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A Sanitized Israel Day Parade Is Better Than None
An Israeli flag flies at a past Israel Day Parade.
This year, I had the privilege of marching in the Israel Day Parade, representing Scout 613 of the Boy Scouts of America. We were placed near the front, right behind the politicians. On paper, it was a picture-perfect day. The sun was out. The flags were flying. The energy among those walking was strong.
But something was missing. And it wasn’t just the noise.
It’s been 28 years since I last walked the parade — back when I was a student filled with pride, purpose, and surrounded by roaring crowds. This time, it felt like we were marching through a ghost town — a seemingly impossible task given that it took place in the heart of Manhattan, the city that never sleeps.
Fifth Avenue, usually packed shoulder-to-shoulder with supporters waving flags and singing Am Yisrael Chai, was practically empty. The celebration felt more like a private procession than a public show of unity. This was obviously done in order to promote security, but by doing so, some of the historical objectives of the parade were lost.
In the past, the average New Yorker could experience what celebrating Israel meant to so many of their fellow New Yorkers, and they could potentially learn something about Israel. Additionally, the average parade marcher could feel the palpable energy from the crowd and both the marcher and the parade goer could benefit from each other’s enthusiasm.
The feeling among many of us was that this parade wasn’t really for the public anymore. It was for the people walking in it, and for the headline afterwards — that there was a parade and that many people participated in it. And maybe, given today’s climate, that’s what it needed to be.
Let’s be honest: the Israel Day Parade wasn’t just a celebration this year. It was a statement. A statement that we will not be silenced. That we will not disappear. That we are still here, proudly and defiantly, even in a city that now feels more complicated than ever for Jews.
The organizers, together with the New York Police Department, made a calculated decision: maximize safety and minimize exposure. Better to have a quiet, secure event than risk violence, protests, or worse. It’s hard to argue with that logic. One incident could’ve overshadowed the entire day, and handed the antisemites and Israel-bashers the headline they crave.
But that choice comes at a cost. Because what we got instead was a hollow version of what this parade used to be. A sterilized, overly protected shell. There was no crackling electricity from the crowds.
As a father, I was still glad to be there. My kids walked with pride. They’ll remember it. It still mattered. But let’s not pretend this was business as usual. It wasn’t.
We are living through a moment of unprecedented pressure on Jewish identity in America, especially in cities like New York. The parade used to be an unapologetic celebration. This year, it felt like an act of resistance dressed up as a march.
Still, I hope that in future years, as tensions ease and the world regains some sanity, we’ll once again see the Israel Day Parade return to its full spirit. Full crowds. Full voices. Full hearts.
For now, a parade is better than no parade. But let’s not lose sight of what we’ve lost — and what we need to fight to get back.
Daniel Rosen is a lifelong resident of New York, and also the co-founder and co-chair of a new initiative to combat antisemitism on social media called Emissary. He can be reached at drosen@Emissary4all.org
The post A Sanitized Israel Day Parade Is Better Than None first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.