Today on Fifth Avenue: Protesting Closure and Saluting Israel

Today as we gathered across the street from St. Patrick's Cathedral to protest our closure we had an unobstructed view. The street was closed off to provide access to "New York's Salute to Israel," parade in progress a block north.

Among the strollers on this ad hoc pedestrian mall were parade spectators heading uptown. Many stopped to look at the pictures of our church and some identified themselves as having ancestral ties to Vilna.

Some of those who stopped were aware of the cultural preservation agreement between Lithuania and the USA and expressed an awareness of cemeteries in Lithuania on the preservation list. They looked sadly at our "before" and "after" photos and left us with their advice and encouragement.