The annual Celebrate Israel Parade in New York broke several records this week. More than 50,000 people took part — the largest turnout since the event was founded in 1964. The delegation of Israeli ministers and lawmakers was also the largest in the parade’s history. At the same time, New York City’s sitting mayor officially boycotted the event for the first time.
This year’s parade is likely to be remembered as an especially politically charged event. A day later, organizers and public officials moved quickly to distance themselves from the participation of Israeli ministers Bezalel Smotrich, Yitzhak Wasserlauf, Ofir Sofer and Amichai Eliyahu, along with several members of the Knesset, who marched along Fifth Avenue.
The annual pro-Israel parade on Fifth Avenue in New York City
(Photo: JCRC-NY)
Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC), the parade’s lead organizer, said the organization had not been informed in advance that the ministers planned to participate.
“Participation in the parade does not constitute an endorsement of any political figure or ideology,” Treyger said. He added that the organization rejects rhetoric that dehumanizes others, fuels division or undermines the dignity of any person.
Treyger accused the Israeli Consulate in New York, which is typically responsible for coordinating Israeli delegations for the parade, of a “complete lack of transparency.” He said the consulate had been asked about the identities of participants but did not provide their names, and that he learned of the finance minister’s presence only as the parade was nearing its conclusion.
An Israeli official, however, told Ynet that the federation had been informed of Smotrich’s planned arrival as early as Thursday and had voiced no objections. The official added that even if objections had been raised, it would not have been possible to tell a serving Israeli minister not to march in a parade supporting Israel.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who, as previously reported, boycotted the parade because of his long-standing opposition to Israeli government policies, said he was “hurt” by the ministers’ participation.
Mamdani argued that the presence of Smotrich and other ministers represented “a vision of destruction, complicity in genocide and, frankly, a belief that places little value even on the sanctity of the lives of children in Gaza.”
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, who is generally regarded as supportive of Israel, also issued an unusually sharp condemnation.
“Bezalel Smotrich is a far-right extremist whose divisive and hate-filled rhetoric is fundamentally at odds with the values we cherish in New York,” Hochul said. “The parade was a celebration of Jewish pride and unity, and I strongly condemn his participation.”
Other New York officials who attended the parade also changed their tone afterward and issued similar statements, emphasizing that they had not known the finance minister would be present. State Attorney General Letitia James said that “Islamophobia has no place in New York” and added that she unequivocally condemns Smotrich’s rhetoric.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is Jewish and widely seen as one of the most prominent pro-Israel voices in the Mamdani administration, said that “offensive language has no place in a celebration of this kind.”
Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, who spoke at the parade, said his opposition to what he described as Smotrich’s extremism is “public and long-standing.” A spokesperson for City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who is Jewish, said she completely condemns the minister’s views.
Liberal pro-Israel organizations, including J Street, expressed shock that Smotrich had been welcomed at the event and called for him to be shunned in the United States. They noted his history of statements viewed as hostile toward Palestinians, the LGBTQ community and Reform Judaism. They also pointed out that Smotrich said last month he had learned that a prosecutor at the International Criminal Court had sought a confidential arrest warrant against him.
J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami described Smotrich as “a fanatic whom the U.S. government should sanction” and said Jewish community leaders should boycott him.
In an interview with ynet, Smotrich acknowledged that his visit was intended to send a message.
“This is actually my first time here,” he said. “I traveled to Washington to sign a very important agreement as part of the Isaac Accords, but while I was there, I wasn’t going to miss coming here. It’s a major celebration of unity and of the connection among Jews around the world, especially this year, when there is a war in Israel and when winds of change are blowing through this city.”
“We came to say that we are together,” he added. “American Jewry supports Israel, and the State of Israel supports American Jewry. More broadly, we share a common destiny, purpose and mission as Jews throughout the world. For thousands of years, we have experienced ups and downs, but reality speaks for itself. We continue to grow, develop and thrive despite these challenges.”
Asked whether he was concerned about entering a city whose mayor boycotted the event and pledged to honor any International Criminal Court arrest warrants against him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Smotrich replied:
“Thank God, the United States is still a nation governed by the rule of law, with all due respect to the mayor. I think he is mistaken, and I hope he reconsiders. History proves time and again that those on the right side of history prevail, while those on the wrong side lose. Unfortunately for him, he will lose.”
Smotrich also addressed a message directly to Mamdani.
“I simply hope he thinks again,” he said. “It probably stems from something very deep in his Muslim identity in relation to the State of Israel. There is something about the State of Israel that represents the greatest challenge to the Islamic theological notion that God abandoned the Jewish people and replaced them with something else.
“When the Jewish people returned to the stage of history 78 years ago and rebuilt their national home with tremendous divine assistance, the world began confronting these contradictions. I hope he will do the same. I’m not here to give advice to the city. I’m a guest. I came to convey a message of connection and shared destiny.”
Asked whether he would accept an invitation to the mayor’s office for a handshake, Smotrich replied: “Of course.”
Also participating in the parade were Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu, who said last year that Israel was “erasing Gaza” and that it would become Jewish; MK Ariel Kallner, who previously called for a second Nakba in response to the Oct. 7 massacre; and MK Yitzhak Kreuzer, who has called for Gaza to be “wiped off the map,” arguing that there are no innocent civilians there.
As the delegation proceeded down Fifth Avenue, it received enthusiastic support from many spectators. Others, however, protested and shouted “Shame!” as it passed.