Jewish leaders directly criticize mayor for Israel rhetoric

Following the stabbing of a Jewish man on the Upper West Side, Jewish leaders and elected officials criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's rhetoric regarding Israel. Eric Goldstein, CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York, stated, "Mayor Mamdani, stop fanning the flames of hatred and division. The consequences are not abstract." Leaders argued that Mamdani's repeated criticism of Israel contributes to a climate where Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe. While Mamdani reiterated his commitment to combating antisemitism, stating, "When anyone is perpetrating that kind of a bigotry, that kind of a hatred, they will be held fully accountable," he defended his focus on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's alleged war crimes as political criticism. Progressive politician Brad Lander, a Jewish ally of Mamdani, noted the mayor has increased funding for hate crime prevention and maintained meetings with Jewish leaders, asserting no inconsistency between condemning violence in New York and criticizing actions in Palestine and Israel.