NEW YORK (AP) — Protesters chanted for the release of hostages. Gaza Thousands gathered under heavy security in New York City on Sunday for a parade for Israel.
The parade came nearly eight months after Hamas’ unprecedented October 7 attacks. The deadliest death toll in Israel’s historyThe annual parade In the past Though the festival was billed as “Celebrating Israel,” organizers said the atmosphere would be toned down this year, given the war, the hostages still being held in the Gaza Strip and outbreaks of anti-Semitism around the world.
Shouting “Send them home now!” and waving Israeli flags, people marched down Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue in what is this year being called “Israel Day on Fifth Avenue.” Huge crowds of spectators and hundreds of police officers lined the route, and iron barricades were set up on the sidewalk.
“Especially this year, after Oct. 7, it’s especially important to show unity,” said Lena Orman, a Bronx native who attended as part of Mothers Against Campus Anti-Semitism. “Everybody wants the hostages returned. Everybody wants this situation to end. Nobody supports this and everybody wants peace.”
Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said earlier this week that the event will focus on solidarity, strength and resilience.
“This is not an atmosphere of confetti and music,” Treyger said, “but rather an atmosphere of unwavering, ironclad solidarity in bringing the hostages home, and unwavering love and pride in our Jewish identity.”
The parade, now in its 59th year, began around 11:30 a.m. on Sunday and was expected to attract more than 40,000 participants, including Israeli dignitaries, New York officials, celebrities and family members of the hostages.
Treyger said he never considered canceling this year’s parade, despite the astronomical increase in anti-Semitism.
“This is a moment we must meet,” he said.
But security was tight.
The New York Police Department said Friday it will be implementing measures typically used for high-profile events such as New Year’s Eve and the Fourth of July, including drones, police dogs, bicycle patrols, fencing and barricades and designated entrances for spectators along the parade route.
Backpacks, large bags and coolers will not be allowed, spectators will have to go through metal detectors and will only be allowed to line up on the east side of Fifth Avenue, with police blocking off the west side.
City officials stressed Friday that there were no specific or credible threats against the parade or the city, and that protesters had the right to demonstrate as long as it was peaceful.
“We will not tolerate any illegal activity in our city or any disruption to people’s celebration of their traditions,” New York Mayor Eric Adams said at a security briefing.
The Democrat said there have been around 2,800 protests in the city so far, around 1,300 of them conflict-related, but the parade is the first major Jewish event to take place in the city since the war began.
Israel faces escalation International criticism Regarding the attacks on Gaza impose a heavy toll on civilian livesMore than 36,000 Palestinians were killed in Israeli bombings and ground attacks on besieged areas. According to the Gaza Ministry of HealthIt does not distinguish between combatants and civilians.
