In a May 22, 2024 item, marking Ted Comet's 100th birthday, JTA noted that:
is the co-founder, in 1965, of New York’s Salute to Israel Parade.
David Sprung accused Ted Comet of "stealing someone else’s thunder and taking credit for something we did."
He explains:
"The first parade was in 1964 by Betar, especially Reuven Genn and myself. Almost all the Jewish organizations objected, even the consulate and one of the most vehement objectors was Ted Comet. He did everything to stop it. Only when he saw that we succeeded and two Senators participated and we marched with our rifles, then he claimed that the next one should be done professionally and that the Sochnut would take over. We at that time didn’t care. We wanted it done and achieved our objective. Reuven had gone to the Jewish schools and organizations in Brooklyn and I in Manhattan. Every Jewish organization refused to paricipate claiming that you can’t march for Israel in America The only school principal that thought it was a good idea and encouraged me was Dr. Axelrod, the principal of the Manhattan day school!"
According to a history of the Parade by Marissa Gross:
The Salute to Israel Parade, originally named the Youth Salute to Israel Parade, was developed in 1964 by a team of American and Israeli Jews. At the forefront of this project were Haim Zohar, Charles Bick, and Ted Comet, who collaborated with Dr. Alvin Schiff and Dr. Dan Ronen to create this demonstration of American Jewish solidarity with Israel...
...In 1964, Haim Zohar was working at the Israeli consulate in New York...Working on the East Side, Zohar would often see other ethnic-pride parades and wondered why the Jews did not follow suit. A parade seemed to be a way not only to unite American Jews but also to bring Israel into their lives and let them show support for it. Zohar believed such events would strengthen Jewish identity and create solidarity among klal Yisrael (the nation of Israel). As an Israeli, he also sought to strengthen bonds between Israel and the United States as a whole.
Backing for the parade was initially difficult to attain...But Abe Harman, then Israeli ambassador to the United States, encouraged Zohar to continue. As a foreign agent, he knew that he needed American leaders to officially organize the parade. He successfully approached the American Zionist Youth Foundation headed by Chairman Charles Bick and Director Ted Comet.
Comet was very receptive upon hearing the idea....After receiving support from Comet and Bick, Zohar began to assemble a team to implement their vision. Comet was appointed chairman of the parade and Dan Ronen was named its director. Ronen was then a representative of the Jewish National Fund (JNF) from Israel, who had come to promote JNF’s activities throughout the country. Dr. Alvin Schiff, then director of the Day School Department of the Board of Jewish Education in New York, also worked with the group by encouraging schools to participate.
Recruiting participants for the parade was sometimes a trying task. The youth movements and schools all responded positively to the idea...Among the adult communities, however, there was hesitation about the idea. People thought it did not fit the New York Jewish intellectual tradition, or that a parade was not a “Jewish” activity. Others were still reluctant about showing their Jewishness publicly. Hence it was difficult to obtain initial funding.
Some Orthodox Jews also saw the parade as problematic. Certain Orthodox groups objected to boys and girls marching together, or to the participation of non-Jewish marching bands with members wearing crosses on their uniforms. Choosing a day for the parade was also an issue...Comet and Bick, however, were able to get permission from rabbis to have the parade during this period, as well as solutions to the other problems.
The First Parade
The first mini-parade took place in 1964 when Zohar marched with the Manhattan Day School and their principal from the school to a theater on Broadway holding the Israeli flag. Smaller parades that year featured schools in Queens. The Salute to Israel Parade officially began in 1965...he final route that was chosen stretched from 72nd Street and First Avenue to 72nd Street and Fifth Avenue, with the parade then turning onto Fifth Avenue and continuing until 59th Street.
The JTA report on the 1965 Parade:
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