As I marched down Fifth Avenue in New York City last Sunday, together with other senior officials from The Jewish Agency for Israel, a well-known parade that has been held for six decades suddenly felt strikingly different.
This shift went well beyond the event’s new name, Israel Day on Fifth, formerly the Salute to Israel Parade and the Celebrate Israel Parade. Most notably, the tone of the gathering was transformed in our post-October 7 world. A more somber mood than usual was mixed with an array of emotions ranging from empathy to outrage to defiance as we continue to mourn the more than 1,200 people murdered in the Hamas terrorist attacks and call for the release of the 120 hostages still held in Gaza.
And yet, one thing about the parade remained constant this year: It served as an unparalleled platform to make our voices heard, reaffirming not only the American Jewish community’s overwhelming outpouring of support for Israel but also the importance that the Jewish people have both a strong State of Israel and a strong Jewish community in the US.
The importance of Israel Day on Fifth
From my perspective as the son of Holocaust survivors, the parade reminded me that despite the adversity faced by Israel and world Jewry in the present moment, we are in a markedly different position than we maintained as a stateless people 80 years ago. Thanks to the existence of the State of Israel, we have a country to call home and an army to defend it. As Jews, we also enjoy tremendous support in America; indeed, the prevailing gloom-and-doom reports that you may see in the media do not accurately represent the depth of that support. The US has always been and will continue to be a staunch friend of Israel and a fierce advocate of its unique status as a free, democratic state in the Middle East.
This tandem – the modern State of Israel coupled with a vibrant American Jewish community – ensures that we have platforms such as the Israel Day on Fifth parade, where we can speak up for our values and priorities, from supporting Israel to opposing antisemitism and all forms of hate.
The importance of these platforms is abundantly clear amid the current surge of antisemitism in America, especially on college campuses. This must awaken American Jews to the need to speak out, connect with one another, and actively participate in efforts to create a brighter future. This lesson is strongly reinforced by The Jewish Agency’s shlichim – Israeli emissaries who cultivate connections to Israel in communities, Jewish institutions, and college campuses across the US.
Of particular importance during the war are the efforts of the Jewish Agency Israel Fellows – shlichim on college and university campuses worldwide – who, in partnership with Hillel, help create safe spaces for education, tolerance, and diversity. According to data from Hillel, the number of students participating in Israel-education activities on campuses has doubled since October 7, and Hillel branches that work with an Israel Fellow have engaged twice as many students as those without an Israel Fellow.
Two days after the anti-Israel tent encampment was dismantled at University of California, San Diego (UCSD), The Jewish Agency’s Israel Fellow on that campus organized a series of events that openly demonstrated Zionist and pro-Israel pride, including an Israel solidarity rally that drew 500 people, an Israeli-style shuk (market), and an exhibit exposing the sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas terrorists on October 7. These events provide students with a much-needed safe space where they could express their Jewish identity and support for Israel.
Many Israel Fellows are also leading trips to Israel for Jewish students through Taglit-Birthright Israel and for non-Jewish students through the Maccabee Task Force, providing these young adults with the transformative experience of discovering Israel firsthand at this crucial moment in the country’s history.
Israel fellows and other shlichim do much more than preach to the choir. Whether on campuses, in public schools, or at other venues in society at-large, they build the diverse coalitions that we need to maintain and expand support for Israel.
At The Jewish Agency, we confront today’s challenges by emphasizing the power of the collective. Working together enables us to address these challenges most effectively and impactfully. Our shlichim are on the ground, working to unite supporters of Israel in their communities, organizations, college campuses, and elsewhere. Their relationship-building efforts through one-on-one interactions with members of the younger generation – those who will lead our organizations and even our countries in the decades to come – lay the foundation for the continuation of robust support for Israel. They help ensure that, as Jews and supporters of Israel, we can connect with each other and with the world at large and that we are empowered to stand up for our values and tackle the challenges that lie before us.
In fact, on the same day that the parade took place in New York, shlichim and other Jewish Agency representatives took part in an event in Budapest where thousands of members of the Jewish community and community leaders rallied in solidarity with Israel and urged for the release of the hostages abducted by Hamas. The event in Hungary was one of many held around the world in support of Israel that were organized by Jewish Agency shlichim during the weeks surrounding Israel’s Independence Day and the Swords of Iron war.
These powerful displays of solidarity give me faith that Jews across the globe will continue to come together and work through any differences for the sake of advancing our common goal of combating antisemitism. Simultaneously, there is also a place at the communal table for healthy debate and honest conversations about our differences. The Jewish Agency is making sure that these forums exist, whether they aim to galvanize communities into action in support of Israel or to connect in other ways that reflect our Jewish identity. We also understand that connecting is a two-way street; in addition to Israeli emissaries building relationships in the Diaspora, it is essential that Jews around the world spend more time in Israel to connect with the country and its people, especially if they can study, work, or volunteer in Israel through more immersive, long-term experiences like those offered by the Masa Israel Journey.
Eight months after the attacks, the memory of October 7 must not fade into the rearview mirror. Much like we did at the Israel Day on Fifth parade, we must continue to stand up for what we believe in: a strong State of Israel alongside a strong American Jewish community. If we do so, our collective voice will continue to be heard.
The writer is chairman of the Board of Governors of The Jewish Agency for Israel.