The Israel Parade will be here this Sunday and I’m ready to march. My only dilemma was deciding, not whether to march, but which group to go with. There were five that invited me to join them: Hadassah, Israel Bonds, ZOA (Zionist Organization of America), my synagogue and Sar-El. I chose the latter because not only is it a wonderful organization (like all the others), but it will also let me have a mini-reunion with some of the great folks I volunteered with in Israel in the past two years.

Sar-El is an organization that allows people to volunteer on army bases, in effect committing two mitzvot at once: The IDF benefits from the hands-on aid they provide, and the volunteers are given a chance to gain a deeper understanding of life in Israel’s defense forces which is central to insuring Israel’s safety and serves to knit together its society.

I love a parade and I love Israel, so why all the anguish?

Let’s  start with our Mayor Zohran Mamdani, the first Democratic Socialist and first Muslim to serve our city. He has stated unapologetically that he will not be joining us. For the very first time in the 60 year history of the parade, we will not have our mayor joining us. That says a lot. That says that the mayor of the city with the largest population of Jews in the world, far surpassing that of any other city globally, clearly and openly does not support a Jewish state.

He feels perfectly comfortable telling the close to one million Jewish New Yorkers, as well as those who support Israel, that he isn’t with us. But that should come as no surprise to anyone who is awake (as opposed to “woke” in the re-invention of that word). When asked recently at a news conference if he would be marching in the parade, Mamdani said the following:

“You know, I said on the campaign trail that I wouldn’t be attending the parade, and I’ve made my views on the Israeli government abundantly clear.”

That’s true, and yet despite this or perhaps because some agree, as many as 35% of all Jewish New Yorkers voted for him (though the accuracy of the number is questionable).

How’s that for Jewish Exceptionalism?

Of course, Mamdani is perfectly okay with joining other festivities such as the Lunar New Year Parade, the Phagwah Parade (Indo-Caribbean) and the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, where he thought it appropriate to compare the Irish to the Palestinians in the Oppression Olympics. How’s that for a display of Jewish exceptionalism? We have been singled out by Mamdani, a proud Muslim,  who can’t abide the Israeli government but has no issue whatsoever with any other country. 

Here’s a Fun Fact: Guess which U.S. President served as Grand Marshall of the Israel Day Parade?  Yes, our very own President Donald Trump served as Grand Marshall along with Dr. Ruth Westheimer in 2004. (Zionist Organization of America | Home Israel Day Parade History and Meaning).

Then there’s the issue of safety. It’s........

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