Hundreds of members of Detroit's Jewish community flew to Washington, D.C., to march in solidarity with Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza on Tuesday, but some of them say they had trouble participating because of what they said was a "malicious walk-off" by some bus drivers.
Local members of the Jewish Federation of Detroit and the Jewish Community Relations Council went to the country's capital to focus the national conversation on freeing the estimated 240 hostages Hamas took from Israel on Oct. 7, said David Kurzmann, senior director of community affairs at the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.
But some buses hired to transport "a significant number" of the groups' participants from Dulles International Airport to the site of the march, according to Kurzmann, failed to appear, which delayed and in some cases prevented their arrival at the event.
"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," Kurzmann said in a Tuesday statement.
"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."
The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit declined to identify the name of the bus company or companies who it says refused them service.
Kurzmann said late Tuesday in a virtual press conference the bus company was in contact with their team while travelers were stuck on the tarmac after arriving at the airport around 11 a.m.
He said the company late Monday told his group "they were having trouble" after some drivers called in sick.
"They informed us ... that they had drivers, who, when they were aware of the assignment today, called in, more than a few, a number of drivers called in sick," Kurzmann said. The bus company "committed to fulfilling the obligations for our group and we had all expectation that they would they demonstrated a desire and full intention to do, and today they seemed to encounter some challenge."
Kurzmann did not provide the number of buses the group ordered, but said out of 900 travelers, about a third were affected. He said he did not have the name of the bus company.
Ella Cohen, a 19-year-old from Birmingham, said she was one of the fortunate ones who was able to make it to the march.
"Some of the other groups were duped by the bus companies," Cohen said.
"We had to pack a lot of people on some of the buses," she added. "Some people had to sit on each other's laps and stand in the aisle. It was very hectic. I know that some bus companies were able to step in last minute and help us out, and some people also ordered Ubers to the march."
Tens of thousands of Israel supporters rallied on the National Mall under heavy security Tuesday, voicing solidarity against Hamas and crying “never again." Politicians in attendance included Democratic Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, House Democratic leader Hakeem Jefferies and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.
State Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, traveled to Washington on one of the chartered planes that he said arrived at Dulles airport around 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. He told The News his group waited three hours to deplane before loading onto a bus and sat there 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.
“I’ve spent my tenure in the Legislature fighting discrimination when seeking goods or services that are denied based on identity or affiliation,” added Moss, who is openly gay. “There are a lot of questions and we deserve to know the answers.”
Rabbi Mike Moskowitz from Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield attended the march, which he said attracted nearly 1,000 people from Metro Detroit on three chartered flights. But the marchers ran into problems with some of the buses waiting for them on the tarmac, he said.
"What I have heard is that some bus drivers taking passengers from another plane loaded people on their buses, and then the driver walked off the buses and refused to drive them to the march," said Moskowitz, who made it to the march.
The march happened during the sixth week of the war, which was triggered by Hamas' surprise attack into Israel, in which militants killed hundreds of civilians and dragged hostages back to Gaza. The resulting Israeli counterattack has killed thousands of Palestinian fighters and civilians.
"How could I not be in D.C. today?" Kurzmann said. “This is our opportunity as the Jewish community," along with others, "to really show our support for Israel.”
Palestinian Americans have held rallies in Washington and Michigan calling for a ceasefire in the fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there will be no ceasefire without the return of all the hostages. Instead, beginning last Thursday, Israel agreed to daily, four-hour humanitarian pauses in the fighting in northern Gaza, according to the White House.
Other protests about the war and occupation detract the focus from the civilian deaths and the hostages Israel holds Hamas responsible for, Kurzmann said.
"We feel terrible for every single baby that is suffering and killed, and it’s a horrible war against Hamas," he said. "The blame is squarely on Hamas.”
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