The NYPD held its annual Israel Day Parade in Midtown on Sunday in a massive show of support for the Jewish state, despite rising levels of anti-Semitism that have necessitated heavy security from the NYPD.
Thousands of people gathered to celebrate Israel and demand that Hamas terrorists release the Jewish hostages.
“I’m here to support my beloved country and show it will never give in,” said Jacob, a 21-year-old student at Staten Island Hebrew Academy, who braved heavy police security to stand in support of the protesters.
“It’s horrifying,” he said of anti-Semitism in the city. “You have to look back and live in fear.”
Brooklyn resident Rita Malikima said the atmosphere on her street was scary, but she felt she had to take part in the parade to support her fellow Jewish people.
“If we don’t speak out, we’re going back to the Holocaust in Germany in the 1940s,” Malikima, 52, told the Post. “I think the more we support and speak out, the more people will understand that Israel has a right to survive and a right to defend itself.”
Anti-Israel unrest has tainted the Gaza Strip since Hamas terrorists carried out a surprise attack on Israel on October 7, which triggered a major offensive in the Gaza Strip that has killed thousands of Palestinians.
The war has stoked anti-Israel sentiment and led to large (and often violent) protests and pro-Palestinian encampments in New York and on college campuses across the country.
The New York Police Department increased security for the parade and ordered officers to arrest anyone who broke through the security perimeter for trespassing, but refrained from enforcing free speech rights.
Ahead of the march, Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-New York) held a press conference with other government officials calling on Hamas to release Israeli prisoners who have remained in terrorist custody since the October 7 attacks.
“We must put pressure on Hamas, where it belongs, to bring American citizens home,” he said.
The lawmakers were accompanied by the families of IDF Sergeant Itai Chen and 22-year-old Omer Neutra, who were captured and held by Hamas on October 7.
“We are united as New Yorkers,” Itai’s father, Ruby Chen, told reporters. “And what we need now from New Yorkers is for you to stand with us, to stand with us, to support everything that’s been said here.”
“This has to end. We are just a family and we just want our children back. And October 7 was also an attack on America,” Cheng’s father said.
