Wikipedia

Israel Day on Fifth

Israel Day on Fifth (formerly the Salute to Israel Parade and then the Celebrate Israel Parade) is an annual parade in support of Israel that takes place on Fifth Avenue alongside Central Park in New York City.

Israel Day on Fifth
Genreparade
Frequencyannually
LocationNew York City
CountryUnited States
Inaugurated1964
Websiteisraeldayon5th.com

2024 parade

History

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Congressman Bob Turner in the 2012 parade with parade Grand Marshalls. From left: Israeli cabinet minister Yuli Edelstein; Turner; New York mayor Michael Bloomberg; a parade co-chair; Israeli cabinet minister Silvan Shalom

In 1964 pro-Israel activists planned a demonstration of American Jewish solidarity with Israel. They coordinated with the Manhattan Day School to march from the school to a theater on Broadway, a march known as the Youth Salute to Israel Parade.[1]

In 1965, the first "Salute to Israel" parade was held. The marcher started on East 72nd Street and turned on Fifth Avenue, concluding with a rally in Central Park. Mayor Robert F. Wagner addressed the crowd.[1]

In 1971, more than 150,000 spectators and 75,000 marchers attended the annual event. Participants marched with shackled wrists held high to highlight the plight of the Jews in Russia.[2]

In 1977, an estimated 300,000 spectators attended as 75,000 participants marched from 57th Street up Fifth Avenue and across 86th Street. The theme of the 1977 parade was "If I forget thee, O Jerusalem," to commemorate the anniversary of taking back Jerusalem after the Six-Day War of 1967.[3]

In 1979, celebration of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty was an underlying theme of the 15th annual Salute to Israel Parade.[4]

In 2011, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York assumed management of the parade,[5] which was renamed the Celebrate Israel Parade.[6]

In 2024, the parade was renamed Israel Day on Fifth (IDO5).[7]

In 2026, Mayor Zohran Mamdani fulfilled a campaign pledge to not attend the parade,[8][9] becoming the only mayor in the parade's history not to participate.[10] The 2026 parade was led by grand marshal Jessica Tisch, chief of the New York City Police Department. At a joint press conference with Mayor Mamdani to discuss security at the parade, Tisch said "It's the mayor's decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly."[11][12] Other American politicians at the 2026 event included Chuck Schumer, Kathy Hochul, Letitia James, Thomas DiNapoli, Mark Levine, Eric Adams, Michael Bloomberg, and Julie Menin. Israeli cabinet ministers Bezalel Smotrich, Ofir Sofer, Amihai Eliyahu and Yitzhak Wasserlauf were also in attendance as part of a delegation of 26 Israeli elected officials, as was Knesset speaker Amir Ohana.[13][14][15]

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List of parades

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Year Date Theme Marchers Notes
1964 Original Youth Salute to Israel Parade by Manhattan Day School
1965 May 2
1966
1967 Shortly before the Six-Day War, drew a quarter-million people[16]
1973 May 6
1974 June 9
1975 May 11
1976 June 13 Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land [17] Dignitaries who attended Mayor Beame; Gov. Brendan Byrne of New Jersey: Lt. Gov. Mary Anne Krupsak: State Controller Arthur Levitt; State Attorney General Louis Lefkowitz and U.S. Senators Clifford Case of New Jersey and Jacob K. Javits of New York. [18]
1977 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem," to commemorate the anniversary of taking back Jerusalem after the Six-Day War[3] 75,000 300,000 spectators[3]
1979 Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty
1995 May 21[19]
2001 May 20 Amid the Second Intifada.[20]
2002 100,000[21] 750,000 spectators[21]
2011 June 5[22] Celebrate Israel Parade was renamed from Salute to Israel Parade
2012 June 3 Israel Branches Out…[23] 35,000[24] First contingent of LGBT marchers.[25][24]
2013 June 2 Picture Israel; The Art & the Craft[23] 35,000[26]
2014 June 1[27] 50 Reasons to Celebrate Israel[23] 35,000[28]
2015 June 10[29] Israel Imagines[23] 40,000[30] Knesset members Avraham Naguise, Yoav Ben-Tzur, Revital Swid, Ksenia Svetlova and Ofir Akunis led the parade with New York Mayor Bill de Blasio.[31]
2016 June 5 Sight, Sound & Spirit[23] 30,000[32] Andrew Cuomo announced the signing of Executive Order 157, barring the BDS Movement[33]
2017 June 4 Celebrate Israel Together[34] 40,000[35] Opera star David Serero performed the U.S and Israel anthems for the opening of the parade.[36][37] Andrew Cuomo prior to the parade officially declared it Shimon Peres Day.[38]
2018 June 3 70 and Sababa! (70 & Awesome!) [39] 50,000 [40]
2019 June 2 Only in Israel – Rak B’Yisrael [41] 40,000[42] Theodore Comet, one of the creators of the parade, marched in the 2019 parade, marking the 55th anniversary of the parade. Comet was 95 at the time. [43]
2020 Cancelled due to COVID
2021 Virtual celebration held due to COVID
2022 May 22 Together Again – Kulanu B’Yachad 40,000
2023 June 4 Israel 75 40,000+
2024 June 2 One People, One Heart 50,000+ Eden Golan was among the high-profile participants.
2025 May 18 Hatikvah 40,000+ Zusha and six of the released Gaza hostages were among the high-profile participants.
2026 May 31 Proud Americans, Proud Zionists[44] 50,000+[45] American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council attended as the first Muslim participating organization.[46] Zohran Mamdani did not attend, the first for a mayor in the parade's history.[8][9]

References

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  1. 1 2 "The Salute to Israel Parade". Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  2. ↑ "Staten Island Advanced- April 26th 1971". Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 "Newsday Page 3 1977". Newspapers.com.
  4. ↑ "Newsday Page". Newspapers.com.
  5. ↑ "Likud, Yesh Atid MKs will join NYC Celebrate Israel Parade | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post | JPost.com. May 27, 2023. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  6. ↑ "The Story of the Parade". Celebrate Israel Parade. Archived from the original on August 26, 2011. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  7. ↑ Marcius, Chelsia Rose; Coleman, Maia; Nolan, Erin (June 2, 2024). "Intense Security at Peaceful Parade for Israel in Manhattan". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Nechin, Etan (May 28, 2026). "NY Mayor Mamdani Pledges Israel Day Parade Marchers' Safety as He Skips Rally". Haaretz. Archived from the original on May 29, 2026. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  9. 1 2 Daly, Adam (May 13, 2026). "Mayor Mamdani still does not plan to attend Israel Day on Fifth Parade". amNew York. Archived from the original on May 26, 2026. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
  10. ↑ Hiller, Mathilda (May 27, 2026). "NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani to skip Israel Parade, first absence since 1964". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  11. ↑ Bauman, Ali. "NYC Mayor Mamdani will not attend Israel Day Parade. NYPD Commissioner Tisch is a grand marshal" Archived June 5, 2026, at the Wayback Machine, CBS News, May 28, 2026. Accessed June 5, 2026. "Zohran Mamdani will be the first New York City mayor in recent history not to attend the Israel Day Parade this weekend. It's a stark contrast to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who will be grand marshal.... 'It's the mayor's decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly,' Tisch said."
  12. ↑ "Spectators gather for Israel Day Parade along Fifth Avenue", WABC-TV, May 31, 2026. Accessed June 5, 2026. "NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch was front and center as a Grand Marshal, along with a long list of politicians and former New York City Mayor Eric Adams. Not present was Mayor Zohran Mamdani, breaking with tradition and choosing not to attend."
  13. ↑ Stack, Liam; Fitzsimmons, Emma; Cohen, Miles (May 31, 2026). "Israel Day Parade in New York Proceeds Peacefully, Without the Mayor". The New York Times. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  14. ↑ Shaked, Or (May 31, 2026). "Israel Day Parade in New York begins under heavy security, record turnout". Israel Hayom. Retrieved May 31, 2026.
  15. ↑ Gilson, Grace (May 31, 2026). "NY Democratic stalwarts show support for Israel even as Mamdani skips parade". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Archived from the original on June 1, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  16. ↑ Nathan-KazisMay 31, Josh; Images, 2012getty. "Memories From Israel Parade Founder". The Forward. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  17. ↑ "Daily News 1". Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "Canarsie Courier Page 17". Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ American Jewish Year Book, 1996. VNR AG. July 1, 1995. ISBN 9780874951103 – via Google Books.
  20. ↑ Lipton, Eric (May 21, 2001). "Violence in the Middle East Clouds a Celebration of Israel". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  21. 1 2 "35,000 marchers expected Sunday for New York's annual Israel parade". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  22. ↑ "Salute to Israel". Archived from the original on June 2, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
  23. 1 2 3 4 5 "HISTORY OF CELEBRATE ISRAEL PARADE". Archived from the original on June 8, 2016. Retrieved June 7, 2016.
  24. 1 2 "Celebrate Israel Parade Allows Openly LGBT Marchers for First Time". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  25. ↑ "PHOTOS: Gay Jews March For First Time In Celebrate Israel Parade". HuffPost. June 5, 2012. Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  26. ↑ "Huge Crowd, Tight Security For Celebrate Israel Parade". June 2, 2013. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  27. ↑ Dobnik, Verena. "sea of white and blue at nycs israelday Deprecated link archived 2014-06-01 at archive.today". Poststar.com. June 1, 2014. Accessed June 1, 2014.
  28. ↑ "Sea Of White And Blue At Celebrate Israel Parade". June 1, 2014. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  29. ↑ "Hillel at the 2015 Celebrate Israel Parade". Default. Archived from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2021.
  30. ↑ Julian, Hana Levi. "Marchers Danced Through Rain at 2015 NY Israel Day Parade". Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  31. ↑ "MKs march in New York's Celebrate Israel Parade - Diaspora - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
  32. ↑ Forman, Abra (June 6, 2016). "NY Governor: If You Boycott Israel, New York Will Boycott You". Breaking Israel News | Latest News. Biblical Perspective.
  33. ↑ "Governor Cuomo Signs First-in-the-Nation Executive Order Directing Divestment of Public Funds Supporting BDS Campaign Against Israel". Governor Andrew M. Cuomo. June 5, 2016. Archived from the original on January 19, 2017.
  34. ↑ "NYC turns blue and white for 53rd annual Celebrate Israel Parade - Diaspora - Jerusalem Post". www.jpost.com.
  35. ↑ "Celebrate Israel parade steps off in Manhattan". Newsday. Archived from the original on June 4, 2017.
  36. ↑ "Rehearsal: David Serero sings the Hatikvah to open the Israel Parade 2017". June 4, 2017. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via YouTube.
  37. ↑ "Rehearsal: David Serero sings the US Anthem to open the Israel Parade 2017". June 4, 2017. Archived from the original on December 21, 2021 – via YouTube.
  38. ↑ "Marchers turn out in NYC for annual Celebrate Israel parade". ABC News.
  39. ↑ Leibovitz, Liel (June 4, 2018). "As Tens of Thousands Celebrate Israel in New York, Many Wonder: Just What Does 'Sababa' Mean?". Tablet Magazine. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  40. ↑ Yellin, Deena. "Annual Celebrate Israel Parade draws large contingent from New Jersey". North Jersey. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  41. ↑ Wesson, Nora (June 5, 2019). "Turning Fifth Avenue Blue". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  42. ↑ "55th Annual "Celebrate Israel" Parade to Highlight the Rich & Vibrant Culture of the Jewish State". The Jewish Voice. June 2, 2019. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  43. ↑ Brawarsky, Sandee (May 28, 2019). "At 95, Mastermind Behind Israel Parade Says He's Still 'A Work In Progress'". jewishweek.timesofisrael.com. Retrieved June 6, 2019.
  44. ↑ Burkett, N.J. (May 28, 2026). "Defying tradition, Mayor Mamdani will not march in Israel Day Parade this weekend". ABC7 New York. Archived from the original on May 29, 2026. Retrieved May 29, 2026.
  45. ↑ "NY leaders join over 50,000 marchers at Israel Day parade boycotted by Mamdani". The Times of Israel. Archived from the original on June 1, 2026. Retrieved June 1, 2026.
  46. ↑ Nussbaum Cohen, Debra (May 14, 2026). "Exclusive: For first time, Muslim group slated to march in Israel on Fifth parade". Jewish News Syndicate. Archived from the original on May 26, 2026. Retrieved May 26, 2026.
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