May 14

May 14 Flag Raising (Israeli)

Chicago, Demonstrations, Public Declarations, Protest

On May 14, 1948, just eight hours before the British Mandate for Palestine came to its end, future Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion declared Israeli (Eretz Israel) independence. Each year, Jews around the world celebrate what for them is a momentous event, referred to in Hebrew as Yom Ha'atzmaut (יוֹם הָעַצְמָאוּת).

Today, in keeping with tradition, Chicago’s Jewish Community commemorated the 76th anniversary in Daley Plaza by raising a gigantic Israeli flag high above the plaza. Organized by the Jewish United Fund, this year’s celebration exuded a mixture of joy and sorrow. It was an opportunity for the Jewish Community to reaffirm its commitment to Israel and Judaism, but given Hamas’ October 7th attack on Israel’s civilian population, the resulting war between Israel and Hamas, and the rise in anti-Semitic incidents sparked by Israel’s brutal uncalibrated response, there was also much sorrow and trepidation swirling around the Picasso statue.

I arrived early, but another photographer friend was in position long before me. He revealed that representatives from the U.S. State Department had already undertaken a security assessment and sweep because Israeli Consul General to the Midwest, Yinam Cohen, would be present. According to my friend, officials from a second Federal agency had also undertaken a second assessment.

I was not surprised, given the tensions existing between Chicago’s Jewish and Palestinian communities. The city enclosed a large portion of the plaza using interlocking bicycle racks. Not surprisingly, admittance to the enclosed area required a bag check. A large contingent of CPD officers were on hand, together with a private security force.

Once again, no surprise: Seventy-five members of the Palestinian Community and their allies showed up with their banners, flags, and bullhorns. My photographer friend and I assumed the police would relegate them to the sidewalk adjacent to City Hall, but CPD designated a counter-protest area on the southwest corner of the plaza—a little closer than we expected. CPD’s bicycle brigade formed a protective barrier between the two groups.

Two months ago, several Palestinian organizers were arrested during a demonstration on Wacker Drive. I spoke with one who spent 2.5 days in lockup before being released. He didn’t go into detail, but I sensed it was both a memorable and unpleasant experience. Not one worth repeating, particularly because arrests today would be counterproductive to the Palestinian cause.

That became clear when I saw the tail-end of a confrontation between the police and one pro-Palestinian demonstrators. From what I could gather, the man had ventured into ‘Israeli’ territory, with the police then trying to return him to ‘Palestinian’ territory. Several leaders grabbed him, urging him to cool down so that there would be no arrest. They prevailed. You can disagree with the Palestinian position, but the Palestinian leadership knows how to manage the optics.

In terms of violence, I was not worried about the Palestinian contingent. I don’t think the police were all that worried, either, although they were all business. Any concern I had pertained to the lone wolf, the guy who no one had ever seen at a pro-Palestinian demonstration. The man with a gun or an explosive.

Fortunately, the lone wolf never showed his face. The celebration went off without a hitch. There were probably 500 to 600 Jews and their allies present. The celebrants fell into two distinct groups: older people, many of whom probably work in the Loop and teenage boys bused in from the suburbs. Young children were largely absent, which meant, with one notable exception, no one was using the base of the Picasso statue as a slide. Even if some kids had wanted to play, the base was filled with exuberant adults and teenagers.

The speeches leading up to the flag raising were required, but unmemorable. In part that may be due to my positioning. Normally, the organizers set aside an area for photographers, providing easy access in and out, which gives me the opportunity to listen to several speeches, while also having the opportunity to circulate through and on the periphery of the crowd. Not today, so I didn’t focus on the speakers.

I, however, took note of two. A student from Northwestern University spoke, relating his experience as a member of the Israeli Defense Forces. City of Chicago 50th Ward Alderwoman Debra Silverstein also spoke, recounting her opposition of the Ceasefire Resolution that Chicago’s City Council passed when Mayor Brandon Johnson cast the tie-breaking vote.

When the time came to raise the Israeli Flag, the east side of the Picasso statute was filled with adults erupting in pride, many with phones in hand capturing images of the large blue and white flag rising. The flag served as a metaphor for the crowd’s spirit, symbolically taking flight over the world’s troubles.

Throughout the day, the teenage boys spontaneously assembled themselves into a large circular ball, with kids on the periphery leaping toward the center, as everyone pogoed. It was as if they were mobbing the goalie who denied the other team the tying goal just as the game clock hit zero. Several teenage women were present, but they were far outnumbered by the boys.

I counted six yellow school buses parked along Dearborn, each with a capacity of 80 people, three to a seat. The kids were teenagers, so I assume two to a seat, meaning that at least half of the people in the crowd were teenage boys.

For the most part, the teenagers stayed in front of the Picasso statue, far from the Palestinian counter-demonstrators on the other side of the plaza. I, however, did see several clusters of teenagers on the westside of the secured area, standing against the bicycle racks. Given that many were from suburbs, they probably had not personally witnessed pro-Palestinian marchers snaking their way through the Loop or parading up and down Michigan Avenue. Some of the kids stared in the direction of the Palestinians, fascinated. Others opted for occasional and furtive glances. Was the enemy as evil and violent as they had been led to believe?

Both the Palestinians and Jews have hot heads in their ranks—thankful fewer than many might think. Not surprisingly, two or three from ‘Israeli” territory ventured over to ‘Palestinian’ territory, waving an Israeli flags to taunt. The police did a good job of maintaining order in what was a potentially explosive situation.

Along those lines, the press was given full access to the entire plaza, free to roam from one side to the other. But when the celebration ended, Near North CPD Commander John Hein shut down press access to area occupied by the pro-Palestinian forces. This did not prove to be much of a problem given my telephoto lens. Hein presumably didn’t want to give anyone an incentive to ‘perform’ for the cameras. No one tried. Those celebrants who were headed westward following the rally, crossed the street, walking past the Palestinians knowing that a protective barrier of cars separated the two camps.

Despite a dreary sky, the flag raising was a success. Every photographer I know was thrilled with the event. To a person, each complains that there have been very few pro-Israeli demonstrations since October 7. When it comes to public demonstrations, the pro-Palestinian forces have trounced the pro-Israeli forces, which means photographic coverage has not been balanced—through no fault of the photojournalists. Today, we were able to restore some balance to the coverage.

[Click on an Image to Enlarge It. The Images Are Not Necessarily in Exact Chronological Order]