Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai was an honorary grand marshall and donned a pair of "100" glasses in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the largest city in Israel.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Gov. David Paterson led off the parade, followed by floats blasting Israeli pop music and teenagers from yeshivas and Jewish day schools.
Florence Keusch of Paramus, N.J. was watching for the group from North Shore Hebrew Academy on Long Island, her grandchildren's school.
"I'm waiting to see them and enjoying this gorgeous day," she said on sun-slashed Fifth Avenue.
Marching with SAR High School from the Riverdale section of the Bronx, senior Jon Greenberg said the May 20 arrests of four men charged with plotting to bomb synagogues there was "scary."
"We felt kind of protected," he said. "But it was scary because that kind of thing does happen."
Lazar Karalitzky, of Queens, waved a blue and white Israeli flag and said he attends the parade almost every year.
"I came to support Israel," Karalitzky said. "We just hope that there should be peace."
Some spectators were wondering what role President Barack Obama will play after he challenged Israel last week to stop building West Bank settlements.
"I don't think Barack Obama should be strong-arming the Israeli government," said Darren Peister of New Rochelle, N.Y.
But his wife, Jayne Peister, said Obama brings "a different perspective" to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
"For 60 years we've not had peace," she said. "Maybe this different perspective can bring peace to Israel."
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