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Mamdani won’t attend Israel Day Parade, breaking decades-long mayoral tradition amid antisemitism surge
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Democratic-socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani of New York City is being slammed by Jewish groups for his decision to miss the city’s historic Israel Day Parade. His decision comes as the Big Apple wrestles with record levels of antisemitism.
Home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, Jewish New Yorkers have long viewed the annual parade as one of the city’s clearest public displays of solidarity with both the Jewish state and the community. On Tuesday, two of the city’s most prominent Jewish organizations declined an invitation to a Jewish heritage event held at Gracie Mansion in response to Mamdani’s latest snub.
“Since the very first Israel Parade in 1964, every single sitting Mayor of New York City has joined in the festive celebrations. New York has historically been proud of its deep relationship with Israel. Not joining the parade is an affront to the history of New York City,” Moshe Davis, former executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism under Mayor Eric Adams, told Fox News Digital.
NYC ANTISEMITIC INCIDENTS NEARLY TRIPLE DESPITE OTHER CRIMES REACHING RECORD LOWS
Marchers hold flags during the Celebrate Israel Parade on June 2, 2024, in New York City. (Roy Rochlin/Getty Images)
Earlier this month, Mamdani officially confirmed that he would not attend the event, despite soaring antisemitism in New York City and weeks of anti-Israel demonstrations outside synagogues and Jewish communal institutions across the city. Parade, organizers say the event on May 31 is expected to draw record turnout in response to Mamdani’s snub.
While the mayor had previously indicated during an October 2025 interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that he would likely not attend as a matter of political principle, his renewed public confirmation has led to growing criticism.
Fox News Digital reached out to Mamdani’s office regarding the criticism from Jewish leaders over not attending the parade and were referred by his spokesman to a statement he had given to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
Anti-Israel demonstrators try to enter the Brooklyn Museum, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas, in New York City, May 31, 2024. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)
ERIC ADAMS WARNS NYC ‘NOT FINE’ AFTER MAMDANI’S WIN, SAYS IF HE WAS JEWISH HE’D BE WORRIED FOR HIS CHILDREN
“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. 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. I’ve been very clear: I believe in equal rights for all people everywhere. That principle guides me consistently.”
Community leaders say the decision breaks with decades of bipartisan tradition in a city where participation in the parade has long been viewed as both symbolic and expected.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani is once again raising eyebrows, this time over a resurfaced clip in which he says, “Israel is not a place, it is not a country.” (Reuters/Jeenah Moon and iStock)
Despite the mayor declining the invitation, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that she will participate in the parade.
Organizers say this year’s event is expected to feature more marching groups than ever before, driven not only by support for Israel but also by concern over rising antisemitism.
One person associated with the parade told Fox News Digital the event is expected to be “safer at the parade than in your own home,” citing extensive security coordination surrounding this year’s march.
Still, much of the conversation surrounding the parade has centered on Mamdani’s absence.
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During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani suggested he would likely “miss a lot” of New York City’s traditional parades due to his political views, while evaluating appearances “case-by-case.”
Mayor Eric Adams marches up Fifth Avenue during the Israel Parade on June 4, 2023, in New York City. (John Lamparski/Getty Images)
Critics argue the Israel Day Parade is not simply another political event, but a long-standing civic tradition closely tied to New York City’s Jewish identity and history.
“The Israel Day Parade is a testament to one of New York City’s most important relationships. From healthcare to technology to innovation, Israel and New York City are partners in building a better future. I want every New Yorker to join the Parade on Fifth Avenue because celebrating this bond isn’t just for the Jewish community, it’s for our entire city,” former Mayor Eric Adams told Fox News Digital.
Anti-Israel activists protest outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, on April 7, 2025. (Selcuk Acar/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The controversy surrounding Mamdani has also widened beyond the parade itself, with the UJA Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York declining to attend his first Jewish Heritage event for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Shavuot at Gracie Mansion, stating they would not participate in an event hosted by a mayor who “denies the core pillar of our heritage, the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people.”
At the event, Mamdani acknowledged the scale of antisemitism facing the city’s Jewish population, stating, “Jewish New Yorkers, accounting for just nearly 12% of our city’s population, are also the targets of more than 50% of all hate crimes.”
He also announced a proposed $26 million annual investment toward expanding hate crime prevention efforts under the city’s Office for the Prevention of Hate Crimes. Details of the proposal were not clear regarding how he would tackle antisemitism at time of publication.
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Ambassador Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, Trump’s special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, told Fox News Digital when asked about Mamdani’s position, “It is important we recognize the need for leaders to uphold their responsibility to protect religious freedom and refrain from making incendiary comments that contribute to the rise of antisemitism. Leaders who fail to do so bear responsibility for the increase in antisemitic activity.”
This year’s parade is also expected to feature expanded interfaith participation. In a first for the event’s 61-year history, some Muslim groups are slated to march alongside Jewish organizations, in addition to expanded participation from Asian American groups and others.
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A former British pirate radio station apologised on Wednesday “for any distress caused” after accidentally announcing the death of King Charles III.
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The erroneous announcement was made on Tuesday afternoon due to a computer error at its main studio in Maldon in eastern Essex, Radio Caroline said in a post on social media.
The error had triggered the so-called death of a monarch procedure “which all UK stations hold in readiness while hoping not to require,” wrote station manager Peter Moore.
“Radio Caroline then fell silent as would be required, which alerted us to restore programming and issue an on-air apology,” he said on Facebook post.
“Caroline has been pleased to broadcast Her Majesty the Queen’s and now the King’s, Christmas message and we hope to do so for many years to come,” he said, referring to the monarch’s traditional Christmas Day message to the nation.
“We apologise to HM (his majesty) the king and to our listeners for any distress caused,” Moore added.
The mishap on Tuesday came as Charles and Queen Camilla were in Northern Ireland, where they joined a performance with an Irish folk group.
The post did not say how long it was before the mistake was discovered but the domestic Press Association news agency reported that on Wednesday afternoon, playback for Tuesday’s broadcast between 1:58 pm and 5:00 pm was unavailable on the station’s website.
Established in 1964 to challenge the BBC’s broadcasting monopoly, Radio Caroline previously operated from ships off the English coast.
After legislation in 1967 forced many pirate broadcasters to close, it continued intermittently before ending offshore broadcasts in 1990.
Caroline and other similar pirate stations inspired the 2009 comedy film “The Boat that Rocked” starring Bill Nighy and Philip Seymour Hoffman about a group of eccentric DJs living and working together at sea.
Additional sources • AFP
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A judge on Tuesday paused the prosecution of a woman charged with the attempted murder of Rihanna and more than a dozen other felonies and sent the case to a mental health court that will determine whether she is competent to stand trial.
At a Los Angeles meeting held in a judge’s chambers, Deputy Public Defender Derek Dillman said he had doubts over the mental competence of his client, 35-year-old Ivanna Lisette Ortiz of Orlando, Florida, court documents showed. Ortiz has pleaded not guilty to firing at the house of Rihanna, her partner A$AP Rocky and their children while all of them were home.
Judge Shannon K. Cooley ordered psychiatric evaluations and temporarily transferred the case to a Hollywood mental health court that specializes in determining whether defendants can understand the proceedings and go through a trial.
“It is the ethical obligation of counsel and the court to ensure that Ms. Ortiz’s rights are protected, including being able to assist counsel in conducting a defense in a rational manner,” Dillman said in an email to The Associated Press.
Prosecutors declined comment.
If she is found incompetent, she could be held indefinitely in a state hospital until she is able to face the charges. She is set to appear June 2 in the same courtroom where a judge recently found that a man accused of stalking Jennifer Aniston was incompetent to stand trial.
At a hearing a week earlier, Cooley had declined to pause the process for mental health evaluation, and Ortiz objected, saying she wanted the case to proceed on the path to trial. She did not appear in court on Tuesday. Cooley ordered that she should continue to be held on nearly $2 million bail.
Police and prosecutors allege that on March 8, Ortiz pulled up in a Tesla to the Beverly Hills-area property of the singing superstar Rihanna and her rapper partner A$AP Rocky, pointed an AR-15 style rifle out the window and sprayed at least 20 bullets toward the property and a neighboring house. No one was injured.
Shots hit an Airstream trailer that Rihanna and Rocky were inside, according to police interviews with the couple. Investigators found bullet holes in the trailer and on the exterior wall of the home’s second-floor nursery, where the three kids were with their nanny.
Investigators said that after her arrest later that day, Ortiz told them “I wasn’t attempting murder,” according to a police report.
Ortiz is charged with 10 counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, one for each of the people on the two properties. She’s also charged with three counts of shooting at an occupied vehicle or dwelling.
Ortiz had no prior police record, authorities said. Public records show she had been a licensed speech pathologist for more than a decade.
Authorities have not discussed a motive or described any connection between her and Rihanna.
A nine-time Grammy Award winner, Rihanna has 14 No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, including “We Found Love,” “Work,” “Umbrella” and “Disturbia.”
World
WHO head ‘deeply concerned’ over ‘scale and speed’ of Ebola spread, says emergency committee will meet
WHO issues WARNING after DEADLY ebola outbreak
The CDC is coordinating the ‘safe withdrawal’ of at least six Americans exposed to a deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo after the WHO declared a global health emergency.
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The head of the World Health Organization announced a meeting of his emergency committee regarding the “scale and speed” of the Ebola outbreak in the Congo and Uganda on Tuesday.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cited data saying there have been over 500 suspected cases in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in recent weeks, and 33 confirmed cases. There have been two confirmed cases in Uganda. The outbreak has seen a total of 131 fatalities.
“I’m deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic,” Tedros said in a Tuesday statement.
Tedros is meeting with the WHO’s Emergency Committee later Tuesday.
US ISSUES URGENT TRAVEL WARNING AS DEADLY EBOLA OUTBREAK SPREADS OVERSEAS
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, speaks during an event. (Lian Yi/Xinhua via Getty Images)
There are several factors that have made the WHO concerned about the potential for further spread, such as cases in urban areas, including Kampala, Uganda, and Goma in the DRC, as well as the conflict-affected province of Ituri.
The WHO has approved $3.9 million in emergency funding to support national authorities as they respond to the outbreak.
The WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency on Sunday, and the U.S. issued an urgent travel warning for the DRC shortly after on Monday.
UGANDA STARTS CLINICAL TRIAL OF VACCINE FOR SUDAN STRAIN OF EBOLA AMID NEW OUTBREAK
A health worker sprays disinfectant on a colleague after working at an Ebola treatment center in Beni, eastern Congo, on Sept. 9, 2018. (Al-hadji Kudra Maliro/AP)
Officials said the outbreak was caused by the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola virus, a rarer variant for which existing vaccines may be less effective.
The State Department warns that Ebola is a “rare, severe and often fatal hemorrhagic fever illness.”
The virus can spread through direct contact with infected individuals, bodily fluids, infected corpses and objects contaminated with the virus.
CRUISE SHIP PASSENGER DESCRIBES UNCERTAINTY AFTER 3 DEATHS AMID HANTAVIRUS PROBE
“The U.S. government is unable to provide emergency services to U.S. citizens in Ituri province,” the advisory noted. “Do not travel to this area for any reason.”
Pictured is the MV Hondius, the cruise ship tied to a hantavirus outbreak after a stop in Argentina that left three passengers dead. (Europa Press Canarias via Getty Images)
The development comes as global health officials continue monitoring a rare hantavirus outbreak tied to the MV Hondius cruise ship, which left multiple passengers and crew members sick, and caused three deaths.
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As of May 13, the WHO said 11 hantavirus cases had been identified in connection with the cruise outbreak, including eight confirmed cases, two probable cases and one inconclusive case.
Fox News’ Andrea Margolis and Michael Sinkewicz and Reuters contributed to this report.
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