As RedState’s Becky Noble reported earlier in May, New York Democratic Socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced he would not be attending the Israel Day Parade, and on Sunday, sure enough, he was nowhere to be found in the crowd of tens of thousands.
Why is this an issue? For one, it’s been customary for the Big Apple mayor to show up at the annual event — in fact, it’s been since the early 1960s that an incumbent couldn’t be bothered.
Two, Mamdani has a long history of antisemitic remarks, so his cold shoulder is a clear message to his Jewish residents and to the state of Israel: I don’t give a rat’s behind about your welfare:
"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 said at a news conference Thursday.
Contrast that response to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch’s, who is Jewish:
"It is the mayor's decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly," she said as she stood alongside Mamdani at police headquarters.
That seems like it must have been a rather awkward moment, doesn't it?
Not surprisingly, the extreme-left mayor is facing plenty of criticism for essentially giving the middle finger to an important sector of his own city.
By boycotting todays #Israel Day Parade, @NYCMayor has spit in the face of millions of New Yorkers, Jews and Christians, who support the State of Israel. Shame on him but we all saw this coming.@AlexanderSoros why didn't you let him march today?
— Bryan E. Leib (@BryanLeibFL) May 31, 2026
Latest on @NEWSMAX ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/guJmGIdz3r
Rabbi Marc Schneier, founding senior rabbi of The Hampton Synagogue on Long Island and president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, called Mamdani’s no-show “a slap in the face to all Jewish New Yorkers.” He also hit the mayor hard on social media:
We need to be loud and clear. In the @NYDailyNews , I say what’s on everyone’s mind: stay home, @NYCMayor
— Rabbi Marc Schneier (@RabbiMSchneier) May 24, 2026
No one wants you at the Celebrate Israel Parade anyway. We don’t want you, your rhetoric, and your diatribe to ruin our proud day.
Remember how he is a “mayor for all New… pic.twitter.com/YWYrjlVbG5
We need to be loud and clear. In the @NYDailyNews, I say what’s on everyone’s mind: stay home, @NYCMayor
No one wants you at the Celebrate Israel Parade anyway. We don’t want you, your rhetoric, and your diatribe to ruin our proud day.
Remember how he is a “mayor for all New Yorkers.” Well, except anyone who believes Jews have an indigenous right to our homeland.
The Jewish people are at the top of their game, at this moment, in this city, in this country, despite an unprecedented surge of Antisemitism. There is a post-October 7 surge of pride and deeper engagement in Jewish life, characterized by increased enrollment in schools, camps, and synagogues.
Read my full op-ed.
https://ffeu.org/2026/05/jewish-prides-israel-parade-mamdani-isnt-wanted-and-should-stay-away/
MORE: NYC Mayor Mamdani Will Not Attend Israel Day Parade - Is Anyone Really Surprised?
Ghosts of Former Soviet Union Leaders Grin As Mamdani's $30M NYC Communist Grocery Store Unveiled
Many New Yorkers may be reminiscing right about now and suddenly finding affection for former mayors Eric Adams, whose tenure looks much better when compared to Mamdani’s, and Michael Bloomberg, who, while not without controversy, was regarded by many as at least a competent steward of the city.
NYPD Comissioner Jessica Tisch and former NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg take part in the Israel Day Parade. 🇮🇱🇺🇸
— Oli London (@OliLondonTV) May 31, 2026
The cities current Mayor Zohran Mamdani refused to take part in the annual parade which celebrates the Jewish state. pic.twitter.com/I6NhelAYYf
More Mayor Adams at the Israel Day Parade….the crowd went wild for him pic.twitter.com/6XRvzudIqs
— Andrew Craft (@AndrewCraft) May 31, 2026
Mamdani, whose city is home to the country’s largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel, just told them, in the famous words of The New York Daily News, “Drop Dead.”
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