Mamdani boycotts NYC Israel Day Parade despite attending other ethnic celebrations

Democratic socialist and anti-Zionist Mayor Zohran Mamdani has become the first New York City mayor to boycott the Israel Day Parade since its creation in 1964.

At a security briefing on Thursday for the then-upcoming parade, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, alongside Mamdani, shared details on the security measures that would be implemented in order to ensure the safety of all attendees.

'I think it's absolutely disgraceful that the mayor of New York City, a city that has the largest Jewish population outside of the state of Israel, chose not to be here.'

“This Sunday, New Yorkers will see the most extensive security plan that the NYPD has ever put together for the Salute to Israel Parade, including the largest number of officers ever assigned to that detail. Included in that security plan will be the most heavy weapons teams ever, robust camera coverage of the area, and comprehensive screening of everyone entering the parade route including spectators, vendors, participants, and the press,” Tisch said.

Despite the commissioner's plans to march “proudly” as the honorary grand marshal, Mamdani, when asked his response to critics who say that he can still attend the parade to support Jewish New Yorkers without directly supporting the current Israeli government, replied: “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.”

He also said: "I take seriously my responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of every New Yorker and every event, regardless of my attendance."

The Israel Day Parade, formally called the Israel Day on Fifth, is the largest gathering in support of Israel in the world. It has been held annually in New York City for the past 61 years, with every mayor from Robert F. Wagner Jr. to Eric Adams having marched in it during their time in office. The parade consistently attracts tens of thousands of participants and spectators every year.

The event is also profoundly pro-American, with this year's theme of "Proud Americans, Proud Zionists" visible in the sea of American and Israeli flags down Fifth Avenue.

Mamdani’s decision comes at a frightening time for Jewish New Yorkers. For the month of April, anti-Semitic hate crimes made up 60% of all reported incidents in the city, while numerous anti-Israel demonstrations — many of which Mamdani has supported — have been held outside synagogues and Jewish institutions.

However, it isn’t as though skipping out on a cultural celebration is a norm for Mamdani. The mayor was in attendance at this year's St. Patrick’s Day celebrations, during which he compared historical Irish suffering to the “genocide” of Palestinians.

In March, Mamdani attended the Lunar New Year Parade with New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul. Last year, he appeared at the Puerto Rican Day Parade, India Day Parade, and Pakistan Independence Day Parade.

RELATED: Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs accuses NYC Mayor Mamdani of anti-Semitism after his first day in office

kena betancur/AFP/Getty Images

Mamdani also became the first mayor in the city’s history to address an International Workers' Day rally, also known as May Day, on May 1.

Notable officials and figures who marched in the Israel parade on Sunday include Gov. Hochul, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), former Mayors Eric Adams (D) and Michael Bloomberg (D), Nassau County executive and Republican nominee for governor Bruce Blakeman, and Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, among many others.

"I think it's absolutely disgraceful that the mayor of New York City, a city that has the largest Jewish population outside of the state of Israel, chose not to be here," said Lawler, who has been a vocal critic of Mamdani and his administration.

Adams uploaded a video to his official Instagram account Friday publicly announcing his excitement for the parade: “As your mayor, I was proud to march in this parade for all four years I was in office, and this year will be no different. I'll be right there, marching with tens of thousands of New Yorkers.”

The CEO of the prominent Jewish organization UJA Federation of New York, Eric Goldstein, blasted Mamdani in an open letter Friday.

“You are the first mayor in the history of New York City — home to the largest Jewish diaspora community in the world — to refuse to participate in this parade because you fundamentally reject Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.”

Goldstein claims Mamdani’s “refusal to participate this Sunday is not principally grounded in criticism of a particular Israeli government or policy” but rather rooted in a “refusal to acknowledge the right of the Jewish people to self-determination in their ancestral homeland.”

“Your absence — and what it represents — will be long-remembered.”

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