Photo Credit: Twitter

It was dry and cozy at the Harvard Club in Manhattan, where NY Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Sunday announced a new executive order that bans companies supporting a boycott of Israeli products from doing business with NY State agencies. Outside, on Fifth Avenue, the stubborn marching groups of the 52nd annual Celebrate Israel parade were pushing ever forward under the persistent rain.

Gov. Cuomo spoke to an audience that included many Jewish leaders and lawmakers, describing the BDS movement as an “economic attack” on Israel. “We cannot allow that to happen,” the governor said, according to the NY Times. “If you boycott against Israel, New York will boycott you.”




Mr. Cuomo signed the executive order, and then joined the wet masses in the parade.

The BDS usual suspects, such as the movement’s Qatari founder Omar Barghouti, called Cuomo’s move part of Israel’s “legal warfare against BDS,” and complained that Israel was trying to “delegitimize the boycott.” Mostly because the boycott represents an effort to delete, not just delegitimize Israel.

The governor later tweeted: “What a great honor it was to march in the @CelebrateIsrael parade today.”

It may have rained on Sunday in Manhattan literally, but it didn’t rain on Israel’s parade figuratively, as the Broadway Cast of Fiddler on the Roof, the band SOULFARM, – the Paprim Ensemble Dancers of Israel Dance Institute, and the Maccabeats — to name but a few — did their thing down the avenue.

Marching Bands included NYC Police, Cadets, Fusion Core, Saint Brigades Drum & Bugle Corps, Connecticut Hurricanes, Bushwhackers Drum & Bugle Corps, Long Island Sunrisers Drum & Bugle Corps, Upper Schuylkill Marching Band, Raiders Drum & Bugle Corps, Excelsior Drum & Bugle Corps, and Skyliners.

The parade featured floats and vehicles from the American Committee for Shaare Zedek Medical Center, American Friends of Magen David Adom, American Technion Society, American Zionist Movement, Ariel University, Avi Chai Foundation, Bank Leumi, Bnei Akiva of the United States and Canada, Carmel, EL AL & Israel Ministry of Tourism, Gift of Life Marrow Registry, Dr. Felix Glaubach & Family, Hazon, Hebron Fund, Hillel Yeshiva, IDB Bank, IDT Corporation, Israel Bonds, State of Israel, Jfiix, Jewish Agency, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, Jewish National Fund, Kars 4 Kids, Kids of Courage, Nefesh B’ Nefesh, One Israel Fund, Russian American Jewish Experience, Sephardic Heritage Alliance Inc. & Iranian American Jewish Federation, Stand With Us, and UJA-Federation of NY.

Finally, this is the complete list of the marching groups:

92nd St Y/Jdate

AJC-American Jewish Committee

American Russian Jewish Community Cluster /COJECO

American Veterans of Israel Legacy

AIFL-American Israel Friendship League

ARZA

ASHAR

AZM

Barkai Yeshivah

Ben Porat Yosef

Berman Hebrew Academy – Rockville, MD

Bi-Cultural Day School

B’nai Jeshurun

Bnei Akiva of US and Canada

Boy/Girl Scouts of America

Brandeis School

Camp HASC

Carmel Academy

Center for Jewish Life

Chai Riders

Congregation Or Zarua

Cyprus Federation of America

Eagles Wings Ministries

East Midwood Hebrew Day School

Ezra Academy

Friends of Israel Scouts – Tzofim Tzabar

Friends of the IDF

Friends of Yashar LaChayal /East Brunswick Tri-Synagogue Alliance

Frisch School

Golda Och Academy

H.E.S. Hebrew Educational Society

HAFTR Lower/Middle/High School

HALB Middle School

HALB DRS

HALB SKA

HANC

Hannah Senesh Community Day School

Hazon

Heschel School

Hillel International

Hillel Yeshiva/HS

JAFI – Jewish Agency International Development

JCRC – Long Island

Jewish Educational Center

Jewish Educational Center – Bruriah

Jewish Educational Center – Mesivta,

Jewish Federation Northeastern, PA

Jewish Federation of Greater MetroWest, NJ

Jewish Federation of North NJ

Jewish Federation Rockland County

Jewish Foundation School

Jewish War Veterans of the USA

Joseph Kushner Academy/Rae Kushner HS

Jscreen

Kinneret Day School

LGBT Cluster

Lone Soldier Center

Lower Merion Cluster

Ma’ayanot Yeshiva HS for Girls

Magen David Yeshiva Celia Esses High School

Magen David Yeshivah (2015 Winner)

Maimonides Academy – Los Angeles

Manhattan Day School

Manhattan Jewish Experience

Marks Jewish Community House

Marlboro Jewish Center

Monmouth County – Federation from the Heart of NJ

Moriah School

National Conference of Shomrim Societies

Northeast Queens JCC

Northshore Hebrew Academy Middle/High Schools

OHEL Children’s Home & Family Services / Camp Kaylie

OU/Yachad/ NCSY

Progressive Cluster

Rabbi Arthur Schneier Park East Day School

Rabbi Pesach Raymon Yeshiva (2015 Winner)

RAJE

Ramaz School Middle/High Schools

Rambam Mesivta – Midreshet Shalhevet

Rosenbaum Yeshiva of North Jersey

SAR Academy/High School

SHAI

Shorefront YM-YWHA

Shulamith School for Girls – Cedarhurst

Shulamith School for Girls of Brooklyn

Skaters and Bladers in Memory of JJ Greenberg

Solomon Schechter Day School of Bergen County

Solomon Schechter School of Long Island

Solomon Schechter School of Manhattan

Solomon Schechter School of Queens

Solomon Schechter School of Westchester

Team Lifeline (Chai Lifeline)

Temple Beth Abraham

Temple Israel of Great Neck

Temple Sholom of West Essex

Torah Academy of Bergen County -TABC

UJ Federation of Greater Toronto

United Congregations for Israel

United Mashadi Jewish Committee of America – UMJCA

United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism/USY

Volunteers for Israel

Westchester Day School (2015 Winner)

Westchester Hebrew High School

Westchester Jewish Council

Yavneh Academy (2015 Winner)

YB Hillel of Passaic

Yeshiva at the Jersey Shore/Congregation Brothers of Israel

Yeshiva Derech HaTorah

Yeshiva Har Torah

Yeshiva High School 0f Boca Raton

Yeshiva of Central Queens (2015 Winner)

Yeshiva University

Yeshivah of Flatbush Middle/High School (2015 Winner)

Yeshivat BitaHon

Yeshivat Noam

Young Judaea/Hadassah

ZOA – Zionist Organziation of America

(Source: Celebrate Israel Parade)