USA30 May, 20262 min read
Zohran Mamdani Skips New York’s Israel Day Parade, Jessica Tisch Marches
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not attend the Israel Day Parade in NYC. He pledged a large police presence for security at the parade.
Mamdani skips Israel parade
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not attend the annual Israel Day Parade on Sunday, breaking with a decades-long political custom because of his support of Palestinian rights. The Israel Day parade runs up 5th Avenue and starts at 52nd Street and runs to 74th Street, while Mamdani said at a news conference Thursday, "I said on the campaign trail that I wouldn’t be attending the parade, and I’ve made my views on the Israeli government abundantly clear."
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish, attended the parade and said, "It is the mayor’s decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly," standing alongside Mamdani at police headquarters. The Associated Press also reported that two weeks ago the mayor’s office released a video commemorating the Nakba, described as an Arabic word for "catastrophe" used to describe the displacement of an estimated 700,000 Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war that followed Israel’s establishment.
Reactions and competing narratives
Rabbi Marc Schneier, founding senior rabbi of The Hampton Synagogue on Long Island, called Mamdani’s decision to not attend the parade “a slap in the face to all Jewish New Yorkers,” adding, "Do us a favor, stay home."
Schneier also slammed Mamdani’s Nakba video as “propaganda,” echoing concerns from other Jewish leaders who said it excluded context about Jewish peoples’ displacement during the period.
In contrast, Fox News reported that New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman called Mamdani "anti-Israel" and said, "I think that he's an anti-Semite. I think he's anti-Israel," while arguing that Mamdani chooses not to speak out on places like Iran, Russia, China.
Fox News also quoted Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon saying it was "exciting to see thousands of people come out to celebrate Israel despite Mamdani’s decision to skip the parade."
Security pledges and fallout
Even as Mamdani skipped the parade, the Associated Press reported he promised a robust police presence to make sure it went off "seamlessly and peacefully," with Tisch attending and marching. The New York Post described Mamdani as spending Sunday touting his 2029 re-election bid while riding his bike, and it said he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency in October, "While I will not be attending the Israel Day Parade, my lack of attendance should not be mistaken for a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for its safety."
The Associated Press said Mamdani’s absence has given fresh fuel to opponents who view his criticism of the Israeli government as antisemitic, while it also reported that supporters of Israel were outraged by the Nakba video. The Associated Press further reported that Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, has remained steadfast in his pro-Palestinian advocacy and has pledged to protect Jewish New Yorkers and highlighted the work of the city’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.