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The annual parade honoring Israel kicked off in New York City on Sunday without New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who earlier said he had chosen to skip the event, as his police commissioner led the parade as a grand marshal and other New York political leaders such as Gov. Kathy Hochul and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer attended.
The Israel Day parade has always been a must-attend event for mayors, governors and other political leaders to celebrate the Jewish state with throngs of revelers who pack Fifth Avenue.
Mamdani on Thursday told reporters at a news conference that he would not be attending.
“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,” the mayor said.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani participates in the 2026 St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City on March 17. Mamdani has chosen not to attend the city’s Israel Day parade, sparking criticism amid records levels of antisemitism. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
The city’s police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish, told reporters as she stood alongside Mamdani at the news conference that she would “proudly” march in the parade.
Mamdani’s decision broke a long-standing tradition of mayors participating in the event.
New York Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, who has long criticized Mamdani, called the mayor “anti-Israel” during his own news conference before the parade began.
New York Republican Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman criticized Mamdani at the Israel Day parade. (Adam Gray/Reuters)
“I think that he’s an anti-Semite. I think he’s anti-Israel,” Blakeman said of Mamdani. “One of the first things he did as mayor was he watered down the definition of antisemitism. He speaks out against Israel all the time.”
Blakeman said that while Mamdani “denigrates Israel,” the mayor chooses to not speak out on countries that suppress human rights.
DEM GOVERNOR CRITICIZES MAMDANI FOR NOT CONDEMNING ‘BLATANTLY ANTISEMITIC’ RHETORIC
“Never says anything about places like Iran, Russia, China, places that really don’t have the kind of human rights that Israel does,” he said of the mayor. “So we don’t want to see him marching here, because we don’t want a wolf in sheep’s clothing marching in our parade.”
Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, pictured third from right, stands on stage as leaders speak ahead of the annual Israel Day parade in New York City on Sunday, May 31, 2026. (Israel mission to UN)
Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, said it was exciting to see thousands of people come out to celebrate Israel despite Mamdani’s decision to skip the parade.
“While the mayor chose to boycott the event and turn his back on tens of thousands of Jews and supporters of Israel, the public came in droves to prove that the connection to Israel is stronger than any political campaign,” Danon said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “Anyone who thinks they can erase Israel or distance the Jewish community from this city saw a clear answer today on the streets of New York. No one will make us take down the Israeli flag. Not in New York, nor anywhere else in the world.”
Meanwhile, Hochul and Schumer were joined at the parade by other New York leaders like state Attorney General Leticia James.
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Speaking before the parade began, Schumer denounced what he called “an ugly resurgence” of antisemitism.
“And now we are seeing an ugly resurgence of antisemitism across the world, driven by the same lies and libels that have tormented the Jewish people for generations,” he said. “Except now they’re transmitted at the speed of a fiber optic internet connection. In 30 seconds, lies are on your pocket phone. That’s why a Jewish state is more important than ever, amtisemitism isn’t going away. It always lingers, dormant in the shadows, waiting for the right conditions.”