In New York City, home to one of the world's largest Jewish populations, a number of pro-Israeli Jews gathered to show their support for Israel after Monday's bloody flotilla incident.

But they were not alone as anti-Israeli protestors - including some Jews - rallied as well.

Many Arabs and their allies took to the streets to condemn the Israeli raid at sea, as well as Israel's general dealings with the Palestinians.

"I want to protest against what Israel did to the freedom flotilla," pro-Palestinian protestor Tereza Hendlova said. "I worked in the refugee camp in Nablus in the West Bank last summer. I think that that country is a real racist apartheid, and I think that the international community needs to make an end to this."

Some Jews showed up to show they're not all pro-Israeli.

"I thought that the Israeli government is perpetuating some kind of activity that's illegal, immoral and reprehensible, and I'm absolutely ashamed," Jewish pro-Palestinian protestor Myrna Charry said.

However, many more Jews came out to a counter-rally organized to show support for Israel.

"I believe that Israel is exercising its right to defend its borders," pro-Israeli protestor Mordechai Tokarsky said. "If people come at you with guns and knives, if people come at you with suicide bombers, you need to defend yourself with worse. There's nothing else that could be done. It's the job of the Jewish community to stand up for justice, to stand up for the right of Israel to defend itself."

Pro-Israeli protestor Matis Edelson took umbrage at the media's portrayal of the flotilla conflict.

"I came out here to help defend Israel and to show the rest of the world that we're not hateful people like the media portrays us as, that we are just people who want peace," Edelson said. "And I am here just to stand against the lies that everybody says about Israel."