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<\/a><\/p>\nNYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, JCRC CEO Mark Treyger, and Mayor Zohran Mamdani speak at a press conference on May 28, 2026. (Grace Gilson)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
\u201cTo be blunt, we are not messing around with security at this year\u2019s parade,\u201d Tisch said as she was flanked by Mayor Zohran Mamdani at NYPD headquarters. \u201cThe NYPD has one of the most robust municipal counterterrorism capabilities of any city in the world, and I am bringing all of that to bear for this year\u2019s parade.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mamdani, meanwhile, reiterated his decision to skip the annual parade on Thursday, even as he faced fresh criticism for the decision.<\/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 said Mamdani, whos strongly identifies with the pro-Palestinian movement and is a frequent critic of Israel. He added that he did not believe that his presence \u201cshould determine whether or not a New Yorker is safe or secure.\u201d<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s Israel Day on Fifth, which has the theme \u201cProud Americans, Proud Zionists,\u201d is slated to draw tens of thousands of participants on Sunday, according to Mark Treyger, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, which organizes the parade.<\/p>\n
Tisch, who will attend Sunday\u2019s parade as an honorary grand marshal, said that this year will see the largest number of police officers ever assigned to the parade.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the largest celebration of its kind outside of Israel, and for so many of us it\u2019s one of the most joyful days of the year, but the sobering truth is it is also taking place in a heightened threat environment with multiple threat factors active at the same time,\u201d Tisch, who is Jewish, said.<\/p>\n
Tisch added that attendees of the parade should also expect to see a host of security apparatuses, including \u201ccounterterrorism teams, explosive detection canines, helicopters, drones, emergency service, mounted units, hostile surveillance teams and other assets.\u201d Several designated screening entry points will also be set up along the route, and Fifth Avenue and Madison Avenue will be closed throughout the parade.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you think you are too important to be screened, don\u2019t come. There will be no exceptions,\u201d Tisch said, adding that \u201cany unauthorized persons entering the parade route will be arrested.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mamdani and Tisch stressed that there were \u201c no current known specific or credible threats against the parade.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked by a reporter whether she had concerns over Mamdani\u2019s decision to skip the event, Tisch replied, \u201cIt\u2019s the mayor\u2019s decision not to march, and it\u2019s my decision to march.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahead of his November election, Mamdani told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, \u201cWhile 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since his inauguration, Mamdani has participated in several parades across the city, including the Lunar New Year parade and the St. Patrick\u2019s Day Parade on Fifth Avenue in March.<\/p>\n
Still, Mamdani\u2019s decision to skip the event has drawn scrutiny from some Jewish leaders, including Michael Novakhov, a Republican member of the New York Assembly, who said in a statement that Mamdani was \u201cchoosing to boycott this event because he is more interested in appeasing radical antisemitic extremists than standing with Jewish New Yorkers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Moshe Davis, the former Executive Director of the Mayor\u2019s Office to Combat Antisemitism, wrote in an op-ed in Fox News Wednesday that the \u201cvery New Yorkers Mamdani claims to fight for are the ones his politics ultimately hurt.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rep. Mike Lawler, a New York Republican, also criticized the mayor\u2019s decision in a post on X, calling it \u201cshameful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Israel\u2019s consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, urged Jews and Israelis to attend the event, writing in a post on X, \u201cThis year, when antisemitism and hatred of Israel is at an all-time high \u2014 fueled by leaders in NYC and worldwide \u2014 we must show them that the blue and white flag will never be taken down!\u201d<\/p>\n
Ahead of the parade, The Jewish Majority, an advocacy group led by AIPAC veteran Jonathan Schulman that published a letter opposing the \u201cpolitical normalization\u201d of anti-Zionism during the mayoral election, also published a letter signed by 1,300 Jewish New Yorkers calling on Mamdani to address threats to Jewish safety.<\/p>\n
The letter called on Mamdani to \u201csupport legislation designed to better protect vulnerable Jewish institutions, to denounce rhetoric that demonizes Zionists, and to unequivocally condemn, not merely discourage, calls to globalize the intifada.\u201d<\/p>\n
On Wednesday, former New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that he planned to attend the event, saying in a video address, \u201cAt a time when antisemitism is rising across our country and Jewish New Yorkers are facing hatred, intimidation and attacks at unprecedented levels, you cannot afford silence.\u201d<\/p>\n
When asked by a reporter at the press conference if he had a response to Adams\u2019 announcement, Mamdani replied, \u201che\u2019s welcome to spend his time as he so chooses.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mark Treyger, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, which organizes the parade, said during the press conference Thursday that during Mamdani\u2019s transition period that there were \u201cassurances immediately from him and his team that there will be a parade.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThank you again to the City of New York for having and providing all this tremendous support,\u201d Treyger said. \u201cI\u2019m looking forward to a very safe, successful, and sunny Sunday parade.\u201d<\/p>\n