WASHINGTON D.C. (WCIA) — Thousands gathered at the nation’s capital Tuesday to show support for Israel after last month’s attack, including some from Central Illinois.

Illini Chabad took 64 University of Illinois students to Washington D.C. for the March for Israel rally. They spent the day listening to U.S officials, and chanting they are standing with the country.

The executive director of Illini Chabad, Rabbi Dovid Tiechtel, described the day as powerful, and that it reminds him to stand tall and proud with Israel.

“We all feel so sad with what’s going on in Israel,” Tiechtel said. “We feel sad for the Palestinian people in Gaza. We have to rule out all hate, we have to rule out all terrorism so everyone can live free.”

He thinks attending the rally is helping students going through a hard time due to the conflict.

“I think the first thing they have to do is give them all the strength they can to remember it’s okay to be Jewish, and you should be proud to be Jewish,” Tiechtel said.

Representative Nikki Budzinski (D) also met up with the University of Illinois attending the rally.

“It’s critical that we stand up to the terrorist attacks by Hamas and work toward peace for both Israelis and Palestinians,” she wrote on Facebook.