Mayor Zohran Mamdani reaffirmed on Thursday that he will skip Sunday’s Israel Day on Fifth parade, but his police commissioner will help lead it as an honorary grand marshal while overseeing what the NYPD described as its most extensive security plan ever for the annual Manhattan march.
Mamdani joined Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch at One Police Plaza on May 29 to outline security preparations for the parade, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of people to Fifth Avenue this weekend.
The mayor, a staunch critic of the Israeli government and advocate for Palestinian rights, reiterated that he will not attend the event, as outlined on the campaign trail last year, but stressed that his absence would not affect the city’s responsibility to keep participants safe.
“We expect tens of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors to gather along Fifth Avenue for this event, and while I will not be attending, our administration has been preparing for weeks to ensure the parade is safe for all those who take part,” Mamdani said.
“As the mayor of our city, I take seriously my responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of every New Yorker and every event, regardless of my attendance,” he added.
Mamdani said there are “no current, known, specific, or credible threats against the parade,” but said the city would remain vigilant and coordinate with state and federal partners.
Tisch, who said she accepted an invitation to serve as one of this year’s honorary grand marshals, said the parade is taking place in a “heightened threat environment” amid a rise in antisemitism and threats targeting Jewish communities since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.
“In that threat environment, to be blunt, we are not messing around with security at this year’s parade,” Tisch said.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch answers reporters’ questions at One Police Plaza following a briefing on security for Sunday’s Israel Day on Fifth parade.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Security measures
The top cop said New Yorkers will see the most extensive security plan the NYPD has ever assembled for the Salute to Israel parade, including the largest number of officers ever assigned to the detail.
The plan will include heavy weapons teams, counterterrorism units, explosive-detection canines, helicopters, drones, emergency service officers, mounted units, hostile surveillance teams, plainclothes officers and extensive camera coverage along the route and surrounding area, Tisch said.
Everyone entering the parade route — including spectators, vendors, participants and members of the press — will be screened, Tisch said.
“If you think you are too important to be screened, don’t come,” she said. “There will be no exceptions.”
Police will also screen and sweep assets deployed along the route, including vehicles and portable toilets, Tisch said. Streets along the route will be fortified with NYPD vehicles and heavy sanitation trucks in response to concerns about vehicle-ramming attacks.
Tisch also warned that police would not tolerate disruptions to the parade.
“Any unauthorized persons entering the parade route will be arrested,” she said.
FILE: Thousands marched in the Israel Day on Fifth parade in 2024, standing in solidarity with Israel.Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
Designated screening entry points will be located at East 61st, 63rd, 66th, 70th and 73rd streets off Madison Avenue. Access to the parade route from Central Park will be closed, and spectators will not be allowed to view the parade from the west side of Fifth Avenue along the park, Tisch said.
Backpacks, large bags, chairs, alcohol, coolers, umbrellas and items that could obstruct another spectator’s view will not be permitted inside the screened area.
The NYPD will also deploy officers throughout the surrounding transit system, including at key stations near the parade route, along with canine teams, anti-terror train patrols and other resources.
Tisch urged attendees to take public transportation, give themselves extra time and follow instructions from police officers and MTA personnel.
MTA buses along the parade route will be rerouted down Second Avenue, making requested stops, Tisch said.
Fifth Avenue will be closed from 52nd to 78th streets. Madison Avenue will be closed from 42nd to 57th streets starting at 7:30 a.m., and north of 57th Street starting at 11 a.m. Once the parade is underway, pedestrians will only be able to cross at 51st Street, 59th Street and 79th Street, according to Tisch.
The parade, now called Israel Day on Fifth, is scheduled for Sunday, May 31, from 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. along Fifth Avenue from 62nd to 74th streets. This year’s theme is “Proud Americans, Proud Zionists.”
Tisch to march ‘proudly’ as Mamdani skips parade
At Thursday’s press conference, Mamdani explained that his choice not to march in the Israel Day Parade was based on his views of the Israeli government.
“I’ve made my views on the Israeli government abundantly clear,” the mayor said when asked what he would say to critics who argue he could attend the parade to support Jewish New Yorkers without supporting the Israeli government.
But he added that his administration is focused on ensuring Jewish New Yorkers are protected and feel they belong in the city.
“I don’t believe that my presence as the mayor should determine whether or not a New Yorker is safe or secure,” Mamdani said. “That is something we take incredibly seriously.”
Mamdani also pointed to the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, led Phylisa Wisdom, and said his administration had coupled that work with “an investment of more than an 800% increase” in funding for the Office to Prevent Hate Crimes.
Asked whether the administration would send a representative to the parade in Mamdani’s absence, Tisch pointed to herself.
Tisch, when later asked whether she had concerns about Mamdani’s decision not to march, said simply: “No, it’s the mayor’s decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly.”
Jewish Community Relations Council of New York CEO Mark Treyger speaks at One Police Plaza, where he said organizers expect “one of the biggest turnouts ever” at Sunday’s Israel Day on Fifth parade.Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, thanked Mamdani, Tisch, the NYPD, and city agencies for their support, saying organizers expect “one of the biggest turnouts ever” at Sunday’s parade.
Treyger said the parade carries deep meaning for many Jewish New Yorkers at a difficult time.
“This is a day that means so much to so many,” he said.
He also said the city had assured organizers during Mamdani’s transition period that the parade would go forward and that support from the NYPD and city agencies had been “solid.”
Mamdani said his administration believes both protest and safety are important, but emphasized that the city would ensure parade participants can take part safely and securely.
“In our city, we believe that protest is sacrosanct, as is the right to safety and security,” Mamdani said. “And we will deliver all of those things.”
The briefing came as more than 1,300 Jewish New Yorkers, including rabbis, cantors and communal leaders, released coordinated open letters calling on Mamdani to take further action to protect the city’s Jewish community, according to The Jewish Majority, which organized the effort.
The group said the letters demand that Mamdani support protective legislation for Jewish institutions, denounce rhetoric that demonizes Zionists and unequivocally condemn calls to “globalize the Intifada.” The mayor, for his part, has discouraged the use of the phrase since winning the Democratic primary last June.
The Jewish Majority also cited a poll it commissioned that found 82% of Jewish New Yorkers, including nearly two-thirds of those who voted for Mamdani, are worried about rising antisemitism.
In its statement announcing the open letters, the organization said signatories believe Mamdani’s veto of legislation the group said would have required safety plans at educational facilities while protecting lawful protest, and his use of taxpayer resources to disseminate what the group called a dishonest account of Israel’s founding, referring to his social media video earlier this month to recognize Nakba Remembrance Day.
“The Jewish community of New York City is speaking with one voice, and what they are saying is unmistakable,” Jonathan Schulman, executive director of The Jewish Majority, said in a statement. “More than 1,300 Jewish leaders from Brooklyn to the Bronx, Staten Island to Queens, signed these letters because they are tired of watching their mayor equivocate while their community bears the consequences.”