The rally, held Wednesday at the N.C. Hillel building at 210 W. Cameron Ave., was co-sponsored by the Freeman Center for Jewish Life at Duke University, the Durham and Chapel Hill Jewish Federation and three local synagogues.
Lew Borman, director of the federation, said the rally was prompted by the request of the national organization United Jewish Communities, which asked local communities across the country to hold rallies this week to support Israel and find a peaceful resolution to the violence raging in the area.
Borman said the actions, which will culminate Sunday in one large New York City rally, will allow community members to engage in open discussion over an issue of universal concern.
"It's an opportunity for members of the Jewish community to get together and connect on the issues we all hold close," Borman said. "It clearly reflects the passions of our community."
The rally featured speeches by Federation President Lew Margolis, UNC Students for Israel President Melissa Anderson, and a keynote address by Avraham Infeld, an educator in Jewish studies and member of the Hillel Council for Jewish Affairs.
Speaking in a raised voice while walking across the room, Infeld emphasized the importance of maintaining the solidarity of the Jewish state to prevent Jews from again becoming refugees as they have been in the past.
"Your family has changed from being refugees to never having to be refugees again because of that tiny state of Israel," Infeld said. "That is not a gift just to the residents of Israel, it is a gift to the entire Jewish people."
Infeld said an appreciation for a Jewish state allows the people of Israel to celebrate their Day of Independence, which occurs directly after a day of mourning for Jews killed during conflict with Muslims over occupation of Israel.
"We are capable of singing and dancing on this day only by knowing what we got in return for the price we paid," he said. "What we got in return is the assurance that what happened during the Holocaust will never happen again."
