{"id":143303,"date":"2026-02-23T23:51:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-23T23:51:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/143303\/"},"modified":"2026-02-23T23:51:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-23T23:51:08","slug":"new-nyc-taxi-ads-against-antisemitism-take-swipe-at-mamdanis-free-bus-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/143303\/","title":{"rendered":"New NYC taxi ads against antisemitism take swipe at Mamdani’s free bus plan"},"content":{"rendered":"

A group combating antisemitism is <\/a>running cheeky new ads atop 4,000 New York City yellow cabs \u2014 taking a swipe at Mayor Zohran Mamdani\u2019s \u201cfree bus\u201d plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot gonna hide my Jewish star for a free bus ride,\u201d read the pink and white digital ads, from the group JewBelong, that will be carried by taxis through March 10 along the East and West Sides of Manhattan.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot gonna hide my Jewish star for a free bus ride,\u201d read the pink and white digital ads, from the group JewBelong. JewBelong<\/p>\n

The displays reference Mamdani\u2019s proposal to scrap the MTA bus fare, while also attempting to strike a nerve with Jewish New Yorkers concerned by Hizzoner\u2019s anti-Israel views, according to the group.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis campaign isn\u2019t about being provocative for its own sake,\u201d said Archie Gottesman, founder of JewBelong, alluding to the snarky Mamdani reference.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s about naming what too many Jews are feeling right now, that antisemitism has crept so deeply into everyday life that even simply existing openly can feel like a negotiation,\u201d Gottesman said. <\/p>\n

\u201cTaxis are unmistakably New York, and New York is where culture meets the street. That\u2019s exactly where this conversation needs to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

JewBelong noted that antisemitic hate crimes in the city jumped 182% <\/a>in January, compared to the same month last year, according to NYPD data.<\/p>\n

The displays reference Mamdani\u2019s proposal to scrap the MTA bus fare. Gregory P. Mango for NY Post<\/p>\n

JewBelong noted that antisemitic hate crimes in the city jumped 182% in January. Helayne Seidman<\/p>\n

The group also has a large-scale physical billboard in The Bronx at the Third Avenue Bridge at Bruckner Boulevard carrying the same message.<\/p>\n

Mamdani, during the campaign and as mayor, vowed to fight antisemitism and all forms of bigotry committed against New Yorkers because of their identity.<\/p>\n

But he supports <\/a>the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against the Jewish state, and has repeatedly accused Israel of \u201cgenocide\u201d in Gaza.<\/p>\n

The group also has a large-scale physical billboard in The Bronx at the Third Avenue Bridge at Bruckner Boulevard carrying the same message. JewBelong<\/p>\n

Gottesman, an ad-marketing guru for Manhattan Storage billboards, has crafted a series of JewBelong ads combating antisemitism across the country since 2021.<\/p>\n

Other billboards the group has posted include:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just 78 years since the gas chambers. So no, a billboard calling out Jew hate isn\u2019t an overreaction.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCultural Jews died in the gas chambers too. Speak up.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, don\u2019t be naive. Hamas would chop your head off too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamdani\u2019s office had no immediate comment.<\/p>\n

Mamdani, during the campaign and as mayor, vowed to fight antisemitism and all forms of bigotry committed against New Yorkers because of their identity. Michael Appleton\/Mayoral Photography Office<\/p>\n

But the New York City Human Rights Commission put out a statement Monday condemning antisemitism, a week after Mark Treyger, CEO of Jewish Community Relations Council, said the civil rights enforcement agency had been silent following a series of anti-Jewish <\/a>incidents.<\/p>\n

\u201cBias, discrimination, and hate have no place in New York City. The New York City Commission on Human Rights (CCHR) unequivocally condemns antisemitism levied against individuals and institutions,\u201d the commission said in its statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe New York City Commission on Human Rights is committed to enforcing that law for all New Yorkers and stands with the Jewish Community against acts of hate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamdani supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against the Jewish state, and has repeatedly accused Israel of \u201cgenocide\u201d in Gaza. Helayne Seidman<\/p>\n

The commission said it and the Mayor\u2019s Office for the Prevention of Hate jointly awarded 12 grants of $10,000 each to grassroots groups fighting hate, including for an initiative that showcases the testimony of Holocaust survivors.<\/p>\n

Treyger, a former Brooklyn councilman, applauded the<\/a> statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI strongly believe in the importance of CCHR\u2019s mission, and statements like this remind New Yorkers that there are tools in city government to ensure no one ever feels targeted, unsafe, or unwelcome because of their identity\u2014including Jewish New Yorkers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A group combating antisemitism is running cheeky new ads atop 4,000 New York City yellow cabs \u2014 taking…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":143304,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[36446,3862,68,1092,57,9,24,56,63,65,64,5260,58,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-143303","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-new-york-city","8":"tag-ads","9":"tag-antisemitism","10":"tag-exclusive","11":"tag-mayor","12":"tag-metro","13":"tag-new-york","14":"tag-new-york-city","15":"tag-ny","16":"tag-nyc","17":"tag-nyc-headlines","18":"tag-nyc-news","19":"tag-taxis","20":"tag-us-news","21":"tag-zohran-mamdani"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143303","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143303"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143303\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143304"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143303"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143303"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143303"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}