WASHINGTON - Israeli pride in New York. Some one million people attended Manhattan's 41st annual Gay Pride March on Sunday. A delegation of some 200 Israelis could be found among the crowd, as streets and balconies were adorned with rainbow flags.
Israel is the only country to participate, for the third year in a row, in an organized manner in the world's oldest gay pride parade.
A group of Israelis traveled to New York City just to take part in the march and waved flags saying, "I am a proud Israeli."
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Israelis march in New York pride parade (Archive photo: Liran Gilboa)
(צילום: לירן גלבוע)
Israeli delegation marching in Manhattan (Photo: Liran Gilboa)
Among the parade participants were also employees of the Israeli Consulate in New York, as well as representatives from Israel Gay Youth and the Tel Aviv Municipality. Many passersby tossed curious looks at the Israelis, who appeared together and carried state flags.
The parade began in the afternoon at the corner of 5th Avenue and 36th Street, and ended two hours later at Christopher Street in Greenwich Village. Many then continued on to Pier 54 for a party.
The parade is a tribute to a police raid on the gay bar Stonewall, which took place on June 28, 1969. The violent clashes urged the community to begin the tradition of the pride parade.