The flag of Israel will fly among scores of other national flags in the Parade of Sail up the Hudson River on July 4 in celebration of the Statue of Liberty’s 100th Birthday.
The blue and white flag will fly high on the mast of the brigantine Galaxy, which is based in Eilat and is owned by Brian Street, an Israeli citizen who made aliya from South Africa.
"This ship is absolutely a beauty," exclaimed Judith Schiller, as she boarded the Galaxy Sunday with about 60 other guests for a preview cruise around the Statue of Liberty.
JOINS INTERNATIONAL FLOTILLA
The ship, which will represent Israel in Operation Sail Thursday and Friday, will be part of more than 220 ships from all over the world. She was built 35 years ago in London and is 125 feet long, displaces 94 tons and has a 150 horse power auxiliary engine.
The Galaxy has a crew of five. The Captain of the ship is Uri Paran, a 30-year-old Israeli from the village of Shevai Zion on the shores of the Mediterranean near Nahariya in the north of Israel.
As the Galaxy was approaching the Statue of Liberty, under sunny blue skies and a pleasant breeze, the guests on the ship, who included Florida’s Governor Robert Graham, were sipping Israeli wine and praising the ship’s smooth sailing.
The cruise was sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, which will sponsor several other cruises for invited guests on the Galaxy this week.
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