Manhattan, NY – Tens of thousands of supporters of Israel crowded New York’s Fifth Avenue on Sunday as part of the annual parade celebrating the birth of the Jewish state in 1948.
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This year’s parade also commemorated the centenary of the city of Tel Aviv. One contigent wore I (heart) Tel Aviv T-shirts, and another group rolled a giant birthday cake up the avenue.
Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai was an honorary grand marshall and donned a pair of “100” glasses in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the largest city in Israel.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson led off the parade, followed by floats blasting Israeli pop music and teenagers from yeshivas and Jewish day schools.
Florence Keusch of Paramus, N.J. was watching for the group from North Shore Hebrew Academy on Long Island, her grandchildren’s school.
“I’m waiting to see them and enjoying this gorgeous day,” she said on sun-slashed Fifth Avenue.
Marching with SAR High School from the Riverdale section of the Bronx, senior Jon Greenberg said the May 20 arrests of four men charged with plotting to bomb synagogues there was “scary.”
“We felt kind of protected,” he said. “But it was scary because that kind of thing does happen.”
Lazar Karalitzky, of Queens, waved a blue and white Israeli flag and said he attends the parade almost every year.
“I came to support Israel,” Karalitzky said. “We just hope that there should be peace.”
Some spectators were wondering what role President Barack Obama will play after he challenged Israel last week to stop building West Bank settlements.
“I don’t think Barack Obama should be strong-arming the Israeli government,” said Darren Peister of New Rochelle, N.Y.
But his wife, Jayne Peister, said Obama brings “a different perspective” to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
“For 60 years we’ve not had peace,” she said. “Maybe this different perspective can bring peace to Israel.”
The Salute To Israel parade began in 1964, when thousands of Jews gathered to walk down Riverside Drive together in a show of support for the tiny country.
once again, the motorcycles were the highlight
Beautiful sunny day to celebrate and thank gd for a land to call our own. May this year be the year of shalom with the coming of Mashiach.
There will be sick minds that will emphasize the ‘gedolim’ who refuse to acknowledge one of the greatest nissim of the 20th century.
Methinks, those ‘gedolim’ have sniffed too much of the Besht’s ‘ketores’. I am not the Ribbono Shel Olam, I do not have the power of nevua, and no one has had those powers since before Bayit Shaney. I can only give my humble opinion, but a nais is a nais.
The state of isreal is the reason why mushiach isn’t here yet. Sorry but I can’t help it. It has to be said. No, I’m not a “neture karta” psycho. I don’t sypmpethize with the terorists. I’m just saying what’s need to be said as an internal memo of sorts. Between us jewish brothers and sisters. Not chas vsholem for the outside world. We need to remind ourselves that this makes “tzaar” for the “shchina”
was the president barck obama there? he is anyway in NY
How come only the MO’s show up?
what a beautiful day!!
very nice turnout!
yasher koach to all the hatzolah members who were treating the injured at the parade.
they deserve a medal of honor!!!
Chusid/litvak, do you know anything about what happened between 45 and 48? Do you even have half a clue??? Do you know who fought in that war? Do you know who was desperate to get to Eretz Yisrael after the War? Were they all atheists? Watch Rabbi Berel Wein’s “Faith and Fate” series of DVD’s. Get educated. Then, you are more than welcome to say whatever you want.
I was at the parade and it was a big kiddush hashem seing so many Jews of so many different backgrounds all gathered for a common cause to support the Jewsih State. Kol Hakavod.
A people that had been homeless for two thousand years, scattered to the four corners of the earth, with no army to defend itself, persecuted, penned up in ghettoes, killed in crusades, inquisitions and pogroms, and then suffering the loss of one-third its numbers in an unprecedented state-sponsored blood frenzy — and after all this, literally from from the ashes, arises a sovereign Jewish state: a state with an army that astonishes the world time and again, a state that leads the way with major advances and dicoveries in medicine and technology, a state with more yeshivas and more Torah learning per capita than any other society in history. Yes, a MAJOR nes — the living testimony of a living G-d that He had not abandoned His nation after all. But rather than thank the Ribbono Shel Olam that we merited to live in such a generation to bear witness to this, too many of us look for every way to denigrate and demean His awesome gift to us. If the revival of a Jewish state after 2000 years of persecution, powerlessness and destruction is not a miracle, then there is no such a thing as a miracle.
yasher koach to the hatzolah guys!!
they did a great job taking care of us all!
what a kiddush hasm jews from all denomantions get to celberete how many jews will become frum because of this …
What’s the celebration? That after 61 years! they still have to live in fear of terrorist attacks an to run to bunkers avery time a siren goes off under the fear of a rocket attack, and to be defeated by hizbalah and ran out from lebanon like mouse, and kicking out and beating our brothers from Gush Katif! Is that a celebration???!
Thank you Hashem for our beautiful land of Israel and for our wonderful soldiers who protect her day and night.
I think they should have made 2 seperate parades one for girls and one for boys. That would have been a huge kiddish hashem!
its actually very nice to see Jewish people with all levels of observance banding together for one cause.
The weather worked out well. Not a drop of rain till after the last group went by on their motorcycles.
I was glad to be at the parade, it was great weather. There were so many people though not as much as other years. The concert after was great.
I usually try to ignore the neturai karts IDIOTS.
I still cannot believe that there are frum jews (use the term VERY loosely) that choose to stand on 57 street at the Parade, side by side with PALASTINIAN TERROR ADVOCATES (you should see some of the absolutely hateful signs they hold up!)!!!!!
Don’t you realize that these are the same animals that slaughter your brothers and sisters without any remorse!! Forget politics and even your perverted view of “Halacha” for a second, where is your decency???????? What do you accomplish ???? I cannot imagine that what you do there influences a single Jew, and even worse the Chilul Hashem that you cause certainly negates any good that you believe you are doing!!!
I march in the Parade every year with a large number of non-Jews, city employees who come to show their support for Israel….without any political/religious agenda….and the comments that they make because of these few radical Chasidim….they don’t see any difference between Neturei Karta and the average Satmar, Bobov, Lubabvitch Chasid….YOU ALL LOOK ALIKE TO THEM!!! Therefore it becomes the responsibility of all Chasidim, to stand up and stop this terrible chilul hashem!!!!!!!!!!
Stop making excuses for them….AND DO SOMETHING…they live in our communities, eat in our restaurants go to our schools, WHY ARE THEY NOT OSTRACIZED?????
Medinas Yisroel. It exists. Get over it.