NEW YORK—Thousands of people and New York elected officials waved blue-and-white flags and sang Hebrew songs as they gathered along Fifth Avenue Sunday for the annual Celebrate Israel Parade marking this year the 70th anniversary of the Jewish State.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, Senator Chuck Schumer and Mayor de Blasio separately walked in the five-hour procession
“I think this is a very important time to stand up and say we support Israel and we want to make that loud and clear and we want Israel to hear it,” Cuomo said. “Israel is a reliable ally in a very dangerous part of the world . . . and we understand how important that alliance is, culturally as New Yorkers.”
According to the New York Post, the New York Police took no chances in light of heightened tensions in the Middle East after the Trump administration opened a new US Embassy in Jerusalem last month, erecting metal fencing along the parade route hours before it started. An estimated 1,000 officers staffed the parade and confined protesters to a small area in Grand Army Plaza south of Central Park.
Later, thousands flooded Times Square for a festive event organized by the Consulate General of Israel in New York and Israel’s Culture and Sport Ministry.
The event, a massive street party, was led by a lineup of top Israeli performers and prominent politicians from both countries. The area, in the heart of New York City, was cordoned off for several hours.
The highlight of the event was when the square’s famous giant screens began displaying clips about Israel. One of the clips, which was broadcast on a loop, focused on various Israeli sites, the Jewish state’s achievements and the special bond between Israel and the United States.
Israel’s Consul General Dani Dayan told Israel Hayom : “We are in New York, the world’s capital after Jerusalem, and the largest Jewish city outside Israel.”
“We are celebrating the miracle called the State of Israel with U.S. Jews. This is a dream come true.”
Dayan said that when he first heard the plan to “take over” Times Square for a celebration of Israel, he was incredulous. “But then we joined forces with the Culture and Sport Ministry and with Minister Miri Regev – we achieved the unthinkable. Miri is just unstoppable; no one can stand in her way,” he said.
