Hundreds of Chicagoans were boarding buses and planes out of Midway and O'Hare International Airports to head to the nation's capital Tuesday morning as part of massive March For Israel, expected to take place on the National Mall in Washington D.C. Tuesday afternoon.
"[The] November 14th event will bring together communities from across the country to show strong solidarity with the Israeli people, while demanding the immediate release of the remaining hostages and to condemn the rise of antisemitism," The Jewish Federations of North America said.
The rise in antisemitism, Nate Lichtenstein says, is one of the reasons he and his children and grandchildren plan to march Tuesday in Washington D.C.
"I am a child of Holocaust survivors," Lichtenstein told NBC Chicago. "My parents lost their entire family during World War II. I did not believe in my lifetime that I would see the kinds of antiemetic incidents, statements and public gatherings. And in some ways, its far worse than I could have predicted."
Lichtenstein is one of approximately 2,000 people traveling from all over the Chicago area for the march, organizes said.
NBC4 Washington reports March for Israel organizers are expecting as many as 40,000 to 60,000 people to turn up for the event from 1 to 3 p.m. Road closures began Monday ahead of gates opening Tuesday at 10 a.m.
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