Christians celebrate Israel

Johnathan Boxer (second from left) with Hebrew Academy of Five Towns and Rockaway

The kosher hogs

CELEBRATE ISRAEL PARADE
Hogs And Guard Dogs
Help Cops Keep The Peace

STORY AND PHOTOS BY TIM BOXER

T

HEY weren’t really needed by the 35,000 marchers in the Celebrate Israel Parade up Fifth Avenue on June 2, but there they were: several pet dogs accompanying their owners, presumably to keep perps at bay. One cute pup even wore an IDF jacket. Fortunately there was no ruckus as the pooches passed a mean-looking bomb-sniffing dog.

In the aftermath of the Boston marathon bombings, it was obvious that Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly took great pains to make this the safest parade in memory, with helicopters hovering in the sky and more boots and hoofs on the ground.

Rabbi Sholom Steinig of Young Israel of Bay Shore, N.Y., marveled at a block-long lineup of cool Jews and their heavy duty choppers which he called "the Kosher Hogs."

He was duly impressed with the intricate tattoos covering both arms of David Himber, the past president of his crew of Chai Riders. Himber, of Sea Gate, Brooklyn, lifted his sleeves and the rabbi realized that the tattoos were on a T-shirt. So it was kosher after all.

Then the 65 bikers, each dressed in intimidating black leather apparel, colorfully ornamented with appropriate patches and warnings, roared up the avenue – escorted by a motorcycle contingent of New York’s Finest.