Several of New York’s most visible Democrats spent Monday distancing themselves from Bezalel Smotrich after the far-right Israeli finance minister marched in the city’s Israel Day parade on Sunday. The backlash landed fast, with politicians who had joined the celebration of Jewish pride and unity publicly condemning Smotrich only after the event was over.
The timing made the reversal hard to miss. Smotrich’s first trip to the United States in more than a year came less than a month after he said the International Criminal Court was seeking an arrest warrant against him, and his appearance in New York instantly became the subject of political damage control. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew criticism from pro-Israel figures for declining to attend the parade, while prominent Democrats who did march were left explaining how they had ended up alongside a minister known for calling for Israel to annex the West Bank and for Palestinian villages there to be ethnically cleansed.
Gov. Kathy Hochul was among the first to break publicly with Smotrich on Monday, writing on X that he is “a far-right extremist whose hateful and divisive rhetoric is fundamentally at odds with the values we hold dear in New York.” She added that “Yesterday’s parade was a celebration of Jewish pride, community, and unity,” and said, “I strongly condemn his participation.” Attorney General Letitia James also posted a sharp rebuke, writing, “Islamophobia has no place in New York,” and, “I unequivocally condemn Bezalel Smotrich’s hateful rhetoric.” A spokesperson for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said his condemnation of Smotrich’s extremism is longstanding, public and unchanged.
The sharper problem for the organizers was how Smotrich got there in the first place. Mark Treyger, who has been involved with the Jewish Community Relations Council, said the group did not know Smotrich and other far-right Israeli officials were attending and that they appeared to have been brought to the parade with a group from Israel’s consulate general in New York. “There was a complete lack of transparency here,” he said, adding that he did not learn of Smotrich’s presence until near the end of the event. He also said participation in the parade is not an endorsement of any political figure or ideology, and that the council rejects rhetoric that dehumanizes others, fuels division or diminishes the dignity of any human being.
The episode underscores how exposed pro-Israel Democrats have become when they share a stage with Israeli officials tied to the far right. The parade drew a long list of New York political figures, including Hochul, James, Schumer, Dan Goldman, Jerry Nadler, Vanessa Gibson, Julie Menin and Mark Levine, but Monday’s condemnations showed how quickly a unity event can turn into a political liability when the guest list is not fully disclosed. What remains unanswered is who arranged Smotrich’s attendance and why the people helping run the parade were not told in advance.
