New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani will break with 61 years of tradition by skipping this year’s “Israel Day on Fifth” parade, but his police chief will serve as a grand marshal — and the two pledged a “comprehensive security plan” to protect the festivities taking place on Sunday.

At a press conference at One Police Plaza on Thursday, the mayor affirmed his longstanding vow to boycott the event, which every Gracie Mansion occupant since Mayor Robert Wagner has attended, starting in 1965. But he promised this would not compromise police protection, and NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch will be up at the front of the procession as honorary grand marshal.

“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,” said Mamdani, who distinguished himself not just from his predecessors but also the pack of rivals he faced in the 2025 election with his anti-Israel stance. “While I will not be attending, our administration has been preparing for weeks to ensure the parade is safe for all those who take part.”

However, he indicated that Tisch — a scion of one of New York’s most prominent Jewish families — would serve as his representative at the event, and she had no comment on her boss’ planned absence.

“It’s the mayor’s decision not to march and it is my decision to march proudly,” Tisch told reporters.

Together the two pledged sweeping police oversight on the ground and in the air, including what Tisch said would constitute the “largest number of officers ever assigned to the event.” This, the two said, would include not just patrol units but plainclothes cops and teams from the intelligence and counterterrorism bureaus. The commissioner also said that every participant, spectator and vendor along the 62nd Street to 74th Street parade route will undergo screening.

Tisch described this as part of the “sobering truth” for Jewish people around the world and in New York City, who have suffered “an unacceptable rise in antisemitism and dozens of attacks” since the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks — and particularly amid the ongoing U.S. conflict with Iran, during which the feds allegedly busted an Iran-backed plot to target a Manhattan synagogue.

But she reminded New Yorkers they should above all embrace the occasion to celebrate Jewish identity and the Jewish state.

“I want to remind everyone this is a joyful celebration and our job is to take care of the security so that you can enjoy the beautiful day,” she said.

Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council, which runs the parade, also appeared alongside the mayor, whom he has criticized in the past for his hostility toward Israel, and thanked him. He also lauded the police commissioner, whom he personally invited to serve as grand marshal.

Treyger predicted “one of the biggest turnouts ever” for the parade, which will have the theme of “Proud Americans, Proud Zionists.” He recalled his own family’s experience of antisemitism in the former Soviet Union.

“I’m marching in memory of my grandparents,” he said. “This is a day that means so much to so many. We’re expecting tens of thousands of folks from New York, across the state, across the region, even folks from the tri-state region and beyond in celebration of our love and our story and our pride and our identity of who we are as a people.”

Joining the cavalcade will be the largest-ever delegation from the Knesset, including members of both the governing and opposition parties.