The annual Israel Day on Fifth march through New York City will have a somber tone this year as organizers raise awareness and empathy for hostages captured during the October 2022 Hamas attack.
The annual Israel Day on Fifth march through New York City will have a special meaning this year, along with heightened security and special guests, as organizers hope to raise awareness and empathy for hostages captured during the Oct. 7 Hamas attack.
"It has a more somber, more meaningful tone to it because it's all about the hostages," said Harley Lippman, grand marshal of Israel Day on Fifth. The event, a project of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, has long been billed as a "parade," but is simply called Israel Day on Fifth this year as the Hamas terror group continues to hold hostages.
Organizers have brought over hundreds of the hostages' relatives from Israel for the event. "We want to show them the love and support that they so desperately need," Lippman said.
"To see 40,000-50,000 people marching with them and hundreds of thousands of people on the sidelines, cheering them, saying, 'We're with you, we love you, we support you,' will be very, very special and will be a morale booster for the hostage families who have been suffering for so long," he continued.
The horrific Oct. 7 attack saw Hamas terrorists abduct hundreds of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly. Over 100 remain unaccounted for. Hamas also murdered 1,200 people in the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
"We want to make sure the world puts attention on them. It's going into its eighth month, and the hostages and the families are in terrible agony, and they need to get their families back," Lippman said. "We want to make sure that the world is watching," he continued. "So, it puts pressure on both Hamas and the Israeli government, and everybody else involved, to finally come to some closure to bring the hostages home now."
Lippman recently traveled to Israel and toured the site of the Nova music festival, where Hamas terrorists massacred hundreds of innocent people. He said he saw firsthand evidence that women were tortured, repeatedly raped, mutilated, and either slaughtered or taken hostage "for no reason other than they were Jewish."
Israel Day on Fifth could attract anti-Israel protesters. Lippman said organizers expect counter-demonstrators and have increased security. "We do expect there to be many counter-demonstrators, and we've heard that they're going to try to infiltrate the parade, come inside the various groups that are going to be marching and dancing and pretend to be part of the group and do things that are disruptive, like shout 'Free Palestine,' and things of that nature," he said.
"The New York City Police Department has added 700 more police … there's added security in addition to that. So, we're prepared, we're not intimidated," Lippman continued. "We feel strong, we feel united. And we're going to march, hell or high water."
Israel Day on Fifth begins at 11:30 a.m. Sunday in New York City.
