Israel Independence Day rally draws thousands to downtown Montreal

An Israel Independence Day rally drew thousands to Place du Canada in Montreal to commemorate the country’s national holiday.

Children from Jewish day schools danced alongside municipal politicians, hoisting Israeli flags as a DJ blared loud Israeli music that reverberated through several city blocks.

“All these communities are coming together to celebrate one thing. It’s not denominational, it’s not political — it’s just a celebration,” said one of the event’s organizers, Michael Druckman of Jewish Unity Partnership.

Israel’s Independence Day, known as Yom Ha’atzmaut in Hebrew, celebrates the May 14, 1948 declaration of the state’s independence. Since the holiday follows the Jewish lunar calendar, the 2026 celebrations are held from April 21 to 22.

The crowd was also dotted with several pre-revolution Iranian flags emblazoned with a lion and sun, as some members of the Iranian diaspora voiced support for the country following its collaboration with the United States in the killing of Islamic Republic leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

On the other side of Dorchester Square, across from those celebrating, a crowd of more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered, voicing opposition to the festivities. Some held up signs, Palestinian flags and expressed concern that Israel was being celebrated in light of the ongoing violence in Gaza. “They’re so happy, as if they were celebrating something, even though people are still dying. I find that shocking,” said Ghizlane Adda, a protestor and member of the Muslim community.

A crowd of more than 100 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered in Dorchester Square on Wed., April 22, to voice opposition to the festivities across the street.

Politicians at the Israel Day rally included Côte-des-Neiges—Notre-Dame-de-Grâce interim borough mayor Sonny Moroz, Quebec Liberal Party MNA Elisabeth Prass and Côte-St-Luc Mayor David Tordjman, along with several Côte-St-Luc city councillors.

In Côte-St-Luc, “our community is over 60 per cent Jewish,” Tordjman said, noting it’s a “strong Zionist community.”

“We’re just proud to be linked with our family, our friends, our brothers and sisters in Israel, and we’re always going to support them.”

Prass, who represents the provincial riding with the largest Jewish community, D’Arcy-McGee, said even though Israel is thousands of kilometres away from Montreal, she says it’s “beautiful to see people come out and celebrate their homelands.”

“I think it’s important, especially with all the antisemitism we’ve seen in the last few years, that we come together and support each other and stand proudly,” she added.

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