Jewish safety in New York depends on clear lines and moral courage from Mamdani
Shortly after Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election, I received a text from a new number. It was the mayor-elect.
I felt compelled to speak with him out of my respect for him becoming the new mayor. Our intense and productive conversation came after a violent protest outside my father’s Park East Synagogue. What happened that night in the streets of New York was not a political debate, but a deliberate act of intimidation against Jews, including a targeted campaign at the doors of a synagogue.
That call marked the beginning of an ongoing dialogue between us, where New York City must draw lines, how it protects houses of worship and what leadership looks like when fear enters sacred spaces. Since then, the mayor and I have been in contact regularly.
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It was clear where the mayor and I disagreed, namely that he must recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. His demonization of the Jewish state of Israel and his prior use of antisemitic tropes, such as "apartheid," "occupation" and "genocide" has put the safety of New York Jews at risk. I told him, just as I tell every Muslim leader I know, that anti-Zionism is antisemitism.
I urged Mayor Mamdani to pursue legislation banning protests directly in front of all houses of worship. This was not about silencing free speech. It was to draw a clear and reasonable line between the right to protest and the right to pray without fear. To his credit, he listened. Our conversations also led to concrete policy steps. In Mamdani’s second executive order, he directed the police commissioner and the law department to review NYPD patrol guidance to ensure clearer protections for houses of worship. The order called for evaluating buffer zones near synagogues, churches and mosques, ranging from 15 to 60 feet from entrances, additional restrictions during publicly scheduled religious services and appropriate limitations even during non-religious activities.
This was a serious and substantial advancement. The mayor acknowledged what Jewish communities across New York have been saying for months: that protests targeting houses of worship cross a line.
When a pro-Hamas protest was planned in Queens, the new mayor did not wait for chaos to erupt. Hours before the protest began, he ordered dozens of NYPD officers to the area to ensure the safety of nearby synagogues, Jewish schools and families. That proactive measure demonstrated that disagreements do not preclude responsibility. In a statement, Mayor Mamdani wrote that "chants in support of a terrorist organization have no place in our city."
In my mind, his words acknowledge that past rhetoric, hesitation and intimidation during protests, including ones in which Mamdani attended, were wrong. I believe saying such chants have "no place in the city" is an admission that hate speech during protests against Jewish New Yorkers can turn violent.
The mayor’s rebuke of the protesters and the terrorist organization may have come at a political cost from his base, as some progressive activists and members of the Democratic Socialists of America criticized Mayor Mamdani and other leaders for condemning the chants. That reality should trouble every New Yorker. Rejecting terrorism and antisemitism should never be controversial in America.
But gratitude does not eliminate disagreement. Mamdani took a step in the right direction. Now, he is pushing for this bill with Gov. Kathy Hochul, who proposed a statewide bill to prevent protesters from being within "25 feet of the property line at houses of worship."
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Leadership is not measured by whether the right words are spoken, but by whether they are spoken immediately, consistently, and backed by action.
To be overly optimistic, perhaps we are seeing a change in the mayor’s understanding of Israel and of how anti-Israel rhetoric impacts New York City’s Jewish community, the largest outside of Israel. As I wrote during the High Holy Days, "But Jewish tradition is clear: a genuine transformation does not happen overnight or for convenience. It requires contrition, confession, and change."
The next step will be for Mayor Mamdani to join me in meeting with global Muslim leaders and their representatives in New York who I have worked with for decades. These are leaders of Arab and Muslim majority countries who may not agree with every Israeli government policy, but they all unequivocally recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish nation. These voices represent coexistence, not incitement.
Now, as mayor for all New Yorkers, he must demonstrate an understanding that Israel is at the very core of the Jewish faith. One cannot bifurcate Israel from the Jewish community.