New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, State Attorney General Letitia James, several left-wing Jewish organizations, and a congressional candidate criticized Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for taking part in New York City’s annual Israel parade.

The annual Israel Day on Fifth parade drew more than 50,000 participants to Manhattan’s Fifth Avenue on Sunday, serving as a public demonstration of support for the pro-Israel Jewish community, which many attendees say has faced growing hostility in recent years.

Smotrich joined an Israeli delegation headed by Knesset Speaker Amir Ochana. Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu of the Otzma Yehudit party also attended the event.

“Bezalel Smotrich is a far-right extremist whose hateful and divisive rhetoric is fundamentally at odds with the values we hold dear in New York,” Hochul said in a statement. “Yesterday’s parade was a celebration of Jewish pride, community, and unity. I strongly condemn his participation.”

Smotrich and Eliyahu have both faced criticism in the past for controversial remarks. In 2021, Smotrich said that Israel’s founding prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, should have “finished the job” by expelling all Arabs when the state was established. Eliyahu previously suggested that dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza could have been considered among Israel’s options during the war against Hamas terrorists.

Despite her criticism of Smotrich, Hochul has consistently expressed support for Israel and New York’s Jewish community. She addressed attendees before the parade began and led the march alongside other state and city officials.

James, who also spoke in support of the Jewish community during the event, said, “I unequivocally condemn Bezalel Smotrich’s hateful rhetoric.”

Smotrich’s participation also became a point of contention in the race for New York’s 10th Congressional District, which includes parts of lower Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander is challenging incumbent Representative Dan Goldman for the seat. Both candidates are Jewish, identify as Zionists, and have voiced criticism of the Israeli government, though Lander has positioned himself further to Goldman’s left on Israel-related issues.

The two candidates share similar views on a range of other topics, including immigration policy and opposition to President Donald Trump’s administration.

“We’re both proud Jewish New Yorkers. But there are sharp and clear differences between us on Israel/Palestine,” Lander said in a statement. “For example, Dan Goldman marched alongside war criminal Bezalel Smotrich yesterday, who called it ‘just and moral’ to starve Gaza. I did not.” Lander recently prayed in Arabic at a Queens mosque in which an Imam called for the death of all “kuffar,” or non-Muslims.

No Israeli officials have been convicted of war crimes.

Several left-wing Jewish organizations also objected to Smotrich’s participation, including New York Jewish Agenda and Jews for Economic and Racial Justice, which is allied with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Mamdani said in a statement that Smotrich’s “presence in our city is an affront to everything New York stands for.”

Ahead of the parade, organizers from the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) said they did not know which representatives from the Israeli government would be attending and that those decisions were made by Israel’s consulate in New York. The consulate did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Smotrich was also absent from official Knesset statements and promotional videos regarding the delegation’s participation in the parade.

JCRC-NY CEO Mark Treyger addressed the controversy on Monday, saying, “While some individuals who attended were neither invited by JCRC-NY nor known to us in advance, participation in the parade is not an endorsement of any political figure or ideology.”

The Israeli delegation marched as a separate contingent, and there was no indication that New York elected officials walked alongside the two ministers or were aware they would be participating during the event.