NEW YORK (JTA) — U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg were among the dignitaries who marched in the Big Apple in Sunday’s annual Celebrate Israel Parade.
They joined tens of thousands of marchers who paraded up Fifth Avenue under blue, sunny skies amid a sea of blue-and-white Israeli flags. The parade, now in its 48th year, is by the numbers America’s biggest annual show of support for Israel. Marchers included Jewish day school contingents, the Chai Riders motorcycle club, non-Jewish marching bands and a contingent from Israel Guide Dogs for the Blind, among some 200 organizations. Israeli consuls and some government officials also participated.
The theme of this year’s parade was “Israel Branches Out.”
The parade was preceded by a four-mile Celebrate Israel Run through Central Park.
