Chanting ‘bring them home,’ New York marchers rally for Israel under heavy security
Organizers mute celebrations as focus turns to hostages and ongoing war in Gaza; mayor says he resisted pressure to cancel, as participants insist event as important as ever
NEW YORK — Marchers chanted for the release of hostages on Sunday at a New York City parade for Israel that drew thousands of people under heightened security.
The parade kicked off almost eight months after the unprecedented October 7 terror attack by Hamas, the deadliest in Israel’s history. The annual parade in the past was dubbed “Celebrate Israel,” but organizers said the exuberant atmosphere would be toned down this year given the war and hostages still being held in captivity in Gaza, as well as outbursts of antisemitism worldwide since the Hamas-led attack in which Palestinian terrorists killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 252 hostages.
People chanted “Bring them home now!” and waved Israeli flags as they marched up Fifth Avenue in Manhattan for what this year is being called “Israel Day on Fifth.” Crowds of spectators and hundreds of police officers lined the route, and steel barricades were installed along the sidewalk. One sign read: “From the river to the sea, Hamas will cease to be.”
“Especially this year, after October 7, it’s especially important to have this show of unity,” said Rena Orman, a Bronx native who attended as part of Mothers Against College Antisemitism. “Everybody wants hostages back. Everyone wants this to end. No one is cheering for this. Everyone wants peace.”
Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said earlier this week that the event would focus on solidarity, strength and resilience.
“This is not a mood of confetti and music,” Treyger said. “This is more of a mood of unwavering, ironclad solidarity with hostages to bring them home, and also our unwavering love and pride in our Jewish identity.”
The parade, which is in its 59th year, kicked off late Sunday morning with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, New York Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams among the elected officials attending, along with tens of thousands of Israel supporters.
Jerusalem Mayor Moshe Lion and Foreign Minister Israel Katz were among the Israeli officials attending the event, alongside this year’s Israeli Eurovision representative, Eden Golan.
“I think it’s important — especially with what’s going on in the Middle East, in Israel with the war going on — to show our support and to show that the hostages aren’t forgotten and the country itself is not forgotten,” said Michael Garber of neighboring New Jersey.
Schumer was booed as he was called up to deliver remarks, a sign of lingering tensions between the US Jewish community and Democrats over President Joe Biden’s handling of Israel’s war against Hamas.
The Israeli Day Parade.
Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer was met with boos while delivering a speech.For licensing, please contact viralnewsnyc@gmail.com pic.twitter.com/yvlw4xfBiY
— Viral News NYC (@ViralNewsNYC) June 2, 2024
While broadly supportive, the administration has pressured Israel over civilian deaths and the entry of humanitarian aid, and threatened to withhold some arms transfers. In March, Schumer delivered a speech from the Senate floor calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to step down, drawing protests from Jerusalem and some Israel supporters in the US.
Adams said he faced pressure to cancel the event, but said he believes most New Yorkers supported it and issued a defiant message to those opposed.
“There was a desire for those who [wanted to] cancel this parade… Our message is extremely clear: destroy Hamas, bring home the hostages, let’s bring peace so we don’t lose lives of innocent people,” said Adams.
“Today, you see the solidarity, the loudest is not the majority in the city, the majority of the city support the Jewish community here, they support destroying and moving hate out of our city,” he added.
But Treyger said there was never a thought of canceling the parade this year, despite what he termed an astronomical rise in antisemitism.
“This is a moment that we have to meet,” he said.
There was significant security around the parade, with New York Police Department officials employing measures typically used for high-profile events such as New Year’s Eve and July 4. That included drones, K-9 units, bike patrols, fencing and barriers and designated entry points for spectators all along the parade route. Backpacks, large bags and coolers were prohibited, and spectators had to pass through metal detectors.
City officials stressed Friday there were no specific or credible threats to either the parade or the city, and any protestors have the right to demonstrate so long as it is done peacefully.
“We’re not going to allow any unlawfulness and any disruption of any celebration of one’s heritage in this city,” Adams said at a security briefing.
The parade represents the first large-scale Jewish event in the city since the war started, although there have been roughly 2,800 protests in the city, with about 1,300 of them related to the conflict, the Democrat said.
Police did not report any parade-related arrests by late Sunday afternoon.
Israel faces growing international criticism over its offensive in Gaza, which has killed more than 36,000 Palestinians according to health authorities in the Hamas-run Strip. The toll, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, cannot be verified.
Israel says it has killed around 15,000 fighters inside Gaza.