Thousands of New Yorkers marched down Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on Sunday for the Israel Day Parade, joined by Gov. Kathy Hochul, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, and former mayors Eric Adams and Michael Bloomberg. The city's current mayor, Zohran Mamdani, was not among them.
Mamdani, a vocal critic of Israel who supports the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement and does not recognize Israel as the Jewish state, had announced months ago that he would not attend. He spent his Sunday morning on a call-in radio show discussing his job and a possible second-term run. Later, the New York Post reported that the mayor was spotted riding a bicycle through the city in a white collared dress shirt, black suit, and dress shoes, without a helmet.
The contrast told the whole story. While the parade, an annual tradition dating to 1964, filled Fifth Avenue with marchers and Israeli flags, New York City's mayor chose to be somewhere else entirely. It marked the first time a sitting mayor has skipped the Israel Day Parade, a break with decades of bipartisan precedent that parade-goers noticed and did not forgive.
Bloomberg, who marched in the parade for all twelve years of his tenure, walked the route in blue and white, waving the flag of Israel beside Commissioner Tisch. The crowd responded warmly. "We miss you, Mike!" attendees shouted as the former mayor passed.
Adams, who attended every year of his own administration, drew similar affection. Rabbi Yoav, a 59-year-old from the Lower East Side, yelled out: "We miss you, Mayor Adams!" Another parade-goer cut straight to the point: "The real mayor is here, Mr. Adams!"
Adams also posted a video on X addressing the day's significance. In it, the former mayor spoke directly about the current moment:
"At a time when antisemitism is rising across our country and Jewish New Yorkers are facing hatred, intimidation and attacks at unprecedented levels, you cannot afford silence."
The message was plainly aimed at Mamdani, though Adams did not name him.
Commissioner Tisch marched behind the NYPD's banner, flanked by officers. Just last week, she had stood beside Mamdani at a press conference about security arrangements for the parade. On Sunday, she stood apart from him in a more visible way.
Tisch told reporters her reasoning in a single sentence:
"It's the mayor's decision not to march, and it's my decision to march proudly."
That line landed with the crowd. Some attendees began chanting "Jessie for mayor!" as Tisch moved along the route. Whether or not Tisch has any such ambition, the chant reflected something real: a community looking for a city leader willing to show up.
Mamdani had laid the groundwork for his absence well in advance. In October, he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he would not attend:
"While I will not be attending the Israel Day Parade, my lack of attendance should not be mistaken for a refusal to provide security or the necessary permits for its safety."
He added:
"I've been very clear: I believe in equal rights for all people, everywhere. That principle guides me consistently."
The mayor is just months into his first term and more than three years from the next mayoral election. His decision to skip the parade was not a surprise. But the optics of his Sunday afternoon were harder to explain.
Mamdani was photographed riding a bicycle through the city in full business attire, suit, dress shirt, dress shoes, and no helmet. That detail carried a particular sting because his own administration had promoted helmet safety just last month. A city press release from the mayor's office encouraged helmet use and announced free-helmet giveaways. Mamdani himself was quoted in the release saying, "A safe bike ride is a good bike ride," and, "Safe cycling starts with the right gear, like a well-fit helmet."
Helmets are required by law for bicycle riders under age 14 in New York City. Adults are not legally required to wear one. But a mayor who just finished a public-safety campaign urging riders to gear up, then climbed on a bike without a helmet while the city's Jewish community marched without him, that sequence writes its own editorial.
The crowd's feelings about Mamdani's absence were not subtle. Stella Englard, a 41-year-old from Westchester County, waved an Israeli flag and told the Post:
"He's the most divisive mayor that I have seen in my lifetime. This is the first time a mayor has not been to the Israel Day Parade. That tells you everything you need to know."
Englard added that it was "better off that he's not here" and that "there would be a lot of angry people if he was here."
Hedy Aldima, a Brooklyn resident, wore a T-shirt with an unprintable message about the mayor. She told the Post plainly: "First of all, we don't want him here. We don't need him here." Aldima went further, comparing Mamdani unfavorably to former Mayor Bill de Blasio, no small statement in a city where de Blasio left office deeply unpopular.
"At one time I thought [Bill] de Blasio was the worst mayor. This guy makes him look like a cupcake."
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, a Republican running for governor in November, offered his own assessment to the Post:
"I'm glad he's not here. We don't need a wolf in sheep's clothing."
One of the day's most notable developments had nothing to do with Mamdani. Anila Ali, an interfaith activist and founder of the American Muslim & Multifaith Women's Empowerment Council, led the first-ever Muslim group to march in the Israel Day Parade.
Ali and her group walked along Fifth Avenue despite what the Post described as threats and intimidation. Their participation stood in sharp contrast to City Councilwoman Shahana Hanif, who was reported to have said she hoped pro-Israel Muslim organizers like Ali would be condemned "to Jahannam", the Islamic term for hell.
Ali's presence made a point that Mamdani's absence only sharpened. A Muslim woman led a group into the parade for the first time in its sixty-plus-year history, walking the same route the city's own Muslim mayor refused to walk. Whatever one's views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the juxtaposition was hard to miss.
Mayors attend parades. It is one of the most basic acts of civic leadership, showing up, being present, acknowledging the communities that make up the city. New York's Israel Day Parade has drawn every sitting mayor for decades. Bloomberg did it twelve times. Adams did it every year. The parade is not a policy endorsement. It is a recognition that Jewish New Yorkers are part of the city and that their community matters.
Mamdani chose otherwise. He framed his decision as a matter of principle, insisting his absence should not be read as hostility. But principles are tested by what you do, not by what you say you believe. And what the mayor did on Sunday was skip the parade, talk about himself on the radio, and ride a bike through town without the helmet his own office told New Yorkers to wear.
The crowd on Fifth Avenue noticed. They cheered for two former mayors who no longer hold power and chanted the name of a police commissioner who does not hold elected office. They did not chant for the man who holds the office that matters most.
When your city's residents are cheering for the people who used to have your job, the message is not complicated. Leadership is presence. Absence is a choice, and choices have consequences.