Mamdani evades question on double standard for NYC’s annual Israel parade

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani evaded a question about a double standard he has applied to the city’s annual parade in support of Israel in an interview published on Friday.

Mamdani has refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, saying he does not “recognize any state’s right to exist with a system of hierarchy on the basis of race or religion.”

He has also refused to march in the city’s annual Israel Day on Fifth, a major event for the Jewish community in the city — on Fifth Avenue — and surrounding areas. The parade is led by the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and the UJA-Federation of New York.

Mamdani marched in a parade for Pakistan this year, however. Pakistan’s official state religion is Islam, and religious minorities are persecuted by state and non-state actors, according to the US State Department. Minority groups such as Christians are persecuted under laws outlawing blasphemy against Islam.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency asked Mamdani about skipping the Israel parade, while joining the parade for Pakistan, “another event celebrating the independence of a foreign nation that embeds religion into governance and has perpetual conflict with its neighbor.”

“I look forward to joining —and hosting — many community events celebrating Jewish life in New York and the rich Jewish history and culture of our city,” Mamdani said, going on to confirm he will not be attending the Israel parade.

“My lack of attendance should not be mistaken for a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for its safety. I’ve been very clear: I believe in equal rights for all people — everywhere,” he said, without addressing the double standard.

New York City mayors have attended every year’s Israel Day Parade for decades, alongside other state and local leaders.

Mamdani, a far-left anti-Israel activist, is the heavy favorite to win Tuesday’s election to lead the city with the world’s largest Jewish population outside of Israel. His leading rival, former governor Andrew Cuomo, is a pro-Israel centrist. Mamdani’s candidacy has alarmed a swath of the Jewish community, including some of the city’s leading Reform rabbis.

Mamdani was also asked in the interview about his past support for “anti-normalization,” a refusal to meet with pro-Israel groups. While he was a student at Bowdoin College in Maine, Mamdani established the campus chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency asked Mamdani about the leader of a liberal pro-Israel group at Bowdoin who said Mamdani refused to meet with him due to anti-normalization, how he viewed the policy today, and whether it would affect his interactions with Jewish groups that disagree with him about Israel.

“I’ve been honored to meet with countless Jewish leaders and organizations, including many who have different views on Israel and Zionism than my own,” he said. “I am looking to be a mayor for all New Yorkers and look forward to meeting with anyone who cares about making the most expensive city in America affordable to all who call it home.”

Mamdani, as a state assemblymember representing part of Queens, proposed legislation that would strip nonprofit status from charities with ties to Israeli settlements. Critics said the bill would effectively target the vast majority of Jewish charities, because they donate to groups, such as social services, that are active over the Green Line, but do not advance settlement activity.

In the interview, he stood by that policy.

“Charities and nonprofits that receive a taxpayer subsidy should not support the violation of international law, and that’s what the right-wing Israeli settlement project is doing,” he said.

Mamdani highlighted his plan for Jewish education in the city’s public schools, and his public safety plan to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe with his proposed Department of Community Safety.

“My administration will protect Jewish New Yorkers on the street, on the subway, and in their synagogues,” he said.

He also acknowledged those in the Jewish community who are concerned about his candidacy. More than 1,000 rabbis signed a letter warning about his anti-Zionism last month.

“I hope they know that, whether or not they support or agree with me, I will always be a mayor who protects them and their communities. I don’t begrudge folks who are skeptical of me,” he said. “I hope to prove that I am someone to build a relationship with, not one to fear.”