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<\/p>\n
Breaking with more than six decades of tradition, New York City (NYC) Mayor Zohran Mamdani skipped the annual \u201cIsrael Day on Fifth\u201d parade on Sunday, becoming the first sitting mayor in 62 years to boycott the event.<\/p>\n
For context, NYC is home to the world\u2019s largest Jewish community outside Israel, where attending the parade has long been seen as a political expectation for local and state leaders.<\/p>\n
Mamdani, a democratic socialist and the city\u2019s first Muslim mayor who took office in January 2026, framed his decision as the fulfillment of a core campaign promise.<\/p>\n
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First held in 1964, the event\u2014recently rebranded as \u201cIsrael Day on Fifth\u201d\u2014has 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.<\/p>\n
Video: Michael Bloomberg, former NYC Mayor marching the Israel Day Parade<\/p>\n
Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg showed up at the Israel Day Parade in New York after Mayor Mamdani did not attend.pic.twitter.com\/eh2YjVjdKU<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Clash Report (@clashreport) May 31, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n This year\u2019s theme, \u201cProud Americans, Proud Zionists,\u201d went forward with high-profile attendees including Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Chuck Schumer, and Attorney General Letitia James. However, the mayor\u2019s spot at the front of the line remained empty.<\/p>\n \u201cI said on the campaign trail that I wouldn\u2019t be attending the parade, and I\u2019ve made my views on the Israeli government abundantly clear,\u201d Mamdani stated during a press briefing ahead of the weekend.<\/p>\n Governor Kathy Hochul marched proudly today in the Israel Day Parade in NYC, celebrating New York\u2019s vibrant Jewish community and declaring on \ud835\udd4f: \u201cOur bond with the Israeli people will never be broken. Am Yisrael Chai \ud83c\uddee\ud83c\uddf1\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Mayor Mamdani was nowhere to be found \u2014\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/u3EfV7JlOz<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Paul A. Szypula \ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@Bubblebathgirl) May 31, 2026<\/a>STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADEscalating tensions and the \u2018Nakba\u2019 controversy<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s relationship with the city\u2019s mainstream Jewish organisations has been profoundly strained since his upset victory last year. The friction intensified two weeks ago when the Mayor\u2019s Office released an official video commemorating the Nakba\u2014the Arabic word for \u201ccatastrophe\u201d used to describe the mass displacement of Palestinians<\/a> during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. It is believed to be the first time a sitting NYC mayor has officially recognised the event.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Defending his record, Mamdani has insisted his platform focuses on human rights. \u201cI\u2019ve been very clear: I believe in equal rights for all people everywhere,\u201d Mamdani said in a statement. \u201cThat principle guides me consistently.\u201d While he has repeatedly affirmed Israel\u2019s right to exist, he has fiercely criticized its governance as a \u201chierarchy that favors Jewish citizens.”<\/p>\n STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADIntense backlash and rallies at Gracie mansion<\/p>\n The political fallout from the snub was immediate. Opponents and community leaders gathered outside the mayor\u2019s residence at Gracie Mansion to protest what they described as a dangerous wave of institutional anti-Zionism.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery Mayor of New York City has marched in the Israel Day Parade,\u201d said Moshe Davis, former executive director of the Mayor\u2019s Office to Combat Antisemitism under the previous administration. \u201cTo skip this parade is an affront to our history and to the contributions that have made New York great.\u201d<\/p>\n Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, issued a rebuke, calling Mamdani\u2019s absence \u201ca slap in the face to all Jewish New New Yorkers.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n First Published: Home<\/a>World<\/a>Zohran Mamdani skips Israel Day Parade, becoming first NYC mayor in 62 years to break traditionEnd of Article
\nJune 01, 2026, 07:49 IST<\/p>\n