After New York’s Israel Parade, Mamdani Criticizes Smotrich. Smotrich Responds: "If He Invites Me, I’ll Shake His Hand"

The annual Israel parade held earlier this week in New York became one of the most prominent and charged events in its history. Alongside unprecedented attendance records, the event was marked by a sharp political clash between New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, along with other ministers who arrived from Israel.

According to the organizers, more than 50,000 people took part in the parade — the highest number since the event was founded in 1964. In addition, the Israeli delegation, which included members of Knesset and ministers, was the largest ever to attend the parade. At the same time, another kind of precedent was set: for the first time in the event’s history, a sitting New York City mayor officially chose to boycott the parade.

Mamdani sharply criticized the participation of Israeli government representatives. In his words, he was "hurt" by the ministers’ arrival, and argued that the presence of Smotrich and other ministers represents "a vision of extermination, complicity in genocide, and, honestly, a belief that places little value even on the sanctity of the lives of children in Gaza".

Criticism also came from New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who is generally seen as holding pro-Israel positions. In an unusual statement, she said: "Bezalel Smotrich is a right-wing extremist whose divisive and hate-filled rhetoric is fundamentally at odds with the values we cherish in New York. The parade was a celebration of Jewish pride and unity, and I strongly condemn his participation."

Smotrich responded to the criticism in a conversation with ynet: "This is actually my first time here. I traveled to Washington to sign a very important agreement as part of the Isaac Accords, but while I was at it, I wasn’t going to miss coming here. It’s a major celebration of unity, of connection among Jews around the world, especially this year, when there is war in Israel, and especially now, when winds of change are blowing through this city."

He added: "We came to say that we are together. American Jewry supports Israel, and the State of Israel supports American Jewry — and more broadly, our shared destiny, purpose, and mission as Jews around the world. For thousands of years, we have gone through ups and downs, but reality speaks for itself: we continue to grow, develop, and know how to rise through these challenges."

 Smotrich also addressed the mayor’s decision to boycott the event: "America, thank *Hashem*, is still a country governed by law, with all due respect to the mayor. I think it pains him and that he is mistaken, and I want to hope that he will also do some soul-searching. Again, history proves unequivocally that whoever is on the right side of it wins, and whoever is on the wrong side of it loses — and unfortunately, he will lose."

He later sent a direct message to Mamdani: "He should simply think again. Apparently, this sits with him on something very deep in his personal Muslim identity in relation to the State of Israel. There is something about the State of Israel being the greatest slap in the face to Islamic theology — the idea that supposedly *Hashem* abandons the Jewish people and replaces them with something else."

He added: "When a people returns to the stage of history 78 years ago and rebuilds its national home with enormous *siyata d’Shmaya*, almost miraculously, the world learns to grapple with those contradictions, and I hope he will too. I’m not giving advice to the city; I’m a guest here. I came to express a message of connection and shared destiny."

When asked whether he would accept a possible invitation to the mayor’s office for a handshake, he replied: "Certainly."