Parade-Goers Voice Support for Israel, Condemn Antisemitism

This year, the Celebrate Israel parade marked its 50th anniversary. It started on Riverside Drive in 1965, when thousands of parade goers walked in support of a young Israeli nation. But for attendees like Stephen Levine of Queens, this year's parade had special urgency.

"With all the extra attacks on Israel, verbally and otherwise," he said, "and the antisemitism that's rearing up again, overtly in Europe and other places, and the physical attacks on Jews in France and other places around the world, I thought this year's especially important for me to come out here and show my support for Israel."

Liora Federici, an Israeli attendee from Melbourne, was shooting the parade on her phone. Less than a block away, a protester quietly held up a pro-Palestine sign.

"We're taking a movie, so we're going to show all the lefties where the free live, and what they do!" said Federici.

"And there's not one anti-Arab slogan in the whole bloody parade," her male companion, Sem, noted.

For others, like Rob Tracer, the more pertinent issue was education, namely Governor Andrew Cuomo's proposal to fund a tax credit for families that send their kids to private schools.

"It's an important issue because the cost of education has soared over the years, and I think a tax credit would be a good thing," said Tracer.