Standing on stage at the Detroit Zoo in front of an Israeli flag draped over a DJ’s table, Lior Zisser-Yogev addressed the Jewish crowd with encouraging words. Many were decked out in white and blue colors to show their support for Israel, waving Israeli flags or sporting T-shirts with symbols of the country.

“We’re gathered here today … from the Jewish community of Detroit to raise our voices loud and clear,” Zisser-Yogev, an Israeli emissary currently living in Bloomfield Hills, said at the gathering last week in Royal Oak and Huntington Woods. “We’re standing up for Israel and sending our prayers, our love, and our donations to keep Israel and Israelis strong and resilient, even in these challenging times. Thank you all for coming today to the zoo in white and blue.”

A few minutes later, Zisser-Yogev, whose brother died in October while serving in Israel’s military, urged the crowd to recite a popular phrase in Hebrew expressing solidarity with Israel: “Put your hands up in the air. And let’s cry out together so this entire metro Detroit area can hear us … Am Yisrael Chai (the people of Israel live). Ready, set, walk the zoo!”

The gathering on May 28th at the Detroit Zoo was a vivid illustration of the close bonds that metro Detroit’s Jewish community has with Israel. As the country and its supporters face growing criticism over the war in Gaza and with Lebanon, Jewish leaders in Michigan said the event to celebrate Israel’s 76th independence day was a way to create a safe space for the community to express their pride in being Jewish. Private security and local police patrolled the area around the zoo to help protect the crowd, estimated by organizers to be between 1,500 to 2,000 people. Organized by the Jewish Federation of Detroit and other Jewish groups in partnership with several local synagogues, the event was called “Yom Ha’Atzmaut – Walk the Zoo in White & Blue,” referring to the name Israelis use for their independence day on May 14th.

“We feel strongly we have to show solidarity, we can’t be afraid we have to be proud to be Jewish, proud to be Jewish Americans, and proud to be supporters of Israel,” said Ilana Block, 39, of Huntington Woods, a yellow ribbon on her jacket symbolizing the hostages held by Hamas. “We’re trying to teach our children not to be afraid to be Jewish. We can’t hide. We have to be proud. We have to be willing to speak out and to be proud Jews.”

But while providing a moment of fun and peace for the community, a controversy developed that symbolized the challenges facing Jews in Michigan. After word of the event spread online, some in Arab American, Muslim and other communities expressed outrage on social media sites such as Instagram, TikTok and X, calling for a boycott of the Detroit Zoo. Some urged people to call or email the Detroit Zoo to cancel their memberships.

“It’s really good I didn’t get a membership yet,” said a Michigan woman with more than 485,000 followers in a video posted on TikTok. “I will not be going there forever. … I will find another zoo to go to.”

Comments on the Instagram page of the Detroit Zoo were flooded with people opposed to the Israel event. A post on May 27th by the zoo drew a number of negative comments the Free Press reviewed before they were removed. There were 915 comments on a post on the TCD Dearborn Instagram page about the zoo’s Israel event, most of them blasting the zoo. Some compared the attendees to animals at the zoo.

The Detroit Zoo released a statement to the Free Press that distanced itself from “the political views” of the Israel event or any other private event held at the zoo. Groups can rent space at the zoo.

“The Detroit Zoo is a space for all members of the community, and we welcome businesses and organizations to rent the Zoo for their private events,” said a statement from the zoo provided by a spokesman. “While we do not affiliate with or endorse the political views of any individual or organization that uses our space, we welcome any groups who share our passion for engaging and memorable experiences that celebrate our wildlife.”

Zoo officials did not comment beyond the statement. It’s unclear how many have canceled their membership after the event. Some in the Jewish community have rallied to the zoo’s defense and are urging people to support the zoo and become members.

“The last year has been crazy,” Steven Ingber, the CEO of the Jewish Federation of Detroit, told the crowd during the program. “It’s been a really rough year.”

But Ingber added that the Jewish community has responded with several events to declare their support for Israel, including a packed rally two days after the Oct. 7 attack at Congregation Shaarey Zedek in Southfield that featured a pro-Israel talk by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. Hamas attack in October was the deadliest attack against Jews since the Holocaust; Israel launched strikes in response, killing thousands in military actions Palestinian advocates have decried.

“You guys have really showed up, and you’re showing your pride,” Ingber said to the Jewish attendees. “When people say what’s the one thing I can do with what we’re facing today: Be proud to be Jewish.”

Attendees were given a detailed map of the zoo with labels that compared it to the geography of Israel: various parts of the zoo and the animals were linked to areas of Israel. For example, the area in the zoo where camels roam were labeled “Negev,” referring to the Negev desert region of Israel that has some camels. The area with lions was called “Jerusalem,” the capital city of Israel whose emblem includes a lion. Lions are often a symbolic part of Jewish identity.

There was a tent featuring a dinner of kosher pizza, falafel, and salad and another tent with informational booths for various Jewish groups. One booth was with the Friends Of The Israel Defense Forces (FIDF), where people could write letters of support to Israeli soldiers. Zisser-Yogev was one of several Shlichim, a Hebrew word for Israeli emissaries who spend time abroad to help Jewish communities, at the event to help run the programs. Children and other participants played a scavenger hunt, visiting different parts of the zoo, and getting their maps stamped after they visited each area.

The event comes at a time when some leftwing and rightwing groups have been holding conferences and events in Detroit featuring speakers with antisemitic and anti-Israel views. Some have expressed concern about an upcoming conference set for June 15 in Detroit with some speakers Jewish groups have said are antisemitic and promote white nationalism.

“It’s important for our community to get together, to feel secure, to feel to be in a place where we stand for the values that we feel are important,” Rabbi Harold Loss, the eldest rabbi at Michigan’s largest synagogue, Temple Israel of West Bloomfield. “We’re here to support Israel. We’re here to hope for the hostages’ return. And we’re looking forward for a time when we … learn how to live together in peace again, but it’s a ways off.”

Like others, Loss wore a blue baseball cap given to attendees that read “Walk The Zoo” with a Lion and the stripes of the Israeli flag. He wore a dog tag on a necklace that read: “Bring them Home Now,” referring to Israeli hostages held by Hamas.

“It’s been a very difficult time for the community,” Loss aid. “Our focus is on the hostages … our focus is on what we see on the university campuses. We are concerned with the level of anger that we see among many college students not focused on the issues, but rather taking stands that perhaps they can’t even begin to explain.”

The event featured a singing of Israel’s national anthem, Hatikvah, by a group of Jewish college students in Michigan who have been fighting against antisemitism on campus.

There are “difficult moments,” being Jewish at college lately, “but I am fortunate enough to be able to surround myself with an amazing Hillel (Jewish student group) right off Michigan State’s campus with an amazing Jewish community,” said Matthew Zivian, an incoming senior at Michigan State University. “So much like this event, when I’m feeling the pressure on campus and I’m seeing a lot of antisemitism, and I’m seeing a lot of hatred, I have my community to back me up.”

Contact Niraj Warikoo:nwarikoo@freepress.com or X @nwarikoo

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Jewish groups in metro Detroit hold event for Israel at Detroit Zoo