NEW YORK (RNS) — An estimated 60,000 marchers and more than 100,000 spectators gathered on Fifth Avenue on Sunday (May 31) for New York City’s Israel Day Parade, an annual event that has drawn criticism from those who oppose Israel’s military actions and government.
By not attending the event, Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a pro-Palestinian activist and staunch critic of Israel, became the first sitting New York City mayor since the parade’s founding in 1964 to skip it.
The parade’s supporters say participation is foremost about supporting the New York Jewish community — which has faced escalating antisemitic incidents since the Hamas attacks of Oct. 7, 2023, and the ensuing war in Gaza — rather than the actions of the Israeli government. The city is home to the largest population of Jews outside of Israel.
Several other state and city leaders joined in the festivities and gave speeches, including Gov. Kathy Hochul and former NYC mayors Michael R. Bloomberg and Eric Adams. Jessica Tisch, the city’s Jewish police commissioner, was a marshal.
“What an incredible display of unity, love, and resilience as tens of thousands of New Yorkers turned out for the Israel Day Parade in NYC,” Adams tweeted after the parade. “Today, we boycotted antisemitism and sent a powerful message: New York will always stand with its Jewish community, and New Yorkers will always stand with Israel.”
A February poll conducted by the Jewish Federations of North America found that 9 out of 10 Jews said they support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic country, but only one-third …