‘March of Love’ to Bring Local Christians Together Against Antisemitism
June 18 event will be held in Overland Park
“We want to show them they are not alone and we are a fortress around them, against antisemitism.” With those words, organizer Pierre Bezencon summed up the feeling behind the March of Love, a gathering set for June 18 on Metcalf Avenue in Overland Park.
In an interview with Metro Voice, Bezencon says it will be a silent, prayerful, and peaceful march showing love and solidarity with Kansas City’s Jewish community. It comes while they see a startling rise in violence across the United States. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reports that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. skyrocketed by 361%.
Jews feel under attack
According to the State of Antisemitism in America 2024 report “33% of American Jews said they have been the personal target of antisemitism, in-person or virtually, at least once over the past year. Meanwhile, 56% of American Jews said they altered their behavior out of fear of antisemitism in 2024. A notable increase from 46% in 2023 and 38% in 2022.”
And the impact continues to be felt, but it isn’t just a national story. In 2025 alone, Jewish communities nationwide face escalating threats and violence, including attacks in Boulder, Colorado, and a string of high-profile incidents that have left many feeling shaken and isolated.
For Bezencon, a native of Switzerland and pastor who lives in the Kansas City area, and other organizers, the May murder of Sarah Milgrim and her fiancé Yaron Lischinsky in Washington, DC brought that reality painfully close to home. Milgrim was a graduate of Shawnee Mission East High School and KU. “It happened, in a way, in our backyard,” he said. “We want to express our love and solidarity with our Jewish neighbors because it happened here.”
Lost in the news
Lost in the news reporting of the couple’s murder by a Palestinian sympathizer was that Jewish media reported she was a “Messianic Jew.” That’s according to the Jewish website Ynetnews.com, which describes it as a “blending Jewish identity with a belief in Jesus as the Messiah.” Other Israeli media outlets also report the connection to the Messianic community. If true, the assertion adds a layer to the story of her death and antisemitism.
Organizers of the March of Love invite participants to gather at the Mardel Christian Bookstore and Hobby Lobby parking lot (119th & Metcalf), wearing blue and white, the colors of the Jewish community. Seven banners will lead the march, each with messages like “STOP ANTISEMITISM” and “JESUS IS A JEW,” – a slogan that addresses growing antisemitism in some mainstream denominations. Other placards will read: “Pray for Israel”, “In Honor of Sarah Milgrim” and “We Love the Jewish People”.
Security will be present, and the event is designed to be welcoming to those who may not be able to walk the full route. Organizers say they’re getting support from the Christian community, even on such short notice. “When I talk to pastors, I see they have a heart for Israel and the Jewish people,” Bezencon told Metro Voice, adding that they are very much aware of antisemitic events across the country.
Christina leaders speaking out
Christian leaders across America have spoken out in recent months, urging their congregations to stand up against hatred. EJ Kimball, director of Christian Outreach and Engagement at CAM, recently told a gathering of pastors, “The church has a responsibility to speak out against antisemitism and support the Jewish community in tangible ways”. John Doe echoes that call: “If the church had stood up to all the threats, intimidation and evil of Hitler and his party, history would have been written differently. Now is the time to stand up, church. Now is the time to say killing Jews is not acceptable.”
The March of Love is more than a public display. It’s a promise. As Bezencon puts it, “We need to be aware that there is an escalation. This is not acceptable. Stand against any attempt of intimidation, fear and evil acts against them.” On June 18, Kansas City’s Christians plan to do just that—side by side and in view of their Jewish neighbors.
The pastor, who speaks with a French accent, says the church cannot be silent. “We cannot love Jesus, who is Jewish, without loving his blood family,” he says.
For more info, visit www.marchoflove.com.
–Dwight Widaman | Metro Voice
