Interfaith Muslim activist joins annual Israel parade in NYC; Mayor Mamdani boycotts event

The “Israel Day Parade on Fifth Avenue," due to take place on Sunday in New York City, has been attended by every mayor of the city since its first iteration in 1961. However, this year, NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani is boycotting the event along with dozens of other municipal leaders and cultural figures.

The stated reason for the boycott is a protest against Israeli policy in the Gaza Strip. However, some pro-Israel activists argue it reflects broader opposition to Israel and comes amid concerns over rising antisemitism in New York City and across the Western world.

Despite the boycott, others are choosing to take part in the annual Israel on Fifth event.

Anila Ali (58) is a Pakistani-born naturalized U.S. citizen who leads the American Muslim & Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council. She said she will participate in the parade despite criticism from several other activists in the city and some members of the NYC Council.

“We are a little worried after somebody’s been calling and saying to wear a bulletproof vest,” Ali told The New York Post. “But we’re fighting to take back our country, and it’s a fight that every American should join.” 

“I want to show I’m a proud Muslim – I try not to think about the threat, but about what we’re doing – standing with Israel’s right to exist.”

Speaking about Mamdani’s decision to boycott the parade and other measures he has taken during his first few months in office, she said, “He’s using the politics of intimidation.”

She added that many Muslim residents in New York disagree with several of his policies but are not speaking out. “They want this mayor out,” Ali said, “but they fear that the moment they do, they will be intimidated and harassed.”

On Tuesday, Ali spoke at a New York rally under the banner, “End Jew Hatred,” declaring, among other things, “Saying ‘I’m a Muslim’ does not give you, Mr. Mamdani, the right to make Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe.”

“I’m now speaking at the height of antisemitism in America for my Jewish brothers and sisters,” she added.

Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, also spoke with the NY Post, saying, “Community bridge-building is at the heart of what we do at JCRC-NY. We are proud to welcome our interfaith partners to march alongside us in the Israel Day on 5th Parade. In the backdrop of a time of division, it is incredibly powerful to witness these moments of unity and mutual respect. We are grateful for their continued support and allyship.”

According to recent data, there are just under two million Jewish residents in the Greater New York Metropolitan region, with another half million or so living in adjacent communities in northern New Jersey. This population is the largest concentration of Jewish people in the world outside the State of Israel, but only around 15% of the overall population of the extended urban region.

In 2025, the New York Police Department (NYPD) reported 576 hate crimes in 2025, of which 57% targeted Jews. Police departments in other major American cities have also reported a sharp rise in antisemitic attacks over the past few years and organizations like the Jewish Agency and Nefesh B’Nefesh have reported a parallel surge in interest by Jews in immigrating (making aliyah) to Israel.

“M,” an ultra-Orthodox resident of Passaic, New Jersey, who grew up in New York and taught in the public school system for 30 years before retiring, is among the growing number of Jews-Americans considering aliyah.

“This is not the country I grew up in,” she said. “New York City used to be the greatest place on earth, but it’s getting really weird and scary for Jews, and a lot of other people. The crime is almost as bad as it was back in the 70s, and now that includes hate crimes against Jews, something I never thought would be an issue here.”

In response to the NYPD reports of a massive rise in antisemitic incidents, M. told ALL ISRAEL NEWS, “I’ve been screamed at and called ugly names by children just walking down the street in Brooklyn, where I was born and grew up, by the way. These children who are growing up there now are so mean! They don’t know anything about me except that I’m wearing traditional Jewish clothes, and they call me a 'baby killer' and all that nonsense. Their parents are standing right there, but they just smirk at me while their children harass me and other people walk past and give me dirty looks like it’s my fault. It’s just awful, and it happens all the time.”