STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with a group of religious leaders from across Staten Island on Tuesday to address pressing community concerns and strengthen ties between City Hall and faith communities.
The roundtable, hosted by the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement and organized by Bishop Victor Brown of Mt. Sinai United Christian Church in Tompkinsville, brought together leaders from different faiths to discuss social topics like affordable housing on Staten Island, support for the city’s immigrant community, antisemitism and opportunities for the mayor to partner with congregations.
“This week, I sat in a church on Staten Island and listened to 26 community leaders of different faiths discuss what their congregants need most from city government,” Mamdani said in a statement posted on X. “Faith leaders do more than give solace, they are pillars of our community who work tirelessly to make sure New Yorkers are fed, clothed, and respected. The work we do would not be possible without the work they do.”
The meeting also addressed how the administration will support small businesses on Staten Island. A day earlier, Mamdani announced “OPEN for Small Business,” a package of reforms that aim to eliminate outdated permits, redundant paperwork and unnecessary fines for small businesses across the city.
Rabbi Gerald Sussman, spiritual leader of Temple Emanu-El of Staten Island in Port Richmond, attended and said in an interview with the Advance/SILive.com that the event was pleasant despite not finding common ground on certain issues.
“It was actually a very lovely event… it was about services on Staten Island and how the mayor’s office could help with providing various things… But I brought up the issue of antisemitism,” Rabbi Sussman said. “The mayor answered my questions, but I don’t think the answers were really complete. I think we need more.”
Rabbi Sussman stated that Mamdani’s plan includes increased funding to plan community events, work on joint projects and bringing people together. While he shared that he appreciates these plans, he feels more action is needed.
“Those kind of things have been done one way or another for many years. Now that there’s a crisis in the world, we need more than that. That’s not enough to have much of an impact,” the religious leader said.
When asked what he hoped Mamdani would take from the conversation, Rabbi Sussman said that he hopes he becomes more sensitive to the issue, especially after a recent stabbing of a 50-year-old Jewish man occurred in Manhattan at West 86th and Amsterdam Avenue near a synagogue.
“I would hope that he would have more sensitivity to our feelings about antisemitism, and that he would do things to bring people together for good and peaceful relations, and not add to the antagonism. That’s not to say he can’t be critical, or he must be in favor of everything we’re in favor of,” he shared. “But I think it was great that the mayor came to Staten Island and spoke with people.”
Prior to attending the meeting, Mamdani visited FDNY Squad Company 8 on Victory Boulevard in Travis.
“Staten Island is home to FDNY Squad Company 8, where, in addition to responding to calls for fire, members train as Hazardous Materials Technicians handling chemical and biological threats, complex rescues, building collapses, and other emergencies,” he said in a post on X. “I’m grateful to have had the chance to hear about their history and heroic work this week.”
Both events were closed to press and officials did not release the locations to media ahead of time.