Hundreds of members of Detroit’s Jewish community landed in Washington, DC, on Tuesday to march in solidarity with Israel in its war against Hamas terrorists only to be stranded at the airport after what was described as a “malicious walk-off” by some bus drivers.
The Detroit News reports local members of the Jewish Federation of Detroit and the Jewish Community Relations Council journeyed to the national capital to add their support to calls for the freeing of an estimated 240 hostages Hamas terrorists took from Israel to Gaza on Oct. 7 during their barbaric raid.
The News report sets out some buses hired to transport “a significant number” of the groups’ participants from Dulles International Airport to the site of the march failed to show up, according to David Kurzmann, senior director of community affairs at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
The lack of transport delayed and in some cases prevented attendees from joining the massed event. Kurzmann made clear his disappointment in a Tuesday statement:
We have learned from the bus company that this was caused by a deliberate and malicious walk-off of drivers. Fortunately, many were able to travel to the march, and we are grateful to the drivers of those buses that arrived.
While we are deeply dismayed by this disgraceful action, our resolve to proudly stand in solidarity with the people of Israel, to condemn antisemitism and to demand the return of every hostage held by Hamas has never been greater.
As Breitbart News reported, tens of thousands of demonstrators gathered to protest antisemitism and call for the release of hostages on Tuesday.
They surged through the national capital in a calm protest aimed at Hamas actions while calling on the world to consider the plight of the hostages and demand their release.
The rally — conducted in bright November fall sunshine — was an antidote to the the sad news that has dominated since the Hamas terrorists flooded into Israel in an attack that saw mass rape, torture and slaughter of civilians as well as kidnappings.
State Sen. Jeremy Moss (D-Southfield) traveled to Washington on one of the chartered planes carrying passengers intending to join the demonstration but he too was to be disappointed.
Others took to social media to vent their frustration.
#BREAKING: hundreds of Jewish Detroiters were prevented from attending today’s pro-Israel rally in DC when bus drivers staged a deliberate and malicious walkout.
— Israel War Room (@IsraelWarRoom) November 15, 2023
Nearly 1,000 people flew from Detroit to DC on chartered flights and buses were hired to take them from Dulles Airport… pic.twitter.com/j3BVg0UrGw
Appalling antisemitism as American Jews and allies fly in to DC to join the protest against antisemitism only to find the bus drivers refused to show up in protests of…wait for it, JEWS.
— Emily Schrader – אמילי שריידר امیلی شریدر (@emilykschrader) November 14, 2023
Every single one of the employees who refuses to drive buses because Jews were on it should… pic.twitter.com/IN4eXg4CCg
Moss told the News he arrived at Dulles airport around 10:30 a.m. on the day only for his group to wait three hours to deplane before loading onto a bus that sat for about 30 minutes before unloading and getting back on the airplane.
The group ended up sitting on the plane all afternoon and never made it to the rally, Moss said.
Moss said he and hundreds of other Metro Detroit Jews were denied an opportunity to be part of a “tremendous display of support … for the hostages and a strong rebuke of antisemitism.”
“I’m still awaiting all of the details of why the bus drivers didn’t show up,” Moss said late Tuesday afternoon in a text message seen by the outlet.
