Celebrate Israel Parade To March On 5th Avenue Sunday: What To Know

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — The Celebrate Israel Parade returns to the Upper East Side this weekend, bringing with it crowds eager to rejoice in the country's 75th anniversary, as well as protests reflecting its intense domestic turmoil.

Organizers say that over 40,000 people from 250 groups and over 30 floats will participate in the Celebrate Israel Parade this Sunday on Fifth Avenue.

The theme of this year is "Renewing the Hope."

At 11 a.m. on Sunday, the parade kicks off on Fifth Avenue and East 57th Street, marching up to East 73rd Street, where it will end at 4 p.m.

There will also be a Celebrate Israel block party on East 63rd Street and Madison Avenue, according to the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, which organizes the parade.

For those who can't attend in person, the parade will be broadcast live starting at noon on FOX's My9.

Many will be there to mark the 75th anniversary of the founding of Israel. Others will be protesting the judaical reforms proposed by its current government, including groups that haven't marched in the parade for years, like Ameinu, the former Labor Zionist Alliance, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The group will be wearing t-shirts with pro-democracy messages in both English and Hebrew, reports the JTA.

Over a dozen rabbis across the spectrum of Judaism signed a letter from the JCRC urging for all Jews to participate in the parade.

"Events like the parade bridge the divide between us—whether political, religious or cultural," reads the letter. "It’s a chance for us to gather as Jews and walk together, showing the world that we are one community, even when we disagree."

A group called NYC for Democracy — part of an Israeli expatriate protest network called UnXeptable — have already been targeting events this week where Israeli politicians are participating, according to Haaretz.

Nearly 20 Israeli politicians have come to New York City to march in the parade, according to Times of Israel.

Also making the trans-Atlantic journey are Israeli activists protesting the judicial reforms, who demanded that the politicians be disinvited from the parade — with some already protesting the government officials in Manhattan.

“Anyone trying to chip away at Israel’s democracy should not expect a quiet week in New York,” an activist from UnXeptable told a reporter from The Forward.

For more information about the parade, click here