US Jewish Rabbis Urge NYC Mayor to Stop Anti-Israel Rhetoric Amid Rising Antisemitism

Ten representatives from various streams of American Judaism met privately with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to express deep concern over his repeated public attacks on Israel. The rabbis conveyed a unified and firm message that Mamdani's calls to halt Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his encouragement of protests against him during visits to the city are causing significant insecurity among Jewish residents and directly harming their ability to cooperate with his administration.

Even reform and conservative Jewish leaders, who typically hold critical views of Israel, told Mamdani that his statements are fueling and encouraging a rise in antisemitism. This meeting took place against the backdrop of recent New York Police Department data showing an 8.5% increase in antisemitic hate crimes during Mamdani's first seven months in office. These crimes accounted for approximately 57% of all hate crimes in the city, with a sharp 53% spike in July compared to the same month last year.

Some participants noted that Mamdani appeared not to fully connect his harsh rhetoric with the surge in antisemitic incidents, prompting them to directly confront him with their concerns.