Massive Demonstrations Draw 450,000 Across Israel

Image by Getty Images

Huge Protests: An estimated 450,000 people joined protests for social justice in cities across Israel. Image by Getty Images
An estimated 450,000 Israelis were marching across the country as part of the ‘March of the Million,’ a rally which organizers hope will grow to be the biggest social protest in Israel’s history.
According to initial estimates more than 300,000 people amassed in Tel Aviv’s Kikar Hamedina square, where the central event is currently taking place.
Thousands were reportedly marching along Tel Aviv’s Pinkas St. toward the main rally at Kikar Hamedina, with other choosing – contrary to the police’s estimates – to march from neighboring city of Ramat Gan, with traffic interrupted as a result of the impromptu march.
Yonatan Levy, one of the protest’s leaders, told Haaretz that there were “ten thousand people in [Kikar Hamedina], and a large amount coming from the Rothschild tent area.”
“It feels like a second independence Day,” Levy added, saying “people are dancing in circles, shouting together. People are coming in from the north, from Jerusalem. It looks very good and moving.”
Speaking at the main rally in Tel Aviv, National Student Union chairman Itzik Shmuli said: “This square is filled with the new Israelis, who would die for this country, but expect you, Mr. prime minister, to let us live in this country.”
“Tonight, Israel is awakening into the largest protest in its history,” Shmuli added.
Addressing the massive crowd at the main Tel Aviv rally, one of the protest’s main figures Daphne Leef, spoke of a “new hope born out of feelings of despair, the result of almost unbridgeable [social] gaps.”
“Israeli society has reached its red line. This summer we have woken up and refused to continue walking with our eyes closed toward the abyss. We are choosing to see,” Leef added.
In Jerusalem, tens of thousands of protesters are marching toward the the prime minister’s residence. Speakers will include actress Orna Banai, while Izhar Ashdot, Karolina and the Ma Kashur comedy trio will provide entertainment.
In Haifa, 40,000 are marching from Meyerhoff Square toward Ben Gurion Boulevard in the downtown area, where artists Kobi Oz and David Broza are slated to perform.
When asked about whether the number of protesters would reach the one million mark, one Haifa demonstrator responded by saying that “the number is not nearly as important as the understanding of the power of the Israeli public.”
The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.
At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.
Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.
This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
2X match on all Passover gifts!
Most Popular
- 1
Opinion Trump’s Israel tariffs are a BDS dream come true — can Netanyahu make him rethink them?
- 2
Fast Forward Cory Booker’s rabbi has notes on Booker’s 25-hour speech
- 3
Fast Forward Cory Booker proclaims, ‘Hineni’ — I am here — 19 hours into anti-Trump Senate speech
- 4
News Rabbis revolt over LGBTQ+ club, exposing fight over queer acceptance at Yeshiva University
In Case You Missed It
-
Theater Why Nick Jonas should not sing ‘Shiksa Goddess,’ the outdated song from ‘The Last Five Years’
-
Opinion My Jewish moms group ousted me because I work for J Street. Is this what communal life has come to?
-
Fast Forward German parties form government that excludes AfD, far-right party that worries many Jews
-
Fast Forward Senate confirms Mike Huckabee as Israel ambassador
-
Shop the Forward Store
100% of profits support our journalism
Republish This Story
Please read before republishing
We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free, unless it originated with JTA, Haaretz or another publication (as indicated on the article) and as long as you follow our guidelines.
You must comply with the following:
- Credit the Forward
- Retain our pixel
- Preserve our canonical link in Google search
- Add a noindex tag in Google search
See our full guidelines for more information, and this guide for detail about canonical URLs.
To republish, copy the HTML by clicking on the yellow button to the right; it includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to the Forward. It does not include images; to avoid copyright violations, you must add them manually, following our guidelines. Please email us at [email protected], subject line “republish,” with any questions or to let us know what stories you’re picking up.