Hundreds of Metro Detroit Jews stranded at D.C. airport by 'malicious' bus drivers

Hundreds of members of Detroit's Jewish community flew to Washington, 
D.C., to march in solidarity with Israel in its war against Hamas in Gaza 
on Tuesday, but some of them say they had trouble participating because of 
what they said was a "malicious walk-off" by some bus drivers.

Local members of the Jewish Federation of Detroit and the Jewish Community 
Relations Council went to the country's capital to focus the national 
conversation on freeing the estimated 240 hostages Hamas took from Israel 
on Oct. 7, said David Kurzmann, senior director of community affairs at 
the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit.

But some buses hired to transport "a significant number" of the groups' 
participants from Dulles International Airport to the site of the march, 
according to Kurzmann, failed to appear, which delayed and in some cases 
prevented their arrival at the event.

"We have learned from the bus company that this was caused by a deliberate 
and malicious walk-off of drivers. Fortunately, many were able to travel 
to the march, and we are grateful to the drivers of those buses that 
arrived," Kurzmann said in a Tuesday statement.

"While we are deeply dismayed by this disgraceful action, our resolve to 
proudly stand in solidarity with the people of Israel, to condemn 
antisemitism and to demand the return of every hostage held by Hamas has 
never been greater."

The Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit declined to identify the 
name of the bus company or companies who it says refused them service.

Kurzmann said late Tuesday in a virtual press conference the bus company 
was in contact with their team while travelers were stuck on the tarmac 
after arriving at the airport around 11 a.m.

He said the company late Monday told his group "they were having trouble" 
after some drivers called in sick.

"They informed us ... that they had drivers, who, when they were aware of 
the assignment today, called in, more than a few, a number of drivers 
called in sick," Kurzmann said. The bus company "committed to fulfilling 
the obligations for our group and we had all expectation that they would 
they demonstrated a desire and full intention to do, and today they seemed 
to encounter some challenge."

Kurzmann did not provide the number of buses the group ordered, but said 
out of 900 travelers, about a third were affected. He said he did not have 
the name of the bus company.

Ella Cohen, a 19-year-old from Birmingham, said she was one of the 
fortunate ones who was able to make it to the march.

"Some of the other groups were duped by the bus companies," Cohen said.

"We had to pack a lot of people on some of the buses," she added. "Some 
people had to sit on each other's laps and stand in the aisle. It was very 
hectic. I know that some bus companies were able to step in last minute 
and help us out, and some people also ordered Ubers to the march."

Tens of thousands of Israel supporters rallied on the National Mall under 
heavy security Tuesday, voicing solidarity against Hamas and crying “never 
again." Politicians in attendance included Democratic Senate Majority 
Leader Chuck Schumer, Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson, House 
Democratic leader Hakeem Jefferies and Republican Sen. Joni Ernst of Iowa.

State Sen. Jeremy Moss, D-Southfield, traveled to Washington on one of the 
chartered planes that he said arrived at Dulles airport around 10:30 a.m. 
Tuesday. He told The News his group waited three hours to deplane before 
loading onto a bus and sat there for about 30 minutes before unloading and 
getting back on the airplane.

The group ended up sitting on the plane all afternoon and never made it to 
the rally, Moss said.

Moss said he and hundreds of other Metro Detroit Jews were denied an 
opportunity to be part of a “tremendous display of support … for the 
hostages and a strong rebuke of antisemitism.”

“I’m still awaiting all of the details of why the bus drivers didn’t show 
up,” Moss said late Tuesday afternoon in a text message.

“I’ve spent my tenure in the Legislature fighting discrimination when 
seeking goods or services that are denied based on identity or 
affiliation,” added Moss, who is openly gay. “There are a lot of questions 
and we deserve to know the answers.”

Rabbi Mike Moskowitz from Temple Shir Shalom in West Bloomfield attended 
the march, which he said attracted nearly 1,000 people from Metro Detroit 
on three chartered flights. But the marchers ran into problems with some 
of the buses waiting for them on the tarmac, he said.

"What I have heard is that some bus drivers taking passengers from another 
plane loaded people on their buses, and then the driver walked off the 
buses and refused to drive them to the march," said Moskowitz, who made it 
to the march.

The march happened during the sixth week of the war, which was triggered 
by Hamas' surprise attack into Israel, in which militants killed hundreds 
of civilians and dragged hostages back to Gaza. The resulting Israeli 
counterattack has killed thousands of Palestinian fighters and civilians.

"How could I not be in D.C. today?" Kurzmann said. “This is our 
opportunity as the Jewish community," along with others, "to really show 
our support for Israel.”

Palestinian Americans have held rallies in Washington and Michigan calling 
for a ceasefire in the fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu 
has said there will be no ceasefire without the return of all the 
hostages. Instead, beginning last Thursday, Israel agreed to daily, four-
hour humanitarian pauses in the fighting in northern Gaza, according to 
the White House.

Other protests about the war and occupation detract the focus from the 
civilian deaths and the hostages Israel holds Hamas responsible for, 
Kurzmann said.

"We feel terrible for every single baby that is suffering and killed, and 
it’s a horrible war against Hamas," he said. "The blame is squarely on 
Hamas.”

Politics Editor Chad Livengood contributed.

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