So why have there been several protests and rallies since then, urging the mayor to tone down what he says? Why are some New Yorkers quick to blame him for contributing to the air of hostility against Jewish New Yorkers?
It is not about finding a political bogeyman or a scapegoat, as some might think. The truth is that Mamdani, an outspoken critic of Israel and its war in Gaza, has acted politically in leveraging the conflict for his own personal gain, regardless of the greater consequences his strong words and statements may have on the Jewish community of New York.
This city has faced a relentless surge of antisemitism since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks on Israel. More than half of all hate crimes committed in New York City this year, on Mamdani’s watch, have targeted Jewish New Yorkers. The July 23 stabbing of two men on the Upper West Side by a suspect who shouted “Allah Akhbar” (Arabic for “God is great”) before attacking one of the victims, a Jewish man, with a screwdriver, is just the latest example of the hate Jews face in New York today.
Mamdani condemned the bloody hate crime and others that have occurred in New York this year. He has said he has zero tolerance for antisemitism and would fulfill his duty as mayor to protect all New Yorkers from hatred. All of these statements are welcome.
At the same time, however, Mamdani refuses to acknowledge Israel as a Jewish state. He has accused her of committing genocide in Gaza. He has called for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pursuant to an International Criminal Court warrant against him for war crimes — and even vowed to do it himself up until last week, when he admitted he had no authority as mayor to do so.
Mamdani’s outspokenness on the war in Gaza and insistence that Israel has committed genocide gains him supporters on the left, but it also stokes passions that have led to hostility and acts of hate against the Jewish community of New York. He didn’t start the fire of hatred in this city, but he has helped pour fuel upon it.
All the while, Mamdani has gone out of his way to ignore the many atrocities committed by Hamas, Hezbollah and other groups through the years who have sought to commit genocide against Israel and wipe them off the map.
He has gone out of his way to avoid the reason why Israel had attacked Gaza in the first place — in response to the sneak attack by Gaza-controlled Hamas of Oct. 7, 2023, that left more than 1,500 dead, and hundreds of innocent people held hostage.
If Mamdani cannot acknowledge this painful history, he cannot adequately defend the Jewish community of New York — and therefore, his vows to do so lack any true meaning.
This is why so many Jewish New Yorkers are scared and angry at their mayor — not because of who he is, but because of what he chooses to say, and what he chooses to ignore. That means everything.
At long last, the mayor must wake up to this realization. Mamdani says he is a mayor for all New Yorkers, including Jewish New Yorkers. It’s time he started acting like it.