I have been marching in the Israel Parade from the time I was a third grader at Yeshiva Dov Revel until last year, as a parent at another Zionist day school (“Raining On The Parade,” Editor’s column, June 8). But I will not march or attend anymore.
The parade is outdated, stale, boring and irrelevant. In fact it’s a sham — it’s a hollow activity (mandatory attendance at many schools, as noted) that makes the participant think they are doing something for Israel but it’s a waste. Perhaps the goal should be for 1 percent of the marchers to be making aliyah in the next year or otherwise using the time to really contribute to the Jewish state. And the schools, synagogues and Jewish organizations should be spending the time, energy and money to engage and inspire the affiliated and non-affiliated in activities and initiatives that educate, motivate, inspire and contribute to Israel in creative meaningful ways — not by tying up traffic on Fifth Ave to see the same people attending every year who they know from camp or school. And I count myself among them.
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