NYC rabbis ‘hopeful' after telling Mamdani his Israel rhetoric makes Jews feel unsafe - interview

Two New York City rabbis left a closed-door meeting with Mayor Zohran Mamdani feeling "hopeful" after directly voicing concerns about his rhetoric on Israel and its impact on the city's Jewish population. The roundtable, held at City Hall and organized by the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism, included 10 rabbis from various denominations.

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I chose to participate in the roundtable given the opportunity to represent my community’s views directly to the mayor. One of the organizers assured us that we would all have a chance to speak, so the opportunity to really be there on behalf of my community was a meaningful one, and I felt that the outreach was made in good faith with an openness to listen, so it felt worth going to express our points of view and raise our concerns.

Rabbi Jonathan Leener, leader of the Prospect Heights Shul, stated his role as an advocate for Jewish safety and well-being, particularly for New Yorkers. He expressed profound disagreements with Mamdani, especially concerning Israel, and noted that some of the mayor's statements have "turned up the temperature" during a time when many Jewish New Yorkers already feel vulnerable. Leener emphasized the importance of confronting the mayor directly to move beyond public statements and discuss concrete actions the city government can take.

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As a rabbi, I see my role as an advocate for the safety and well-being of the Jewish people, especially my fellow New Yorkers.

"The message that was sent by everybody, each in their own way, to the mayor was that while we may agree or disagree with the current actions of the Israeli government or the current war, that the mayor’s harsh rhetoric around Israel and its government and the mayor’s continual singling out and excessive focus on Israel – when there are so many other things going on in our city and beyond – was alienating to our constituents, makes Jewish New Yorkers feel that the mayor is not for them, and makes them feel unsafe," said Rabbi S, who preferred to remain anonymous.

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Leener said he has profound disagreements with Mamdani, particularly around Israel, and that some of the mayor’s rhetoric has contributed to “turning up the temperature at a moment when many Jewish New Yorkers already feel increasingly vulnerable.”

Rabbi S added, "We reiterated that it is hard to feel a sense of partnership when it feels like Israel is being singled out for harsh rhetoric attacks and the mayor is doing nothing to distinguish between Israel and New York City’s Jews." The rabbis felt the outreach was made in "good faith" and that the mayor was "open to listen."

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That is precisely why I felt it was important to show up and say those things directly to him. The meeting was also an opportunity to move beyond public statements and talk concretely about what the city government can do to address antisemitism and help Jewish New Yorkers feel safer.