Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, from the Park Avenue Synagogue congregation on the Upper East Side, is considered one of the prominent voices among rabbis who publicly opposed Mamdani. He addressed this in a sermon he gave to his congregation about a week and a half ago, which went viral. “My life revolves around the welfare of the Jewish people,” he says. “Zionism, Israel, and Jewish self-definition are inseparable parts of my identity. When Mamdani refuses to condemn slogans like ‘globalize the intifada,’ or when he talks about arresting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters New York, I feel he is attacking me personally.”
Powerful words by Rabbi @elliot_cosgrove of @parkavenuesyn #SayNoToZo #VoteforCuomo pic.twitter.com/jWzxyaM0un
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) October 20, 2025
According to him, “I wish the election would focus on issues of sanitation, transportation, police, and taxes. But when antisemitic acts are carried out in the name of anti-Zionism, a mayor who adopts sharp anti-Zionist positions endangers the Jewish community.”