The New York high-rise changed the light display as US attention has shifted
The top of Bloomberg LP’s Manhattan headquarters is no longer showing solidarity with Ukraine, but has switched to supporting Israel instead, New Yorkers have noticed as of Thursday.
Photos and videos circulating on social media show the top six floors of the 731 Lexington Avenue building lit up in light blue and white stripes resembling the Israeli flag.
Since February 2022, when the Ukraine conflict escalated, the building’s four top floors had been lit up in the blue and yellow colors of the Ukrainian flag – until this week, anyway. It was not clear when exactly the building management changed the display.
The high-rise is informally known as “Bloomberg Tower” but is owned by Alexander’s, a real estate investment trust. Bloomberg pays over $100 million in rent for office space in the 55-floor tower, which is also home to 105 luxury condominiums.
Israel has almost entirely replaced Ukraine in the focus of Western media outlets, following Saturday’s incursion by Hamas militants from Gaza, which has so far resulted in over 2,700 deaths on both sides. The Israeli government has declared war on the Palestinian group and launched artillery and air strikes against Gaza, vowing to “dismantle” Hamas and kill its leadership.
Many landmarks around the West have also been lit up in the colors of the Israeli flag, including the White House in Washington, the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the Opera House in Sydney, Australia.
Earlier this week, Italian authorities chose to project the Israeli flag and the Star of David on the Arch of Titus in Rome, built to honor the Roman general who conquered Jerusalem and destroyed the Second Temple nearly 2,000 years ago.
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has been alarmed by the shift in attention, warning that it will “have consequences” for his country. Ukraine’s fate “depends on the unity of the rest of the world,” he told France 2 in an interview earlier this week. Zelensky has reportedly asked Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s permission to visit Jerusalem, so as to “boost international support for Israel’s counteroffensive against Hamas in Gaza.”
