NYC Mayor Breaks 61-Year Tradition by Skipping Israel Day Parade

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani became the first mayor in the 61-year history of the Israel Day on Fifth parade to skip the event, breaking a tradition upheld by every mayor since 1965. The parade proceeded on May 31 with more than 40,000 marchers along Fifth Avenue, but Mamdani’s absence underscored a historic shift in American political attitudes toward Israel, as Fox News reported.

A Historic Break with Tradition

Since the parade’s inception in 1964, every New York City mayor — from John Lindsay and Ed Koch to Rudy Giuliani, Michael Bloomberg, Bill de Blasio, and Eric Adams — had participated in the annual celebration of Jewish solidarity with Israel. Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist who took office in January 2026 as the city’s first Muslim mayor, had pledged during his campaign that he would not attend.

“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, as reported by the Associated Press. Despite his personal absence, he committed to providing security and permits for the event. “While I will not be attending, my lack of attendance should not be mistaken for a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for its safety,” he stated, according to amNewYork.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish, confirmed she would attend the parade, drawing a clear distinction from the mayor’s decision. “It is the mayor’s decision not to march, and it is my decision to march proudly,” she said.

Record-Low Support for Israel

Mamdani’s decision unfolded against a backdrop of rapidly shifting American public opinion. A Gallup poll from February 2025 found that only 46% of Americans expressed sympathy for Israelis — the lowest figure in 25 years of tracking — while 33% sympathized with Palestinians, the highest ever recorded. The partisan divide on Israel has reached its widest point: 75% of Republicans sympathize with Israelis, while 59% of Democrats sympathize with Palestinians, a nearly 3-to-1 ratio.

These trends have accelerated since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza. Mamdani, who condemned the October 7 attack as a “horrific war crime” but also accused Israel of carrying out a “genocidal war” in Gaza, represents the leftward shift among Democrats on Israel-Palestine issues. Upon taking office, he rescinded an executive order barring city agencies from participating in the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and his office released a video commemorating the Nakba — the first such recognition by a sitting New York City mayor.

Parade Proceeds with Strong Turnout

Despite the mayor’s absence, the parade drew an estimated 40,000 participants and featured a delegation of 13 Israeli Knesset members from both the coalition and opposition, led by Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana. The delegation was the largest in the parade’s history, according to the Knesset, as The Jerusalem Post reported.

“This is an impressive show of strength and a direct message to the local leadership that is despicably fueling the fire of hatred in the city against Israel and its Jewish residents: You will not scare us,” Ohana said.

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett also condemned Mamdani’s decision, calling it “cowardly” in a post on X/Twitter, as The Jerusalem Post reported. “At a time when Jews are being harassed, attacked in the streets, and told to hide or apologize for who they are, choosing to march is an act of courage,” Bennett wrote. “Leadership means showing up for all New Yorkers, including the Jews who call this city home.”

Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon, who marched in the parade, said: “Especially in this period when antisemitism is rearing its head and hatred of Israel is being encouraged by elected officials, we stand tall, proud of our identity, and proudly wave the flag of Israel. No one will make us lower the flags of Israel.”

A Nuanced Response

The parade also featured a notable interfaith moment. Anila Ali, a Pakistani-born Muslim civil rights advocate, led the first Muslim delegation to participate in the parade, representing the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council. Her participation offered a counterpoint to the broader political tensions, demonstrating that support for Israel exists within segments of the Muslim American community.

Meanwhile, anti-Zionist ultra-Orthodox groups from Neturei Karta protested the parade, holding signs reading “Judaism rejects Zionism” and waving Palestinian flags.

Implications and Outlook

Mamdani’s decision to skip the parade — while attending other cultural celebrations such as the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and Lunar New Year Parade — has strained his relationship with Jewish constituents and Israeli officials. Rabbi Marc Schneier of The Hampton Synagogue told the mayor: “Do us a favor, stay home. We don’t need you. We don’t want you.”

According to Wikipedia, the parade was first organized in 1964 as the Youth Salute to Israel Parade by Manhattan Day School and has been held annually ever since, with cancellations only in 2020 and a virtual event in 2021 due to COVID-19. The 2026 theme was “Proud Americans, Proud Zionists.”

The broader question remains whether Mamdani’s decision signals a new normal for Democratic mayors nationwide. As American support for Israel continues to decline along partisan lines, local politics in New York — home to the nation’s largest Jewish population — may serve as a bellwether for national trends in US-Israel relations. For now, the parade went on, but the political landscape in which it takes place has fundamentally changed.