Washington D.C. was awash in positive energy on Nov. 14 as hundreds of thousands of Jews and their supporters gathered on the National Mall. The goal was threefold: To assert Israel’s right to exist; to demand return of the 240 people kidnapped by Hamas; and to fight the scourge of antisemitism.

To put the Washington D.C. march for Israel in perspective, one pundit stated that one out of every 50 Jews worldwide was there. In other words, nearly 300,000 people gathered on the National Mall. It was the single largest gathering of American Jews ever.

Thousands of people wore Israeli flags tied around their necks like a cape. Others had small flags poking out of pockets or braided into their hair. Still more carried full size flags on poles. American flags abounded too.

So many of the marchers were young. Large groups of teens in matching outfits. Girls squealing when they spotted friends from camp. Boys singing Hebrew songs together. Their joy at being together was muted only by the posters they carried, with photos of other kids who just a month ago were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists in Israel.

The adults were more intense, as speaker after speaker came to the podium with uplifting messages. Politicians of all stripes — including Israel’s President Herzog who spoke live from Jerusalem — musicians and actors, community leaders and activists, all came to stand in unity with Israel.

“America and Israel changed the world,” said Soviet dissident and author Natan Sharansky.

“Our light will shine until the darkness is defeated,” said actress Debra Messing.

The crowd cheered for Israel. They cheered for returning the captives. They cheered for fighting antisemitism. They sang our national anthem and Israel’s. They were peaceful and positive and hopeful.

For me, the most moving speeches were by three family members of hostages. And the most moving moment of the day was when a speaker called for a moment of silence in honor of the captives. In an instant, 300,000 people fell completely silent, and many held up signs bearing the names and photos of the 240 hostages.

It was uplifting to be part of a group of 170 people from Sarasota and Tampa who spent some 20+ hours traveling to stand in solidarity, thanks to the efforts of the Sarasota-Manatee Jewish Federation.

But as we walked off the Mall, word spread through the crowd that 300 people from Detroit missed the rally because the bus drivers who met their planes at National Airport refused to drive them to the pro-Israel rally.

One headline read “bussing bigotry.” The irony of antisemitism preventing people from attending the rally is heartbreaking.

As outrage over the bus drivers’ refusal spread, it felt to me that reality came crashing down. Both Jews and Muslims in our nation are accustomed to bigotry. We have long ceased to be surprised by casual racism, just as our Black neighbors have. But this was so egregious, such coordinated hate.

I do not understand the hatred that causes humans to treat other humans so badly. Neither do I understand the so-called Hamas “militants” who went on a murderous rampage against unarmed civilians. They murdered entire families. They tied people up and burned them alive. They performed horrible atrocities.

Who does that? And yet, they and their supporters are so filled with rage over the checkered history between Palestinians and Israelis that there has been dancing in the streets of Arab countries, and pro-Palestinian rallies around the globe.

That is why this gathering mattered. Because each life matters. Because we desperately want the hostages returned to their homes and the war to end. Because Palestinian and Israeli children need to feel safe.

It is no simple feat to plan a giant March and draw hundreds of thousands of people from across the nation. It is far more difficult to heal wounds that are decades old. But that is our task. As the Talmud states, “It is not incumbent upon you to complete the task. But neither are you free to desist from it.”

I am encouraged that for tens of thousands of people, the day was filled with positivity. Walking away from the Mall, one woman asked a police officer how he found the crowd.

His response: “I got a career’s worth of thank yous in one shift today!”

May we all be blessed to remember that simple acts of gratitude and kindness matter.