With the Iranian Mission to the United Nations as a backdrop, government officials and Jewish leaders took to the podium Wednesday afternoon to express their sadness, anger and resolve to take action in the wake of the latest terrorist act by the militant Islamic group Hamas.
The rally, which drew an estimated 150 people, came just hours after the news of a bomb attack on a bus in Tel Aviv. The explosion resulted in at least 22 dead and more than 40 injured.
“There’s a cumulative effect on the Jewish community,” said Michael Miller, executive director of the New York Jewish Community Relations Council, which jointly sponsored the rally with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
“Our cup ran over,” he said, referring to the latest of three terrorist attacks against Israelis in less than two weeks. “We felt an immediate need to come to the streets.”
Speakers told the crowd at the half-hour rally that mourning the losses — both of the bombing and of other recent Hamas terrorism — was not enough.
“I am filled, as I know many of you are, with a feeling of sadness, a feeling of outrage, a feeling of anger and, most of all, a feeling of almost helplessness,” U.S. Rep. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said, often bringing his fist down on the podium for emphasis.
“But we must realize that we are not helpless. We must demand action. Not simply words, but action,” the congressman said.
That action, according to Schumer and other speakers, should involve a worldwide isolation of Iran, which many believe is responsible for the funding and training of Hamas.
Israeli officials in New York and Washington also pointed to Iran.
At a news briefing in Washington, Israeli Ambassador Itamar Rabinovich called for a “concerted international effort against this kind of terror.”
He said the world should apply “pressure on Iran,” and that concern should “be translated from general ideas into action.”
At the State Department, meanwhile, officials also targeted Syria, saying it has the “power and influence” to stop the latest spate of violence.
U.S. SYRIAN OFFICIALS CONFER
The U.S. ambassador in Damascus, Christopher Ross, met with Syrian Foreign Ministry officials in the hours after the bus attack to express U.S. condemnation of terror, and to reassure the Syrians of the U.S. commitment to the peace process, according to an official.
In high level contacts between the United States and Syria, officials have asked for any information or assistance that Damascus can provide to stop Hamas terrorism.
“Not only the United States, but the world community must rise up at this point and make clear that this type of incident cannot be tolerated and that everything should be exhausted in pursuing an antidote to this type of violence,” a State Department spokesman said.
At the rally in New York, fingers also pointed at Palestine Liberation Organization Chairman Yasser Arafat.
“Israel has to strike where Hamas can be found. Arafat has to be part of that effort as a test of his legitimacy,” said Alan Hevesi, New York City Comptroller.
Schumer questioned why Hamas headquarters was still allowed to operate in the Gaza Strip, territory controlled by Arafat.
Others applied pressure on the U.S. government to crack down on Hamas.
Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents, said that under a provision in the recently passed crime bill, those who knowingly provide material support for Hamas or other terrorist groups can face up to 10 years in jail.
“It is time for the United States government to act against those who provide support for Hamas,” Hoenlein said. He cited the Islamic Association for Palestine, located in Texas, as such a group.
He also urged the U.S. government to stringently limit travel to the United States by Hamas representatives.
Hamas and other groups recruit and raise funds in the United States, Hoenlein added.
The rally included speeches by Mark Green, New York City public advocate, and Judah Gribetz, president of the New York JCRC, who read prepared statements from Sens. Daniel Moynihan (D-N.Y.) and Alfonse D’Amato (R-N.Y.). Both senators expressed support for Israel and outrage toward Hamas.
Amid the speeches, there were words of prayer and a moment of silence.
Most of all, there was sadness.
“It’s enough,” said Esther Kustanowitz, assistant program coordinator for the Hebrew program at Hadassah. “Three incidents in one week. It’s just absurd.”
(JTA correspondent Matthew Dorf in Washington contributed to this report.)
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