Thousands march in Celebrate Israel Parade on Fifth Avenue on Sunday.
Elected officials joined thousands of marchers in a sea of blue and white flags along Fifth Avenue for the annual Celebrate Israel parade.
Participants ranging from school-age children to adults came out Sunday under overcast skies for the event. Elected officials who marched included Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio, as well as Sen. Chuck Schumer. Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber was an honorary grand marshal.
Cuomo declared June 4 Shimon Peres Day in New York. Peres was the Israeli prime minister and president, and was in the Israeli public eye for at least 70 years.
The Kosciuszko bridge will light up blue and white Sunday night to commemorate the parade.
The event was formerly known as the Salute to Israel Parade, and marks the birth of the Jewish state in 1948. The thousands of people who take part include students from regional yeshivas and Jewish day schools, Jewish groups and synagogues.
