May Day celebrations here and in other parts of Israel passed quietly, without any semblance of clashes as occasionally occurred in the past few years. In this city police units were out in full force throughout the day to guard all lines of March and rallies.
For the first time in the history of Israel there was no united May Day; instead, Mapam and Communists held separate parades while Mapai members attended a mass pageant and rally held in Tel Aviv Stadium under the auspices of the Tel Aviv Labor Council.
The Mapam staged a huge parade, with several thousand persons, particularly members of youth groups, participating. Placards carried by the parades were considered moderate since they did not attack any foreign countries, but merely dealt with Israel’s internal problems.
The Communists organized a mass meeting in Tel Aviv, in which supporters of Dr. Moshe Sneh and Arabs from the city of Nazareth predominated. Addressing the gathering, Dr. Sneh called for unity with the Communist Party to “fight the reactionary Israel Government and to create an Israeli Socialist republic.” Dr. Sneh and leaders of the Communist Party led a parade through the city in which many new immigrants, Arabs and children took part. Banners carried by the marchers attacked the U.S. and the new Israel coalition.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
