New York City mayors have long marched with Jewish New Yorkers at the Israel Day on Fifth Avenue parade. Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he will not attend, which has angered and disappointed Jewish New Yorkers and community leaders. His office cited a commitment to equal rights for all people everywhere. The criticism centers on his view that Israel should exist with equal rights but not as a Jewish state. The piece claims Israel is the only Middle East state with equal rights, while neighboring governments are described as kingdoms, dictatorships, autocracies, and states that outlaw other religions. It also argues that Israel was founded as a Jewish state after the Holocaust to provide a safe haven for Jews and that Mamdani’s stance reflects misinformation amid rising antisemitism.
"Mayor Zohran Mamdani has said he will not attend the parade, which is a profound disappointment. The mayor's understanding of the politics of the Middle East, and the founding and existence of Israel, is founded on a set of political beliefs that are not rooted in facts. As one might expect, his planned absence from the march has stirred up anger among Jewish New Yorkers and leaders who feel insulted and betrayed."
"Mamdani's choice appears to be political, based on a statement his office gave amNewYork earlier this month: While I will not be attending the Israel Day Parade I've been very clear: I believe in equal rights for all people everywhere. That principle guides me consistently. His decision is based on a stated personal, political belief that became a sticking point of his campaign last year."
"In his view, Israel has a right to exist as a state of equal rights, but not as a Jewish state. The truth is, however, that Israel is the only state in the Middle East where there are equal rights; its neighbors are kingdoms, dictatorships, autocracies, and states that outlaw other religions. Do you hear the mayor speaking out against any other nations, particularly those in the Middle East, who commit barbaric acts against their own citizens?"
"Yet the mayor's belief, rooted in misinformation and false equivalency, has caused many Jewish New Yorkers fear and consternation that Mamdani would not be there to support them in good times and bad, and protect them in the face of rising antisemitism. Mamdani, in particular, ignores the facts about the state of Israel that it was founded as a Jewish state in the wake of the Holocaust to establish a safe haven for Jews across the world at a"
Read at www.amny.com
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