NEW YORK — Tens of thousands are expected to march in New York City’s annual Israel parade on Sunday, although the march will not include one of its mainstay attendees — the city’s mayor.

The parade, called Israel Day on Fifth, sees Jewish groups march up Manhattan’s iconic Fifth Avenue. The event is a cornerstone of the area’s Jewish community, drawing in participants from around the city and the region.

City and state leaders are prominent attendees, and the city’s mayor has joined the parade for decades. That changed with Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a harsh critic of Israel who has identified as an anti-Zionist and took office in January.

Mamdani is a longtime supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanction (BDS) movement targeting Israel, which bars any “normalization” with Israel.

Last year, Mamdani said, “I will not be attending the Israel Day Parade,” while adding, “I believe in equal rights for all people — everywhere.”

Mamdani’s refusal to participate highlights his break with mainstream Jewish groups, in tensions that have continued to climb in recent weeks. The mainstream Jewish community had long enjoyed City Hall’s support, while Mamdani’s Jewish allies are to the left of the community’s center.

Different communities in New York City hold annual celebratory marches, and the Israel parade serves as the de facto annual celebration for the Jewish community.

Mark Treyger, the head of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the group that organizes the parade, said that, despite Mamdani’s refusal to participate, his administration has been cooperative.

City Hall is responsible for granting permits for parades. Treyger said that the Mamdani team, during its transition period, “made clear to us that they were going to grant permits for the parade and they saw no changes coming.”

The coordination with permits, the NYPD, and city agencies “has all been working smoothly,” Treyger said in an interview on Wednesday.

“The overwhelming........

© The Times of Israel