It was a party the likes of which Times Square hasn’t seen since President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were elected to office in November.
On Sunday, hundreds flocked to the heart of New York City where they celebrated Israel’s 73rd Independence Day. Times Square’s usual glow of burning red neon was replaced with blue and white, as hundreds of revelers danced to Israeli music, waving their nation’s flag with uninhibited glee. See all the captivating moments from this visually stunning affair.
A parade of cars honked their horns, confetti shot through the air, belly dancers swayed their hips and live drummers banged their instruments filling the air with life and music.
From New York to Los Angeles, the New York Israeli-American Council (IAC) hosted a festive celebration including, 73 balloons, street chalk graffiti, and a video commemorating the whole affair played on the Thomson Reuters’ digital display.
In hopes of regaining a semblance of normalcy, the event welcomed everyone of all ages. Some came dressed in blue and white attire and yarmulkes, while others simply draped themselves in the Israeli flag. Children were entertained with balloon artists and stilt walkers, and even adults were able to chime in as they joined dancers with hula hoops.
As the music pumped and dancers let loose, inevitably masks came down and social distancing was thrown out the window, although volunteers with the IAC distributed masks of their own to the growing crowd.
Caricatures of Herzel, David Ben Gurion, and Golda were the life of the party, as they bobbled their heads and posed with attendees.
One pet, Kiss, a white Pomeranian, also participated in the revelry donning white and blue clothes, and posing for pictures with attendees.
The ceremony was set to culminate with a live-stream broadcast of a Jerusalem concert featuring Idan Raichel Project, Rami Kleinstein, T-Slam, and Sarit Hadad. The event appeared to be a much needed respite from a tumultuous year for celebrants.
