Former Mayor Eric Adams took a subtle swipe at New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani before the Israel Day Parade in a video statement posted to X.

Mamdani is the first mayor to skip attendance at the parade since its inception in 1964. “I said on the campaign trail I would not be attending the parade, and I have made my views on the Israeli government abundantly clear,” he said at a news conference last week regarding security at the parade.

However, organizers and the mayor’s critics said the parade has nothing to do with Israel’s government but everything to do with celebrating Israel’s existence.

“As your mayor, I was proud to march in this parade for all four years I was in office, and this year will be no different,” Adams said pointedly in his video statement. “I’ll be right there, marching with tens of thousands of New Yorkers.”

“At a time when antisemitism is rising across our country and Jewish New Yorkers are facing hatred, intimidation and attacks at unprecedented levels, you cannot afford silence,” he added.

After the parade, the former mayor posted a video showing the enthusiasm of the crowd as he marched with attendees.

“What an incredible display of unity, love, and resilience as tens of thousands of New Yorkers turned out for the Israel Day Parade in NYC!” he wrote. “Today, we boycotted antisemitism and sent a powerful message: New York will always stand with its Jewish community, and New Yorkers will always stand with Israel.”

In the video, Adams echoes the same sentiment, saying that they boycotted antisemitism and not the State of Israel, which is America’s ally.

Governor Kathy Hochul attended the parade as well. As the parade began, she told reporters that the event was an act of “defiance.”

“When you go to worship with your families, you should not have to endure harassment, intimidation or hatred from anyone,” she said. “We’re going to stand up to make sure that you’re protected.”

Also in attendance were an Israeli delegation of members of Knesset, former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), who took the podium to declare, “Am Yisrael Chai; the people Israel live.”