It was a disgusting act of the worst traits that humans can have, and the worst crime committed against Jewish people since the Holocaust. The only parallel we have to Oct. 7 here in the U.S. would be 9/11.

Had the U.S. suffered a similar attack of the same proportions as Israel did on Oct. 7, 2023, it would equal 34,000 people killed, and another 7,300 people taken hostage. This was a massive, horrific event for Israel that no one should ever forget — and that all should regard with fear, disgust, trepidation, and anger.

Yet on the day marking three years since that massacre, the Mayor of New York City could not just release a statement thinking of all Jewish New Yorkers on a day that must be so painful to them. Instead, he felt the need to attach to it his worldview, accusing the “Israeli government” of committing “genocide,” “occupation,” and “apartheid” of Palestinian territory.

It was a clear, selfish, and utter lack of respect and true sympathy for the Jewish community.

This day is profoundly painful for so many New Yorkers. It marks three years since the horrific war crimes of October 7. On that day, Hamas killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 others. We grieve alongside our many friends and neighbors who still carry that unthinkable loss. The suffering did not begin nor end that day. It instead continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza, in which it has killed more than 74,000 Palestinians—including more than 21,000 children. Even since the so-called ceasefire, more than 1,400 Palestinians have been killed. That suffering has intensified with every Israeli bomb dropped on ambulances waiting outside hospitals, every drone strike targeting a residential building or journalist, and every shipment of food aid turned away at a border crossing. Many New Yorkers are reckoning with this unbearable grief, and we mourn alongside them – all while knowing that our tax dollars fund these war crimes. Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment. To honor the dead, we must fight for a world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity.

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) October 7, 2026

 

Mayor Zohran Mamdani is entitled to his opinions, but to inject his political opinions into a sympathy message regarding Oct. 7 is tantamount to an elected official expressing sympathy to the families of 9/11 victims on the anniversary of the attacks, but also mentioning that the U.S. military had killed thousands of Arabs in the aftermath. 

No one in New York would have let such a remark pass without an uproar. And the sad reality is that there are too many New Yorkers who agree with the mayor on his worldview and have brushed aside the pain and losses inflicted on Oct. 7, 2023. 

Mamdani’s remarks give them further permission to forget about Oct. 7 and its significance; worse, it also gives bigots further fuel to lash out against the Jewish community. 

This is not about hindering opinions. This is about having respect for people who have suffered tremendous loss at a specific moment. Many times it is not just what you say, but how you say it — and who you say it to. Sometimes, a leader needs to leave their personal politics at the door for the greater good.

Mamdani needs to start protecting the Jewish community in New York. His statements need to be held to account. According to statistics released by his own administration, overall hate crimes are down, yet those against the Jewish population in New York City remain stubbornly high. Why?

Numbers do not lie, and the mayor’s words matter. The words he released on Oct. 7 were ignorant and only serve to harm the very Jewish New Yorkers he is responsible for protecting.

Mr. Mayor, you’ve made your stance on Israel crystal clear — but when you mix your opinions on a day of great sacrifice for the Jewish people, you are emboldening the very antisemitism you profess to reject. Whose side are you on?