Yaakov Hagoel, chairman of the World Zionist Organization, called on Tuesday on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to join him at the March for Israel (the annual pro-Israel parade held in New York City), scheduled for May 31 on Fifth Avenue. Hagoel made the remarks at the BeSeva group's conference in Jerusalem during an interview with the group's chairman, Dudu Saada.
"As head of the Zionist movement, I am inviting the mayor of New York City to come and march alongside me," Hagoel said. "Tens of thousands of Jews march there every year. I am calling on him to come and march beside tens of thousands of Jews for the Jewish people and the State of Israel."
Hagoel said he had already reached out to Mamdani on the matter. "I wrote to him on International Holocaust Remembrance Day. Mr. Mayor, you are making a mistake. The first two decisions you made upon taking office were not to ban protests outside synagogues and to cancel the adoption of the IHRA definition for antisemitic events. I called on you to come to your senses and remember that a million of your residents are Jewish. He never responded."
During the interview, Hagoel also addressed his recent visit to Australia, where he traveled to the site of a terrorist attack in which 15 people were killed, and dozens more were wounded.
"I was in Australia to embrace our brothers and sisters overseas who went through a severe crisis," he said. He went on, "This was the worst terrorist attack ever carried out in Australia. The prime minister was called to the stage at an event with the bereaved families and said not a word – he only read out the names of the victims. He did not share in their grief and did not say a single word against antisemitism."
Hagoel said he made clear to the Australian prime minister that the responsibility for Jewish security falls on the state. "A Jew can live wherever he chooses, and the government is obligated to protect his safety just as it protects the safety of every other citizen – Jews, Muslims, and Christians. I said this plainly and directly."
Hagoel added that he planned to try to meet with the New York City mayor during his upcoming visit to the city – but stressed that the March for Israel mattered more. "More than just a meeting. I am inviting him to come to the march itself and march with us."
