CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn (WABC) — Mayor Zohran Mamdani received a mixed reception in Crown Heights, Brooklyn as the city’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish community celebrated Sukkot, with some residents welcoming his participation and others criticizing his appearance at holiday events.
Mamdani, the city’s first Muslim mayor, joined residents during the weeklong Jewish holiday. But videos posted on social media showed Mamdani being heckled, booed and called an “antisemite” during a Sukkot event Tuesday night. The reaction contrasted with photos shared by the mayor’s office showing him participating in holiday celebrations.
Speaking at an unrelated news conference, Mamdani dismissed concerns about criticism from some members of the Jewish community.
Asked by Eyewitness News reporter N.J. Burkett whether it bothered him that some people believe he is an antisemite, Mamdani replied: “Does it bother me? I think my job as the mayor is not to get bothered by other people’s opinions. My job is to deliver for them no matter what their opinion is.”
The reaction comes after City Hall released an antisemitism action plan that was praised for providing millions of dollars for education, outreach and synagogue security, but criticized for not including a definition of antisemitism.
Mamdani also has repeatedly criticized the Israeli government. Last week at the United Nations, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the mayor of spreading antisemitic rhetoric.
“The lies you and other antisemites spread about the Jews and the Jewish state have real consequences,” Netanyahu said.
Mamdani rejected the accusation.
“When it comes to criticism of the Israeli prime minister or the Israeli government, that has no bearing on our responsibility to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe,” he said.
Residents in Crown Heights expressed differing views about the mayor’s participation in Sukkot events.
One resident said, “I’m against him coming here because statements against the state of Israel.”
Another resident said, “It’s nice of him, he’s the mayor.”
A third resident said, “That’s the job of every politician.”
When Eyewitness News reporter N.J. Burkett noted that Mamdani is not Jewish but was celebrating Sukkot with Jewish New Yorkers, another resident responded: “It’s amazing to see.”
The mayor said criticism comes with the job and that he accepts it. His official schedule on Wednesday included a private Sukkot celebration in the late afternoon.
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