A wave of blue and white, accompanied by colorful flags from across the globe, swept through Jerusalem on Tuesday afternoon, as tens of thousands of Jews and Christians walked side by side in the annual Feast of Tabernacles Jerusalem March.

The run-up to the parade was marred by a Chief Rabbinate order banning Jews from the event, for fear of "missionary work," but that did not stop some 80,000 - 7,000 of them Christians - from enjoying the festivities...

...The parade included groups of marchers from different segments of Israeli society, including El Al pilots, soldiers, medical personnel, postal workers and representatives of various regions of Israel.

Actors in costumes representing different periods in Israeli history sang songs about the united city, while the Police Band kept the rhythm for the marchers and spectators.

The march, which capped off a series of Succot events in the capital, attracted Jerusalemites who came to see the participating nations' colorful outfits, and evangelical Christians who could not stop declaring their love and support for the people in Zion, as they do every year.

"Many nations and countries oppose Israel. We wanted to tell Israel and its people that we stand next to them and that they will never be alone," Heyn Middelhoven, 30, from the Netherlands, who was marching with a group from the International Christian Embassy in Jerusalem, told The Jerusalem Post.

Some 1,500 Brazilian pilgrims also participated in the event...

...Having participated in the Jerusalem March nearly every year for the past two decades, I found the controversy over the Chief Rabbinate's encouragement of Jews to boycott it due to the danger of Christian proselytizing ironic indeed.

For I find this event to be one of the most Zionistic experiences on the calendar, giving full expression to Israeli Jewish pride and providing a way to celebrate Succot beyond the religious rituals while honoring our heritage...