‘Israel Day on Fifth’ Subdued, but Still Inspiring

It was refreshing to witness New York City finally play host to a gathering free of the destructive antisemitic protests that have come to characterize the city’s activism over the past few months.

As Israel remains locked in a bloody battle defending its citizens against Iran’s terrorist proxies and attempts to secure the release of 120 hostages still held captive in Gaza, organizers of last Sunday’s Israel solidarity day renamed the event from “Celebrate Israel” to “Israel Day on Fifth,” a reference to the parade route up the famed street.

While striking a decidedly more subdued tone than in years past, the event drew more than 100,000 marchers and 25,000 spectators, “a record-breaking number, according to a statement by the UJA-Federation of New York on Monday.

Also in attendance were several elected officials from the area, including Rep. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and New York Mayor Eric Adams, who were received warmly by onlookers.

Yet, in an indication of the growing dissonance between pro-Israel Americans and the Democratic party, an unsettling situation greeted Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer, whose remarks at a press conference before the parade were met with robust booing from the crowd.

Still, momentary stirs of disappointment did little to deflate the sense of purpose among those gathered to express their love for both America and Israel. The energy at Sunday’s rally invoked a patriotic spirit as a sea of U.S. and Israeli flags dotted areas along Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

Moreover, rarely was there a moment when a rally participant didn’t stop to thank a member of the New York Police Department (NYPD), whose incredible efforts to protect parade goers resulted in a day punctuated by patriotism, peace, and standing in solidarity with Israel and its people.

Apart from the event’s general theme of “One People, One Heart,” a driving narrative permeating Sunday’s salute to Israel was the plight to release the hostages still held in Gaza.

From the spectators and marchers, chants of “Bring them Home” grew more emotional as members of The Hostages and Missing Families Forum made their way along the march.

According to The Jewish News Syndicate (JNS), “more than 70 family members of hostages participated in the parade, joined by 2,000 supporters of New York’s Hostage Families Forum.”

“Israel Day on Fifth” also highlighted a stunning display of unity among Jewish Americans spanning the ideological spectrum, whose alliance on behalf of boosting the US-Israel bond supplanted any previous pretenses tied to religious and political differences.

Yet within the shared confines of demonstrating support for Israel, the event showcased the rising dominance of Orthodox Jews in the American pro-Israel advocacy space. Indeed, many of the more than 60 Jewish Day Schools and Yeshivas that marched were affiliated with an observant stream of Judaism.

The parade appeared to alternate between the determined yet downcast messages of “Bring them Home” to more cheerful displays of solidarity with Israel. Most of the Orthodox Schools in attendance arrived with busloads of youth reveling in upbeat singing, reflecting their unparalleled enthusiasm for engaging with the Jewish nation.

Demographic trends support the idea that Orthodox Jews retain a rising role in formulating a pro-Israel narrative in Jewish communities. Released last month, UJA-Federation of New York’s 2023 Jewish Community Study of New York found that nearly 20% of Jewish households in New York identify as Orthodox.

Observant Jewish enclaves in New Jersey are also growing, with a 2020 Pew Research Center survey on Jewish Americans confirming that “Younger Jewish adults are much more likely than older Jews to identify as Orthodox.”

The large presence of orthodox Jews, both in the stands and along the route, symbolizes a retooling of relations that will come to emphasize a reliance on orthodox Jewry for setting the tenor of future U.S. Jewish backing for Israel.

Sunday’s mood straddled somber calls to “Bring Home” the captives, with right leaning and orthodox marchers coalescing around the rally’s historical objective of celebrating Israel while still calling for the captives’ release.

Since October 7, several proposals floated have included changing the slogan from “Bring them home” to “Release the Hostages” or “Let My People Go,” given that the popularity of the former phrase places the onus to free the captives on Israel, rather than on Hamas.

It bears mentioning that it was only last year when several members of Israel’s governing Likud coalition chose not to attend the 2023 Celebrate Israel parade due to the domestic fervor surrounding the protests against the Israeli government’s proposed judicial reforms.

While everyone at Sunday’s rally wants the safe return of the hostages, the staid and serious walk by some of the more seasoned marchers represents a solidarity with Israel that is rooted in the deliberate and noble aim of bringing the hostages home.

Yet, as Israel’s war with Hamas will one day inevitably end, Sunday’s event establishes a paradigm that, while Jewish unity remains critical, the participants who cast a youthful and committed exuberance amid the present sorrow will be those who carry American pro-Israel advocacy into the next generation.

Irit Tratt is an independent writer residing in New York. She obtained her Master’s in International Affairs with a focus on the Mideast from George Washington University. She has worked as a legislative assistant for several members of Congress. She maintains her advocacy work through her involvement with organizations such as The Tikvah Fund, The Republican Jewish Coalition, and The Jewish Institute for National Security of America (JINSA). Irit is a steering committee member on the Board of Fellows at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA). Ms. Tratt has been published in The Jerusalem Post, The American Spectator, The Algemeiner, JNS, and Israel Hayom. Read More of Irit Tratt’s Reports — Here.