I laid my head back in my seat, sunburnt and exhausted, as my late-night flight took off from Washington, D.C. back home to Dallas. I closed my eyes and vividly I recalled the events of the day, processing how unforgettable my experience was.
Nearly 300,000 people rallied last week at the National Mall in support of Israel and against antisemitism. I’m on the team at Passages, a non-profit organization that has accompanied over 11,000 young Christians to Israel over the last 8 years, connecting them with the roots of their faith and introducing them to the modern day state. I stood together with 700 Passages alumni and friends for this historic event. Over the years, I and the Passages team have attended many events alongside the Jewish community, but this day was very different.
It started with a simple task: arrive at the rally early with a handful of our staff and save a spot. We dragged 100-pound boxes of signs and shirts that read, “Christians Stand with Israel,” ready to pass out to our group. As we stood around chatting to pass the time, our conversations slowly began to be interrupted by rally participants trickling in.