrael pointed out.


I pondered, LGTB flags on one side and a Torah scroll on the other. Each is the symbol of and is sacred for the respective camps.

Which one represents the (Jewish) state of Israel?

This is the struggle today.

This is the giant crossroads that the state of Israel and its people can no longer avoid.

What does the blue and white flag with the star of David stand for?

There are Leftists leaders who have long urged the changing of the flag and the national anthem to accommodate the sensitivities of its Arab citizens. (I am not sure how accommodated these citizens would feel with the LGTB flag).

Who were the people I saw yesterday?

Actually, a good many were the "same old crowd".

These are the same people who brought their (large) families to demonstrate (and suffer the criminal hands of the "judicial" system and violent, corrupt police) against Oslo, against the expulsions of thousands of Jewish families from Gush Katif/North Shomron. The same ones greeted Natan Sharansky at the airport when he was released from Soviet antisemitism and captivity and later greeted Jonathan Pollard upon his arrival home from American antisemitism and captivity.

This is the same section of Israeli society that guards the land of Israel against Arab theft and encroachment and pays the price in Arab terror and Israeli injustice.

They are the same who lead in the donation of kidneys and every other volunteering endeavor you can imagine. And the list goes on.

Except that there were many young adults who did not take part in any of the above, but know about them and have learned a lesson. As the speakers said, there is a new generation with these beliefs that demands its rights.

So who did I see last night?

I saw the Israel that I had in mind when I left NY for my homeland.

"By the rivers of Babylon, we remembered Zion. ''
What Zion were our forefathers longing for?
Which symbol better represents the dream of the historic and miraculous return to Zion than our flag?

What does the blue and white flag mean for both camps?

In these historic times and at the current crossroads at which we are standing the answers are becoming clear.

Very clear.

Last night I saw the true elite .

Last night I saw the only possible future of the Jewish people.

Shalom Pollack is a veteran tour guide, who says: "I have the oppportunity to observe many sides of our beloved country. As a Jew who has come home, I am passionate about sharing my observations and thoughts." He can be reached [email protected]