On November 14th 2023 two secular organizations, the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, held a rally in Washington D.C. in to support Israel in its war in Gaza.

Initially The Agudah encouraged attendance (see letter from R’ Aharon Feldman below):

This, apparently, was not the opinion of all members of the Moetzes:

R’ Yitzchok Sorotzkin

View the whole droshah here

This letter was released by Lakewood Rosh Yeshivas

R’ Malkiel Kotler, R’ Yeruchem Olshin, R’ Yaakov Horowitz, and R’ Yitzchok Sorotzkin signed that:

כל הירא את דבר ה’ אין לו להשתתף בעצרת כזו

With R’ Malkiel adding that these are דברים פשוטים וברורים

R’ Aharon Feldman, who had apparently supported attending the rally at first but later changed his position, describes that even his original support was only that the issurim involved with attending were mutar because of pikuach nefesh but once the program was announced even pikuach nefesh was not a heter.

Here are some highlights from the rally

The only clergyman to speak was Pastor John Hagee

Who lead the crowd in a chant of “We are one!” ר”ל

The rally was also full of hisgarus b’umos as discussed by Rov Sorotzkin above

“No ceasefire!”