Empire State Building to Shine Blue and White for Israel Parade

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empire-state-building1The Empire State Building in New York will form the focal point of Manhattan’s Israel independence celebrations fromJune 1-3 when it will be lit up in blue and white in honour of the Israeli flag.

The New York landmark will also mark the route of the largest ever parade to commemorate the 64thanniversary of the Jewish State on Sunday, on Fifth Avenue.More than 200 groups from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Israel will take part in the event – which is organised by the The Community Relations Council of New York, in conjunction with the City of New York, the Israeli Consulate in New York and Israel’s Ministry of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs – with 35,000 anticipated participants and 29 floats.

Hundreds of thousands of New York City spectators are expected to follow the event in the city’s streets.The event will also be attended by an Israeli delegation including government Ministers Yuli Edelstein and Silvan Shalom. “We are proud to be the major supporter of what is the largest annual pro-Israel event outside the Jewish State itself,” said John S. Ruskay, Executive Vice President of the United Jewish Appeal Federation of New York.

“This day is a celebration of the special relationship between Israel and America that is rooted in common values and goals. Like America, Israel is a strong, vibrant democracy, a symbol of freedom, tolerance and understanding,” Israel’s Minister of Public Diplomacy and Diaspora Affairs Yuli Edelstein told The Jerusalem Post.

The Israel parade will be televised live in the New York metropolitan area for the second consecutive year.

{EJ Press/Matzav.com Newscenter}


9 COMMENTS

  1. #3, no anger what so ever in #1. We will care when they light up the building in honor of Moshiach. Until then, noone should care

  2. Sabbath-Sunday Bill Survey Shows Support
    MK Orlev (NRP): “56% supports my new bill” making Sunday a day of rest and allowing some public transportation and entertainment on the Sabbath.
    AAFont SizeBy Hillel Fendel
    First Publish: 5/25/2007, 12:55 PM
    MK Zevulun Orlev (NRP) has announced the findings of a poll showing 56% support amongst Israelis for his proposed legislation making Sunday a day of rest and allowing some public transportation and entertainment on the Sabbath.
    Orlev’s bill would change the official approach to Sabbath as the country’s day of rest. Though businesses and government offices would continue to be closed, places of entertainment would be permitted to open – and public transportation, now banned in most cities on the Sabbath, would be available. The bill stipulates that such transportation and entertainment would be carried out with maximum sensitivity to the religious public.

    A survey commissioned by Orlev finds that 56% of the public support his initiative, while 30% object. The poll was carried out by Brain Base (Maagar Mochot) Institute, headed by Prof. Yitzchak Katz.

    Orlev’s bill, which he proposed last week, also calls for a second day of rest during the week – Sunday – during which businesses and offices would be closed. This would enable Sabbath-observant families to spend more time together, Orlev explains. Work hours lost to Sunday would be made up largely by increasing the workday on Mondays through Fridays from 8 to 9 hours.

    The survey divides the respondents into religious categories, such as secular, hareidi-religious, etc. However, it lumps together the religious-Zionist public with those who consider themselves “traditional,” i.e., minimally observant. The poll finds that 64% of this joint “sector” supports the new bill.

    The two groups were combined in the poll, despite the expectation that the two would not have similar views of the issue. Other findings of the poll show, in fact, that support for the bill increases as level of religious observance decreases. For instance, 64% of the secular public supports the bill, compared to only 6% of the hareidi-religious public. Asked to explain, Orlev’s spokesman Moshe Inbar told Arutz-7 that the breakdown was determined by the pollster, “in consultation with me.” Inbar said that lumping the two sectors together is in keeping with the NRP’s new policy of “opening its gates” to the traditional community. Arutz-7: “But information is missing from the poll, in that we do not know how many of the mainstream NRP voters – the religious-Zionist public – supports this bill.” In response, Inbar first suggested that “you can commission your own poll,” but then added, “You can extrapolate from the other findings…” Orlev said his bill was formulated with the help of leading religious-Zionist rabbis, and does not openly permit activities that are forbidden by the Torah, “but rather does not mention them.”
    MK Yitzchak Levy of the National Union party said the bill paves the way for further deterioration in the character of the Sabbath in the State of Israel. The National Union and the NRP joined forces for the last national election, merging into one electoral list.

  3. #1

    Your 2 word comment speaks volumes as to why we have such internal problems today.
    As #6 comments, respect those that do participate.
    I am not a Zionist by any stretch of the imagination, but I have relatives that serve in the IDF and I have tremendous respect for them.
    Your approach will certainly not bring Jews closer.

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