Three Israeli ministers and 13 Knesset members from both the coalition and opposition are expected to take part in the annual Israel parade in Manhattan later this month, in what Israeli officials describe as a message of solidarity with New York’s Jewish community amid rising antisemitism and tensions with Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana, who will head the delegation, said the visit was meant to show New York’s Jews that Israel stands with them. “We will send a message to New York’s Jewish community that the State of Israel is by their side,” he said.
The Israel parade in Manhattan last year
(Video: Daniel Edelson)
The parade, considered one of the Jewish community’s largest annual displays of support for Israel, is expected to be held under heavy security. Organizers are coordinating security arrangements with the New York Police Department, but community leaders fear turnout could be lower than in previous years because of the rise in antisemitic incidents and what Israeli officials describe as encouragement from Mamdani’s rhetoric and actions.
The government is expected to be represented by Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, Immigration and Absorption Minister Ofir Sofer, Negev, Galilee and National Resilience Minister Yitzhak Wasserlauf and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu. The delegation will also include 13 lawmakers from the coalition and opposition, as well as the directors general of the Tourism Ministry, Labor Ministry and Knesset, along with Knesset employees.
A large delegation of mayors is also expected to attend under the auspices of Peres Academic Center. If the war with Iran resumes, the Israeli delegation’s departure could be canceled.
Ohana’s office said previous Israel parades in New York had included Knesset delegations organized with the Jewish Agency, but not the Knesset speaker himself.
“With the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York, and in light of his many extremist statements regarding the intifada and against the State of Israel, including the appointment of people with antisemitic backgrounds, the Knesset speaker decided that this year the largest delegation ever sent by the Knesset would travel, led by him,” Ohana’s office said.
The statement also pointed to what it described as the recent revelation that Mamdani’s wife had publicly supported Hamas’ October 7 massacre.
“Especially in a year in which New York’s Jewish community is experiencing a worrying rise in antisemitism, and there is real concern in the Jewish community over the words and actions of Mayor Mamdani, there is special importance to a large delegation of Knesset members from both the opposition and coalition, which will send a message to New York’s Jews that the State of Israel stands with them,” the statement said.