Ex-Mamdani campaign staffer says she was ‘mistaken’ after claiming NYC synagogue attack was not antisemitic

Debbie Saslaw, a co-founder of Melted Solids and former senior producer for Zohran Mamdani’s campaign, retracted her initial claim that an August 14 attack at Manhattan’s Central Synagogue was not antisemitic. Saslaw had posted on X, stating, “Apparently this guy was an Orthodox Jew who was lashing out at Jews. I wouldn’t call that an ‘antisemitic attack.’” She later deleted the post, telling the New York Post she was “obviously mistaken” and “obviously panicked,” clarifying she never questioned if it was a hate crime. The suspect, Larry Montes, 46, faces charges including assault as a hate crime and criminal mischief as a hate crime for allegedly disrupting a Shabbat service, assaulting a congregant, attacking a security guard, and making antisemitic remarks.