Samuel L. Jackson at NY Israel parade
American actor joins thousands of marchers along Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue on event’s 50th anniversary
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Thousands of people gathered in New York City on Sunday for the annual Celebrate Israel parade, but only one of them has ever had to battle an airplane full of snakes.
“Celebrate Israel Parade in NY today,” actor Samuel L. Jackson tweeted along with a “selfie” photograph of himself at the event.
Jackson has been in over 100 films, including “Pulp Fiction,” “Jurassic Park,” “Die Hard with a Vengeance,” and yes, “Snakes on a Plane.”
Predictably, some of Jackson’s 3.74 million Twitter followers reacted strongly to the photograph, some praising the actor and others decrying him for celebrating an “apartheid” state.
The parade marked the 50th anniversary of the event, with Israeli and American flags lining Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue.
Celebrate Israel Parade in NY today pic.twitter.com/AIUVMRYou5
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) June 1, 2014
The parade, formerly known as the Israel Day Parade, was fraught with controversy this year after a New York Sephardic synagogue and three other organizations and yeshivas threatened to “abstain” from marching alongside progressive Zionist groups such as the New Israel Fund and J Street, who were accused of supporting a boycott on Israel.
Despite the friction, an estimated 200 organizations took part.
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
