Zohran Mamdani’s office issued a statement that, while discouraging violent protest language, suggested the synagogue’s event promoting immigration to Israel was an inappropriate use of a house of worship, sparking controversy among Jewish community leaders.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani faced his first major test concerning inter-community relations and antisemitism when a vicious protest erupted outside the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, targeting an event promoting immigration (aliyah) to Israel. Mamdani’s office issued a carefully worded statement in response to the demonstration, which included chants of “globalize the intifada” and other hostile rhetoric, but the statement immediately drew sharp criticism from Jewish communal leaders for appearing to assign blame to both sides of the conflict (A crowd chanted death threats outside an NYC synagogue. Mamdani found fault with both sides – The Times of Israel).
Mamdani’s Response: Discouraging Language, Questioning Use
Mamdani’s press secretary, Dora Pekec, released the key statement, which contained two distinct parts:
- Condemnation of Protest Behavior: “The Mayor-elect has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so. He believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation.”
- Critique of Synagogue Event: The statement continued, adding a clause that “these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.”
The second part of the statement, which did not explicitly mention antisemitism or the Jewish community, was widely interpreted as an implicit critique of the synagogue’s choice of programming–an open house organized by Nefesh B’Nefesh, a non-profit that facilitates North American Jewish immigration to Israel. Mamdani’s team later clarified that this clause was a reference to the organization’s involvement in promoting settlement activity in the West Bank, which is widely considered a violation of international law (Park East Synagogue Protest: What Does Mamdani’s Response Mean for Jewish New Yorkers? – City Journal).
The Political Fallout
Critics, including leaders of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC-NY) and organizations like StandWithUs, condemned the response as equivocal, arguing that it shifted blame onto the Jewish community for being targeted (StandWithUs Statement on the Protest Outside Park East Synagogue & Mayor-Elect Mamdani’s Response – StandWithUs). They pointed out that Mamdani had offered “full-throated denunciations” for clear-cut antisemitic acts like swastikas and hateful graffiti earlier in the week, but that his more nuanced response to the synagogue protest–which involved antisemitic slogans motivated by anti-Zionism–represented his first major political test on a more complicated issue (After protest at synagogue, Mamdani says Israel immigration event misused ‘sacred space’ – The Times of Israel). Political commentators noted that the incident highlights the difficulty Mamdani will face in governing a city with deeply divided and passionate communities. His statement attempted to bridge the gap between his long-standing, unwavering support for Palestinian rights, which is central to his political identity, and his duty to ensure the safety and religious freedom of all New Yorkers (What NYC Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has actually said about Jews, Israel and antisemitism – The Times of Israel). The controversy ultimately raises concerns over how the incoming administration will protect Jewish institutions from intimidation when the anti-Zionist ideology of the protesters aligns, at least in part, with the mayor-elect’s own political worldview.
