The New York City mayor skipped the annual Fifth Avenue event, fulfilling a campaign promise but drawing sharp criticism from Jewish organisations and political opponents

Breaking with more than six decades of tradition, New York City (NYC) Mayor Zohran Mamdani skipped the annual “Israel Day on Fifth” parade on Sunday, becoming the first sitting mayor in 62 years to boycott the event.

For context, NYC is home to the world’s largest Jewish community outside Israel, where attending the parade has long been seen as a political expectation for local and state leaders.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist and the city’s first Muslim mayor who took office in January 2026, framed his decision as the fulfillment of a core campaign promise.

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First held in 1964, the event—recently rebranded as “Israel Day on Fifth”—has seen every sitting New York City mayor march along Fifth Avenue since 1965. Even amid heightened global tensions and local security threats, past mayors like Michael Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio, and Eric Adams viewed the parade as a crucial symbol of solidarity with Jewish New New Yorkers and the state of Israel.

Video: Michael Bloomberg, former NYC Mayor marching the Israel Day Parade

Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg showed up at the Israel Day Parade in New York after Mayor Mamdani did not attend.pic.twitter.com/eh2YjVjdKU

— Clash Report (@clashreport) May 31, 2026

This year’s theme, “Proud Americans, Proud Zionists,” went forward with high-profile attendees including Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Attorney General Letitia James. However, the mayor’s spot at the front of the line remained empty.

“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 stated during a press briefing ahead of the weekend.

Governor Kathy Hochul marched proudly today in the Israel Day Parade in NYC, celebrating New York’s vibrant Jewish community and declaring on 𝕏: “Our bond with the Israeli people will never be broken. Am Yisrael Chai 🇮🇱”

Meanwhile, Mayor Mamdani was nowhere to be found —… pic.twitter.com/u3EfV7JlOz

— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) May 31, 2026STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADEscalating tensions and the ‘Nakba’ controversy

Mamdani’s relationship with the city’s mainstream Jewish organisations has been profoundly strained since his upset victory last year. The friction intensified two weeks ago when the Mayor’s Office released an official video commemorating the Nakba—the Arabic word for “catastrophe” used to describe the mass displacement of Palestinians during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It is believed to be the first time a sitting NYC mayor has officially recognised the event.

The video led to immediate outrage from pro-Israel groups and political rivals, who accused the administration of distributing one-sided propaganda that ignored the historical displacement of Jewish people from Arab-majority nations or the context of the Holocaust.

Defending his record, Mamdani has insisted his platform focuses on human rights. “I’ve been very clear: I believe in equal rights for all people everywhere,” Mamdani said in a statement. “That principle guides me consistently.” While he has repeatedly affirmed Israel’s right to exist, he has fiercely criticized its governance as a “hierarchy that favors Jewish citizens.”

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The political fallout from the snub was immediate. Opponents and community leaders gathered outside the mayor’s residence at Gracie Mansion to protest what they described as a dangerous wave of institutional anti-Zionism.

“Every Mayor of New York City has marched in the Israel Day Parade,” said Moshe Davis, former executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism under the previous administration. “To skip this parade is an affront to our history and to the contributions that have made New York great.”

Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, issued a rebuke, calling Mamdani’s absence “a slap in the face to all Jewish New New Yorkers.”

Despite his boycott, Mamdani emphasised that his personal political views would not compromise the safety of the event. He worked alongside police leadership to deploy a massive security apparatus along the route.

First Published:
June 01, 2026, 07:49 IST

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