Will the National Guard be deployed to protect NY Israel Day parade?

“We need to make sure bad things don’t happen. We want to make sure there is safety for the Jewish community.”

By World Israel News Staff

A prominent New York Jewish activist is calling on Gov. Kathy Hochul to deploy National Guard troops to help protect participants and attendees at the upcoming Israel Day Parade in New York City, amid raging antisemitism that has fueled a major uptick in violent attacks against Jews.

Dov Hikind, who served as a New York state representative and is the founder of the organization Americans Against Antisemitism, said the parade, scheduled for Sunday, May 31, requires heightened security due to a hostile atmosphere toward Jews and Israel in the city.

“We need to make sure bad things don’t happen. We want to make sure there is safety for the Jewish community,” Hikind told the New York Post, adding that he is “calling on Gov. Hochul to bring in the National Guard to help the New York City Police Department.”

In a statement to the media, Hochul’s office said the governor remains committed to ensuring the safety of attendees at major public events, though the remarks did not specifically address the recent rise in antisemitic violence in the city.

“Keeping New Yorkers safe is Gov. Hochul’s top priority — especially as communities gather for major celebrations. At the Governor’s direction, State Police maintain an increased presence at large events throughout the state, and we will be closely coordinating with the NYPD and law enforcement partners in New York City to ensure the safety of all involved,” a Hochul spokesperson told the Post.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has made it clear that he plans to boycott the event, in what is believed to be the first such absence by a sitting mayor in the parade’s 61-year history.

“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,” Moshe Davis, former executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism under Mayor Eric Adams, told Fox News Digital.

“Not joining the parade is an affront to the history of New York City,” he added.