Jews bound for Israel rally left stranded after bus drivers allegedly refused to drive them
Jonah Seinfeld Chopp joined 'FOX & Friends' to discuss the incident and why it was 'disappointing' that they weren't able to show their support for the Jewish state.
Hundreds of Jewish people traveling from Detroit to the pro-Israel rally in Washington, D.C., did not have a lift from the airport and were told it was due to a bus driver "sick-out."
"About two and a half hours after landing in D.C. from Detroit, rumors started going around the plane that there was an ongoing walkout of the bus drivers who worked for the company that the Jewish Federation of Detroit hired to drive us into the city for the rally," Jonah Seinfeld Chopp said on "Fox and Friends" Tuesday morning.
He said a representative from the federation got on the plane's speaker and told them there were bus drivers refusing to pick them up from Dulles International Airport and take them into the city to the protest.
He said they briefly got off the plane around 2 p.m., when they boarded three buses for about 15 minutes and were told to get back on the tarmac because the buses were not meant for them. They then showed "support for Israel from where we could."
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Many demonstrators waved or wore American and Israeli flags at the "March for Israel" on Nov. 14, 2023, in Washington, D.C. (Jon Michael Raasch/Fox News Digital)
Chopp would not comment on whether he wants the alleged bus drivers involved fired, but said the incident was "very upsetting." He added that he did not know the name of the bus company involved.
An owner of a bus company that did show up to pick up some in the group said that her company was contacted by a broker, and thinks the broker hired is at fault for the mishap. She believes the broker is "making an excuse for failing to contract enough buses to get 1,000 people to the rally."
The Jewish Federations of North America, a non-profit organization and the organizer for the rally, said that it was the largest pro-Israel gathering in U.S. history.
The group estimated that there were 290,000 people in attendance and another 250,000 watched online.
Demonstrators wear jackets showing Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas at the March for Israel at the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, Nov. 14, 2023. Tens of thousands of people gathered together to stand in solidarity with Israel and call for the release of Israeli hostages. (Leigh Green for Fox News Digital)
Jewish people from Detroit were at Dulles International Airport all day prior to turning around after missing the "March for Israel" rally. (FOX 5 DC)
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The Jewish Federation of Detroit did not immediately respond to a request for comment but posted to Facebook that they were "deeply proud" of their participation in the March for Israel, and that over 900 Detroiters traveled to Washington, D.C., and "stood in solidarity for Israel, against antisemitism and for the release of the hostages."
Fox News' Adam Sabes, Christina Shaw, Sarah Rumpf-Whitten and Jon Michael Raasch contributed to this report.
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