[ "In a move that would likely be the first in years for a mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani announced that he would not join the Israel Day parade that is held each year on Fifth Avenue by thousands of flag‑waving revelers in honor of Israel’s 1948 independence.", "Mamdani made the decision public just two weeks after the mayor’s office released a video titled the “Nakba,” an Arabic term meaning “catastrophe” that points to the displacement of roughly 700,000 Palestinians during the Arab‑Israeli war that followed Israel’s creation. The video featured the story of a woman named Inea Bushnaq, who was forced to leave her home at age nine, and interlaced her testimony with the text ‘It’s the soft hills of Palestine that actually touched me.’
“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,” Mamdani told reporters at a news conference Thursday.
While the mayor will not be on Fifth Avenue, he vowed that his administration would deploy a robust police presence to make sure the event runs “seamlessly and peacefully.”
The police commissioner, Jessica Tisch—who is Jewish—declared her intention to march, stating: “It is the mayor’s decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly.” She stood alongside Mamdani at police headquarters, emphasizing that the city’s security forces would ensure voters could celebrate safely no matter its political tenor.
Opposition to the mayor’s decision has intensified. Rabbi Marc Schneier, of The Hampton Synagogue on Long Island and president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, called Mamdani’s decision a “slap in the face to all Jewish New Yorkers.” He further labeled the mayor’s Nakba video “propaganda,” noting that it excluded the displacement of Jews from Muslim‑majority countries and omitted focus on the Holocaust’s influence on the establishment of Israel.
The topic is especially sensitive in New York, home to America’s largest Jewish population and a city that has long seen mayors receiving the Israeli flag during Independence Day celebrations. Many Jewish leaders have historically welcomed Israeli officials and highlighted shared values between the city’s Jewish community and the State of Israel.
Yet support for Israel has been “deeply eroded” in recent years, a trend that has accelerated amid backlash over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Some residents lament in an online poll that many people now consider Israel’s policies and the treatment of Palestinians in crisis.
Mamdani—that is, the city’s first Muslim mayor—maintains his pro‑Palestinian stance, saying he believes Israel has a right to exist, but it should not privilege one group over another. He also assures protection for all New Yorkers, including Jews, and has highlighted the city’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.
Despite his assurances, the mayor’s absence has given fresh fuel to anti‑Israeli critics, who view his comments as “antisemitic,” a claim that remains contentious. The debate continues as the mayor’s office stands poised to protect the rights of every community involved while confronting a sharply divided city on a topic that reverberates far beyond Delta NYC’s streets." ]
“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,” Mamdani told reporters at a news conference Thursday.
While the mayor will not be on Fifth Avenue, he vowed that his administration would deploy a robust police presence to make sure the event runs “seamlessly and peacefully.”
The police commissioner, Jessica Tisch—who is Jewish—declared her intention to march, stating: “It is the mayor’s decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly.” She stood alongside Mamdani at police headquarters, emphasizing that the city’s security forces would ensure voters could celebrate safely no matter its political tenor.
Opposition to the mayor’s decision has intensified. Rabbi Marc Schneier, of The Hampton Synagogue on Long Island and president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, called Mamdani’s decision a “slap in the face to all Jewish New Yorkers.” He further labeled the mayor’s Nakba video “propaganda,” noting that it excluded the displacement of Jews from Muslim‑majority countries and omitted focus on the Holocaust’s influence on the establishment of Israel.
The topic is especially sensitive in New York, home to America’s largest Jewish population and a city that has long seen mayors receiving the Israeli flag during Independence Day celebrations. Many Jewish leaders have historically welcomed Israeli officials and highlighted shared values between the city’s Jewish community and the State of Israel.
Yet support for Israel has been “deeply eroded” in recent years, a trend that has accelerated amid backlash over Israel’s military actions in Gaza. Some residents lament in an online poll that many people now consider Israel’s policies and the treatment of Palestinians in crisis.
Mamdani—that is, the city’s first Muslim mayor—maintains his pro‑Palestinian stance, saying he believes Israel has a right to exist, but it should not privilege one group over another. He also assures protection for all New Yorkers, including Jews, and has highlighted the city’s Office to Combat Antisemitism.
Despite his assurances, the mayor’s absence has given fresh fuel to anti‑Israeli critics, who view his comments as “antisemitic,” a claim that remains contentious. The debate continues as the mayor’s office stands poised to protect the rights of every community involved while confronting a sharply divided city on a topic that reverberates far beyond Delta NYC’s streets." ]
