With the Golden Gate Bridge as a backdrop, around 50 Bay Area residents staged a flash mob last month to show their support for Israel.
The performance took place Jan. 28 at Crissy Field in San Francisco, and a professional recording was posted on YouTube last week. The caption reads, “Today, SF dances again for Israel” — a reference to “We will dance again,” the slogan embraced by survivors of the Oct. 7 Hamas assault on the Nova music festival.
A flash mob is a public performance by participants who quickly appear and then disperse after the performance. The San Francisco flash mob was organized by members of the Peninsula’s French-speaking Jewish community.
“In the midst of the attacks that the people of Israel suffered on Oct. 7, we wanted to show our love and our support,” Isabelle Marcus, a co-organizer who lives in San Carlos, told J. “We also wanted to show that we won’t be intimidated and that we are strong.”
Marcus’ 18-year-old daughter, Rose, choreographed the routine with a friend, Eden Sidov, to the song “Tadliku T’orot” (“Turn on the Lights”) by Israeli pop group Hype Crew. The song, which was released in November, is a wartime anthem about unity and perseverance. “When our spirits are strong in our hearts, we can win a thousand wars,” they sing in Hebrew.
Marcus and the other organizers recruited the dancers — local Jews ages 7 to over 70, as well as a few non-Jews — through word of mouth and Jewish WhatsApp groups. They rehearsed for several weeks at one another’s homes and at dance studios. On the day of the flash mob, most wore white shirts, blue pants and Israeli flags draped over their backs.
“Some people said it was a healing process for them,” said Marcus, who opted to wear an American flag on her back. “We are still in a terrible situation [in Israel], but I think it’s very important to keep our spirits high and show that we are together.”
Marcus said the organizers secured a permit from the city and hired security for the event as a precaution, but that there were no disruptions.
“People took pictures of us,” she said. “One of the security guards was from El Salvador, and she told us it was a blessing to provide security for an event for Israel.”
Marcus, a business consultant who serves on the regional board of American Jewish Committee, said she hopes others will stage similar flash mobs for Israel in the U.S. and around the world.
“We started it in San Francisco, but the aim is to have this global, positive movement that we will do in every major city in front of every iconic monument,” she said.