New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will not attend the Israel Day Parade on May 31, making him the first sitting mayor to skip the event since it began in 1964. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from Jewish leaders and organizations in a city that is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, and one where Jewish residents face a disproportionate share of hate crimes.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, confirmed earlier this month that he would stay away. The announcement was not a surprise. During an October 2025 interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, he signaled he would likely skip the parade as a matter of political principle. During his mayoral campaign, he went further, suggesting he would "miss a lot" of New York City's traditional parades because of his political views, evaluating appearances "case-by-case."

For Jewish New Yorkers already contending with weeks of anti-Israel demonstrations outside synagogues and communal institutions across the city, the mayor's absence from a 61-year-old civic tradition is more than symbolic. It is a statement, and Jewish leaders are treating it as one.

Jewish groups respond with boycott of Gracie Mansion event

The fallout arrived quickly. On Tuesday, two of the city's most prominent Jewish organizations, the UJA Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, declined an invitation to Mamdani's first Jewish Heritage event at Gracie Mansion, timed for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Shavuot. The snub-for-a-snub sent an unmistakable message: hosting a holiday reception at the mayor's residence does not substitute for showing up on Fifth Avenue.

Moshe Davis, former executive director of the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism under Mayor Eric Adams, laid out the historical weight of the decision in comments reported by Fox News Digital:

"Since the very first Israel Parade in 1964, every single sitting Mayor of New York City has joined in the festive celebrations. New York has historically been proud of its deep relationship with Israel. Not joining the parade is an affront to the history of New York City."

That is 61 years of unbroken mayoral participation, through wars, recessions, political upheaval, and every flavor of City Hall ideology. Mamdani is the one who chose to break the streak.

Mamdani's record on Israel draws scrutiny

The parade decision does not exist in isolation. Fox News Digital noted that a resurfaced clip shows Mamdani stating, "Israel is not a place, it is not a country." He has also implied he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if Netanyahu entered New York City. Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Danny Danon joined Fox News's "Saturday in America" to discuss Jewish New Yorkers' concerns about the mayor, including that Netanyahu remark.

Mamdani's spokesman, asked for comment by Fox News Digital, referred reporters to a statement the mayor had previously given to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency:

"I look forward to joining and hosting many community events celebrating Jewish life in New York and the rich Jewish history and culture of our city. While I will not be attending the Israel Day Parade, my lack of attendance should not be mistaken for a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for its safety. I've been very clear: I believe in equal rights for all people everywhere. That principle guides me consistently."

Read that again carefully. The mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel says his "principle" of "equal rights for all people everywhere" guides him to skip the one annual event that celebrates the Jewish state. He frames his absence as a principled stand. Jewish New Yorkers are left to wonder what principle, exactly, singles out their parade for a boycott while the mayor evaluates other parades "case-by-case."

Antisemitism numbers tell their own story

Mamdani himself, at the Gracie Mansion Jewish Heritage event, acknowledged the scale of the problem facing Jewish residents:

"Jewish New Yorkers, accounting for just nearly 12% of our city's population, are also the targets of more than 50% of all hate crimes."

That statistic is staggering. A community representing roughly one in eight New Yorkers absorbs more than half of the city's hate crimes. And the mayor's response to that reality is to skip the most visible annual celebration of Jewish and Israeli identity in the five boroughs.

He has proposed a $26 million annual investment to expand hate crime prevention efforts under the city's Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes. But Fox News Digital noted that details of how Mamdani would specifically tackle antisemitism were not clear at the time of publication. Money without a plan is a press release, not a policy.

Trump envoy warns leaders bear responsibility

Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, President Trump's special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, weighed in when asked about Mamdani's position:

"It is important we recognize the need for leaders to uphold their responsibility to protect religious freedom and refrain from making incendiary comments that contribute to the rise of antisemitism. Leaders who fail to do so bear responsibility for the increase in antisemitic activity."

Kaploun did not name Mamdani directly, but the context left little ambiguity. When a mayor declares "Israel is not a place, it is not a country," implies he would arrest the Israeli prime minister, and then refuses to walk in a parade that every predecessor attended for six decades, the word "incendiary" fits.

Former Mayor Adams and Governor Hochul draw a contrast

Former Mayor Eric Adams offered a different vision of the parade's meaning in remarks to Fox News Digital:

"The Israel Day Parade is a testament to one of New York City's most important relationships. From healthcare to technology to innovation, Israel and New York City are partners in building a better future. I want every New Yorker to join the Parade on Fifth Avenue because celebrating this bond isn't just for the Jewish community, it's for our entire city."

Adams marched up Fifth Avenue during the Israel Parade on June 4, 2023. Whatever his other controversies, he understood the parade as a civic obligation, not an optional endorsement.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul's spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that Hochul will participate in this year's parade. So the governor will be there. The former mayor urged New Yorkers to attend. The current mayor will not.

Parade organizers expect record turnout

If Mamdani intended his absence to diminish the event, it appears to be producing the opposite effect. Organizers say this year's parade is expected to draw record turnout and feature more marching groups than ever before. Some Muslim groups and Asian American organizations are slated to march alongside Jewish groups, a broader coalition than the event has historically drawn.

The parade's growth in the face of the mayor's boycott carries its own message. New Yorkers are not waiting for permission from City Hall to celebrate a bond that has defined the city for generations.

Meanwhile, the backdrop is grim. Anti-Israel demonstrators tried to enter the Brooklyn Museum on May 31, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas. Anti-Israel activists protested outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on April 7, 2025. Weeks of demonstrations outside synagogues and Jewish communal institutions have rattled neighborhoods across the city.

A mayor's choices reveal his priorities

Mamdani's defenders will point to his Gracie Mansion event, his proposed spending, and his stated commitment to "equal rights for all people everywhere." But actions speak in a register that press statements cannot match. Hosting a holiday reception costs nothing politically. Walking in a parade that has drawn every New York City mayor for 61 years, that requires a willingness to stand with a community under pressure, in public, on camera, without equivocation.

Mamdani chose not to. Two of the city's leading Jewish organizations noticed and declined his hospitality in return. The parade will march on without him.

When Jewish New Yorkers are targeted in more than half the city's hate crimes and their mayor cannot bring himself to walk a few blocks on Fifth Avenue, the "principle" at work is not equal rights. It is political calculation, and the people paying the price can see it plainly.