Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: Good afternoon, everyone. I want to thank Commissioner Tisch and NYPD leadership for joining me today as we look ahead to the Israel Day Parade this coming Sunday. I want to acknowledge Chief of Patrol Phil Rivera, Chief of Transit Joe Gulotta, DC Of Intelligence and Counterterrorism Rebecca Wiener; Deputy Commissioner of Legal Michael Gerber; as well as parade organizer Mark Treyger, CEO of JCRC; and Phylisa Wisdom, the executive director of the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism.
We expect tens of thousands of New Yorkers and visitors to gather along Fifth Avenue for this event. And 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. As the mayor of our city, I take seriously my responsibility to protect the safety and well-being of every New Yorker and every event, regardless of my attendance. As with any major public gathering, we have a comprehensive security plan in place. We will prepare thoroughly, coordinate closely and remain vigilant so New Yorkers can participate safely.
I will let Commissioner Tisch go into the operational details, but here are the broad strokes. Uniformed officers will be stationed throughout the entire parade route and across the surrounding area. There will be an increased police presence in and around Fifth Avenue. Specialized units will be on site, including units assigned to support crowd safety and rapid response if needed. I want to be clear, there are no current known specific or credible threats against the parade. We will continue to work closely across all levels of city government as well as with state and federal partners to keep our city safe.
As a standard protocol for events of this scale and visibility, we will deploy NYPD Counterterrorism and Intelligence Bureau personnel. I encourage New Yorkers to sign up for Notify NYC by texting NotifyNYC to 692-692 and monitor both the NYPD and NYCEM social media accounts for any additional updates. I look forward to this parade occurring seamlessly and peacefully, and I want to thank all of the city workers who have prepared for Sunday. Now there are specifics to our plan, like the checkpoints that the NYPD will be maintaining and the road closures that New Yorkers should expect. I'd like to invite Commissioner Tisch to share the specifics of those plans now. Thank you very much.
Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: Good afternoon, everyone. Thank you, Mayor Mamdani, for joining us today and for your support of the NYPD's efforts to keep all New Yorkers safe and to secure the Salute to Israel Parade. I also want to thank Mark Treyger of JCRC for being here and for his tremendous partnership. I was honored to accept your gracious invitation to be one of this year's honorary grand marshals at the parade, and I'm incredibly proud to walk up Fifth Avenue with you and members the NYPD Showroom Society this Sunday.
This weekend, thousands of New Yorkers and visitors will gather along Fifth Avenue for the Salute to Israel Parade. It's the largest celebration of its kind outside of Israel, and for so many of us, it's one of the most joyful days of the year. But the sobering truth is, it is also taking place in a heightened threat environment with multiple threat vectors active at the same time. Since October 7, 2023, we have seen an unacceptable rise in antisemitism and dozens of attacks across the United States, Canada and Europe, targeting the Jewish community. That has only increased in the wake of the start of hostilities in Iran on February 28. And we were reminded of that threat just two weeks ago when a commander for Kata'ib Hizballah, connected to approximately 18 attacks and attempted attacks across Europe and Canada in just the past few months alone, was arrested for those attacks and for allegedly planning to target a synagogue in New York City. In that threat environment, to be blunt, we are not messing around with security at this year's parade.
The NYPD has one of the most robust municipal counterterrorism capabilities of any city in the world, and I am bringing all of that to bear for this year's Parade. This Sunday, New Yorkers will see the most extensive security plan that the NYPD has ever put together for the Salute to Israel Parade, including the largest number of officers ever assigned to that detail. Included in that security plan will be the most heavy weapons teams ever, robust camera coverage of the area, and comprehensive screening of everyone entering the parade route, including spectators, vendors, participants and the press. If you think you are too important to be screened, don't come. There will be no exceptions. In addition to screening people. We will be screening and sweeping all assets deployed on the route, including vehicles and porta-potties. Relatedly, we will not tolerate any disruptions to the parade. Any unauthorized persons entering the parade route will be arrested. The public shall also expect to see counterterrorism teams, explosive detection canines, helicopters, drones, emergency service, mounted unit, hostile surveillance teams and other assets. And as we've witnessed, there has been an increase in vehicle ramming attacks across the United States, Canada and Europe. With that in mind, streets leading to the route will be fortified with hardened block NYPD vehicles and heavy sanitation trucks. There will also be assets that you don't see, including plainclothes officers in the area. Intelligence teams will be monitoring social media for potential threats and response units will be deployed citywide to investigate any reports in real time. Our Joint Operations Center will be fully activated with all of our city, state, and federal partners, and personnel there will be actively monitoring fixed and mobile cameras along the route and the surrounding area.
At this time, as the mayor said, there are no specific or credible threats to the parade. However, if you see something, say something. Let a police officer know or call 911. In this environment, the absence of a specific threat does not mean the absence of risk. It means that we at the NYPD, we plan, we deploy, and we prepare accordingly. Here is what people should know. Designated screening entry points will be located at East 61st Street, 63rd, 66th, 70th, and 73rd streets off of Madison Avenue. Access to the parade route from Central Park will be closed and there will be no spectator viewing along the west side of 5th Avenue along the park to ensure that everyone enters through a designated screening point. Please remember that certain items will not be permitted inside of the screened area, including backpacks, large bags, chairs, alcohol coolers, umbrellas, and anything that could obstruct another spectator's view. And I want to be very clear, the security plan does not begin and end at the parade route. We know people will be traveling to and from this event by subway, by bus and by foot. So, the NYPD will have officers assigned throughout the surrounding transit system including at key stations near the parade route along with canine teams, anti-terror unit train patrols and additional resources in place to keep people safe as they arrive and as they leave. So please take public transportation, give yourself extra time, follow the direction of police officers and MTA personnel, and know that we will have a security presence, not only on Fifth Avenue, but across the travel routes that bring people there. MTA buses along the parade route will be routed down Second Avenue, making requested stops. There will also be street closures. Fifth Avenue will be closed from 52nd Street up to 78th Street. Madison Avenue will be closed from 42nd to 57th Street, starting at 7:30 a.m. And north of 57th Street beginning at 11 a.m. Once the parade is underway, pedestrians will only be able to cross at 51st Street, 59th Street and 79th Street. Street closures will make it difficult to drive or to park anywhere near the parade. So again, if you are planning to attend, we strongly urge you to take public transportation.
I want to thank every member of the NYPD who will be working this weekend and every partner agency helping us deliver another safe and successful event. And after all the security details that we've discussed today, 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. That is why we prepare at this level. Thank you so much. I will now introduce Mark Treyger, CEO of the JCRC.
Mark Treyger, CEO, Jewish Community Relations Council in New York: Thank you, Commissioner, to NYPD, to Mayor Mamdani and your team. I want to say that we are expecting one of the biggest turnouts ever this Sunday at the Israel Day on Fifth Parade down Fifth Avenue. We're expecting sunny and 70-degree weather, Baruch Hashem, and the Knicks are going to the NBA Finals, all happening at the same time. And I have to just say that the mood —as heavy as things can be for the Jewish community during these times, the amount of hope and joy that we have coming into Sunday, because this is a parade that means so much to so many for many different reasons — And I want to say that to Mayor Mamdani when there were, during the transition period, assurances immediately from him and his team that there will be a parade.
That was one of the questions we got, and that was answered. And the support from NYPD and city agencies has been solid, and that is very much appreciated. To Commissioner Tisch, who came to a JCRC meeting to discuss the parade, and she said, “I got you,” and “I got this.” And I have to tell you that the other day, I had the honor of being invited to a meeting that they coordinated with the amazing team of the NYPD — which is the best police department in the world, without question — about the level of detail, planning [and] coordination within the NYPD and also other agencies. A heartfelt thank you to the extraordinary men and women of the New York City Police Department and all the agencies that are making this happen for Sunday.
And I just want to say that for us, you know, for me, personally, I'm marching in memory of my grandparents. I say that every year, and that doesn't change this year. Both of my grandmothers were in concentration camps in the former Soviet Union. Both of my grandfathers were World War II veterans. And I remember being a young kid, and my grandfather, Abraham (may he rest in peace) telling me that during one day during the war, his fellow soldiers were having lunch, and they told him: “Abraham, remember, you're a Jew. You can't sit with us, you sit over there.” And that story sits very heavy for me during these moments and these days. And I'm marching in memory of them, in memory all the folks that were impacted by some of the darkest chapters in our history, and also the pride and love I have in the Jewish community, our identity and our personal connection to Israel.
And I just wanna say that for me also, being able to celebrate this in the greatest city in the world, New York, means a lot to me too, because this is a city that my family came to from the former Soviet Union. They gave my sister and me every opportunity to grow and to succeed. And we're forever in debt to the city of New York, which is a global international city where every community deserves and must be safe, seen, supported and respected. And that includes the Jewish community. So, and I'll close with saying, that a young person a year ago said to me at the tail end of the parade: “Mr. Treyger, thank you for having the parade, because this is a day where I could wear my kippah without putting a baseball hat over it.” And you know, let's be clear, every day our children should be openly wearing their kippahs or whatever faith they believe in. Everyone should be their full selves. But again, this is 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. So, thank you again to the City of New York for having and providing all this tremendous support and looking forward to a very safe, successful and sunny Sunday parade. Thank you so much.
Question: Mr. Mayor, I just wanted to ask you: What do you say to critics who say that you can still be at the parade and support Jewish New Yorkers without supporting the Israeli government? And for the police commissioner as well, I'm just wondering if you have any concerns about the mayor not being at the parade?
Mayor Mamdani: 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. And I also said on that same campaign that I would have a responsibility as the mayor of this city to ensure the safety and security of each and every New Yorker. And I don't believe that my presence as the mayor should determine whether or not any New Yorker is safe or secure. That is something we take incredibly seriously. And what we also take seriously as an administration. Is to ensure that we are delivering on not just keeping Jewish New Yorkers safe but ensuring that Jewish New Yorkers understand that they belong in this city, that they are cherished by this city.
And I am proud of the work that our Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism, headed by Phylisa Wisdom, has been doing in leading a first-in-the-nation municipal response to antisemitism by actually crafting an affirmative vision of how to tackle it, as opposed to just how to respond to incidents of it. And we've coupled that with an investment of more than an 800 percent increase in the Office to Prevent Hate Crimes in funding that will actually support the very programs we've seen be effective at that kind of work.
Question: Do you have any concerns about the mayor not being there?
Police Commissioner Tisch: No, it's the mayor's decision not to march and it is my decision to march proudly.
Question: While you won't be attending, given your personal views, is the administration sending a representative on behalf of the administration to the parade? And on the security measures? Okay, so that's an answer. And secondly, on the security measures, have you given the police commissioner any guidance regarding handling the protests and whether the state-wide bill that just passed applies to any of the security measures regarding this particular event.
Mayor Mamdani: I do not believe that that bill pertains to this Sunday. However, what I will say when it comes to this parade is that I've made it very clear to the commissioner as well as to our City government as a whole that we want to ensure that we are keeping each and every New Yorker safe, that anyone who chooses to participate in this parade can do so safely and securely, and that when it come to the question of that in our city we believe that protest is sacrosanct. As is the right to safety and security, and we will deliver all of those things.
Question: I had a quick question about security and the disruptors or demonstrators, and also the rise in antisemitism, and I was wondering if you could shed some light on who are these individuals that are doing some of these acts? Who's coming down to these kind of events? Who's doing some these antisemitic attacks? Is this one person who's responsible for many instances or are we talking about like professional agitators that are coming in from out of town. Can you give us a little bit of a readout as to who these folks are?
Police Commissioner Tisch: I'm not sure that I understand the question. You're saying who's committing hate crimes? It really runs the gamut in New York City. I wish I had the chief of detectives here to talk about it, but it is a very broad range of people from different ethnic backgrounds, different ages, kids, all the way up to seniors.
Question: Good afternoon. Just in terms of working with federal partners on this, I'm guessing they will be there too, but if you talk about that.
Police Commissioner Tisch: On any major event in New York City, we coordinate with our local state and our federal partners and that has definitely been the case for the parade this Sunday. I think just last week I was standing here doing a press conference with Jay Clayton talking about that, and so this, the Salute to Israel Parade, is definitely a part of what we coordinate with them on
Question: For the mayor: I know your position on the Israeli government, but question: Would you be open to meeting with members of the opposition or Israeli or Palestinian activists, grassroots leaders from Israel or living in New York in the future?
Mayor Mamdani: I've been happy to meet with Israelis and Palestinians in the past. I would absolutely consider doing so in the future as well. Thank you.
Question: In regards to protesters, are they allowed to get close to the route at all? What will be dealt with them if they do show up? And has the role of SRG been modified or changed at all since the trip to Ohio?
Police Commissioner Tisch: I'll start with the answer to the first question. Anyone who is screened is allowed through the checkpoints. But as I mentioned in my remarks, we will not tolerate any disruptions to the parade. Anyone who enters the parade route, unauthorized will be arrested.
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