WORCESTER, Mass. – Steven Schimmel, executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts, called Sunday’s rally in support of Palestine at Worcester City Hall “hostile” and “alarming.”

Schimmel attended the rally and said as a leader in the city's Jewish community, he wanted to know what was being said. While it was billed as a cease-fire rally, Schimmel said it was more along the lines of an anti-Israel and anti-peace rally. 

"There were chants of 'from the river, to the sea,' which is really a call for the destruction of Israel and the removal of any jews who live there,” he said. “But, that was only a piece of it. There was just an aggressive tone, and if you're going to make it a cease-fire rally or brand it as such, you need to talk about that fact that Hamas continues to incessantly fire rockets into Israel, continues to hold hostages, continues to remain in power in Gaza.

“And those are all really important pieces to this current phase of the conflict. Nothing was said about that at all, and that's frustrating."

Schimmel said Sunday's rally was a missed opportunity for organizers and public leaders to condemn Hamas publicly. He said the number of anti-Israel protests happening across the country is "frightening."

"There's not a person in the Jewish community that's not concerned about rising antisemitism,” Schimmel said. “But the hostile rhetoric we've heard, all of our institutions are more on edge, but thankfully the community has come together in a really special and united way, and we've got great allies out there.

“We're working closely with law enforcement. We are working closely with some of our elected officials who have reached out to us, who have taken part in vigils and taken part in phone calls and meetings that we've had to make sure that we do feel safe and protected. That goes a long way. That helps, and it's needed."

When asked if there have been threats to the local Jewish community, Schimmel said he would not comment, saying it is not helpful. He did say compared to the small size of the Jewish community in the country, there are a large number of threats.