Mamdani ‘an Antisemite and Anti-Italian,’ Critic Says, for Skipping Columbus Day Parade

(Oct. 13, 2026 / JNS) Much as he broke with longstanding City Hall precedent and skipped the Israel Day Parade, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani opted to sit out the Columbus Day Parade on Monday.
“Unfortunately, he is an antisemite and anti-Italian,” Angelo Vivolo, president of the Columbus Heritage Coalition and a trustee of the City University of New York, told JNS.

Mamdani should have set aside his personal views and attended the annual Fifth Avenue parade, according to Vivolo.

“He confirmed his disrespect for the Italian American community by not marching in the parade,” Vivolo told JNS. “This parade was celebrating Italian heritage and culture, and even though he hates Columbus, he should respect our heritage and culture.”

Italian Americans and Jews share an interest in having their cultural identities and traditions recognized by city leadership, according to Vivolo.

“I welcome and encourage the solidarity of our two cultures,” he said.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, state Attorney General Letitia James, City Council speaker Julie Menin and other elected officials attended the event.

NYC Columbus Day Parade
Mamdani released a video recognizing Italian American Heritage Month. He said that Italian-American history is New York history and that he plans to host an Italian-American heritage reception at Gracie Mansion.

The mayor’s absence at the parade follows controversy over his administration’s depiction of immigrant neighborhoods in New York City. A map that City Hall omitted Little Italy, as well as Irish and Jewish neighborhoods. It included “Little Palestine.”

The Israeli and Italian parades celebrate different histories and identities, but Vivolo sees a shared interest in ensuring that New York’s diverse communities feel recognized by their elected leaders.