The world's largest show of support for Israel is underway: The Celebrate Israel Parade is currently marching along Fifth Avenue in Manhattan, in the annual event that draws tens of thousands of marchers and spectators from across the US. The parade, held every year, began Sunday at 11:30 a.m. New York time, and organizers estimate that this year it is expected to set a record with more than 40,000 marchers. The special interest surrounding the parade stems from the fact that this is the first year it is being held under Mayor Zohran Mamdani's tenure.
This year, the spotlight is focused precisely on the person who is absent. Mamdani officially announced that he would not take part in the parade, making him the first New York City mayor to boycott the event since it was founded in 1964. "I said during the campaign that I would not attend the parade, and my positions on the Israeli government are absolutely clear," Mamdani said last week, while stressing that his absence should not be interpreted as a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for the event to be held safely.
Unlike Mamdani, a series of senior US officials, at both the federal and local levels, will march in the parade: New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, state Attorney General Letitia James, state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, New York City Comptroller Mark Levine and City Council Speaker Julie Menin. This year's parade is being led by New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is also in charge of the security operation. US Rep. Dan Goldman also said he would march.
Israel is expected to have an unprecedented presence this year, with 26 elected officials attending. The ministers set to march include Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, Aliyah and Integration Minister Ofir Sofer, Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu and Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf. Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana is also expected to take part, along with a series of MKs from the coalition and opposition, including Meir Cohen, Eti Atia, Merav Ben-Ari, Orit Farkash-Hacohen and Oded Forer.
Against the backdrop of rising antisemitism, this year's parade is being held under the most extensive security operation in its history. "I put it simply: We are not playing around with the security of the parade this year," Police Commissioner Tisch said, making clear that uniformed and plainclothes officers, counterterrorism teams, explosive-detection units, helicopters, drones and K-9 units would be deployed along the route. Spectators will go through magnetometer screening, and double barriers have been placed along the avenue to separate spectators from marchers. According to police, there is no known concrete threat against the event.
The parade, which runs from 62nd Street to 74th Street, marks Israel's 78th Independence Day this year under the slogan "Proud Americans, Proud Zionists." Marchers include groups from many US states, Israel and 13 other countries.
