New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani drew outrage after he sharply attacked the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC, calling its people “monsters” and accusing the group of spending “millions of dollars of dark money” to turn people against one another. His remarks angered many Jews in the city, where antisemitism is already at record levels.
Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in Manhattan responded with a long Facebook post. He wrote that Mamdani had “incited hatred against people like me” and quoted the mayor’s language about “monsters” and political donations. Steinmetz said Mamdani was, in effect, accusing AIPAC of being a monster that undermines democracy, supports genocide, and seeks to divide Americans.
Calling the speech “pure incitement,” Steinmetz warned that rhetoric like this can encourage violence, citing Elias Rodriguez, the gunman who killed two Israeli embassy employees in Washington. He added, “Mamdani is inciting hatred against people like me,” saying the mayor was demonizing the millions of New Yorkers who support the policies AIPAC promotes and “pouring fuel on the fire” amid rising antisemitism in the city.
The Simon Wiesenthal Center also condemned Mamdani’s remarks as horrific and racist. Its CEO, Jim Berk, said the idea that Jewish political participation is inherently suspicious or manipulative is “the same old story, told again in new language.” The Anti-Defamation League’s New York office issued a sharp statement demanding an apology, saying it is appalling and unacceptable for any mayor who claims to represent all New Yorkers to describe Jewish community members as “monsters” using “dark money.”
