{"id":2643067,"date":"2026-08-11T10:15:01","date_gmt":"2026-08-11T14:15:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rabbis-fear-mamdanis-anti-israel-focus-amid-rising-antisemitism\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T10:20:52","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T14:20:52","slug":"rabbis-fear-mamdanis-anti-israel-focus-amid-rising-antisemitism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rabbis-fear-mamdanis-anti-israel-focus-amid-rising-antisemitism\/","title":{"rendered":"Rabbis fear Mamdani&#8217;s anti-Israel focus amid rising antisemitism"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frabbis-fear-mamdanis-anti-israel-focus-amid-rising-antisemitism%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2643067&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A group of 10 rabbis from various Jewish denominations met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to express concern over his outspoken opposition to Israel and certain Jewish figures, warning that his rhetoric is fueling antisemitism and creating a hostile surroundings for the Jewish community. The rabbis emphasized that Mamdani&#8217;s approach needs to change to improve relations with Jewish residents. Previously, Mamdani faced criticism for his comments on Israel, including refusing to condemn slogans like &#8220;from the river to the sea&#8221; and his wife\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/why-this-average-american-is-voting-for-donald-trump\/\" title=\"Why This Average American Is Voting for Donald Trump\">social media posts<\/a> supporting Hamas\u2019 attack on israel. His recent calls for Netanyahu\u2019s arrest and use of language likening pro-Israel groups to Nazis further intensified tensions. Israeli officials condemned Mamdani for rhetoric they said echoes Nazi propaganda. Critics argue Mamdani\u2019s policies, such as revoking the city\u2019s adoption of the IHRA definition of antisemitism and permitting boycott efforts against Israel, undermine protections for Jews. Anti-Jewish hate crimes in NYC remain high, with an increase in vandalism and threats targeting Jewish sites, alongside concerns that rising rhetoric and violence may be linked to political tensions over Israel and Palestine. Mamdani contends he opposes antisemitism and supports Jewish safety, but community leaders worry his statements and policies contribute to anti-jewish sentiment and incidents in the city.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A group of rabbis urged New York City Mayor <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/zohran-mamdani\/\">Zohran Mamdani <\/a>on Monday to change his approach to the city\u2019s Jewish community, raising alarm that his outspoken opposition to<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/israel\/\"> Israel<\/a> and prominent Jewish figures is stoking racism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A group of 10 Reform, Conservative, and Modern Orthodox rabbis met with the mayor this week and issued a message that there is a uniform sense that Mamdani\u2019s relationship with the Jewish community must change, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2026\/08\/10\/nyregion\/mamdani-rabbis-meeting.html\">according to<\/a> the<em> New York Times<\/em>. The mayor\u2019s office described the meeting as an \u201copen, positive and constructive conversation.\u201d <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4682438\/rabbis-zohran-mamdani-cool-rhetoric-israel-rising-antisemitism\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Rabbis press Mamdani to cool rhetoric against Israel if he wants relationship with Jewish New Yorkers to improve<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4681118\/watch-live-hegseth-speaks-joint-base-lindsey-graham-renaming-ceremony\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>WATCH LIVE: Hegseth speaks at Joint Base Lindsey Graham renaming ceremony<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4680954\/dearborn-vs-detroit-abdul-el-sayed-cut-into-stevens-black-vote-tiana-lowe-doescher\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>\u2018Dearborn vs. Detroit\u2019 proves how Abdul el Sayed cut into Stevens\u2019s black vote: Tiana Lowe Doescher<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m happy to work in partnership with your administration, but Mr. Mayor, you are 90%\u00a0of what could be different here,\u201d Rabbi Rick Jacobs, the head of the Reform movement in North America, recalled saying in the meeting. \u201cIf instead of vilifying Israel, you spoke constructively, in measured tones \u2014 that would move the needle more than anything else, and I\u2019m hopeful you\u2019ll use that power.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The meeting followed concerns stoked during Mamdani\u2019s mayoral campaign last year when he declined to condemn the phrases \u201c<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/3473265\/globalize-the-intifada-what-to-know-zohran-mamdani\/\">globalize the intifada<\/a>\u201d and \u201cfrom the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,\u201d arguing he interpreted them as \u201ca desperate desire for equality and equal rights.\u201d In March, debate again erupted when Mamdani\u2019s wife was criticized for social media posts she liked that celebrated Hamas\u2019s October 7, 2023, terrorist attack on Israeli civilians, including a post that claimed its rape of Jewish women was a \u201cmass hoax.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More recently, Mamdani provoked controversy for making a public call for Israeli Prime Minister <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/benjamin-netanyahu\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"378\">Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s<\/a> arrest. The mayor denounced him as a war criminal and \u201cthe architect of a horrific genocide against the Palestinian people,\u201d stoking fears that such rhetoric stokes hate against Jews, including in New York City, which holds the largest Jewish population of any city in the United States. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere was no tiptoeing around the elephant in the room,\u201d\u00a0Rabbi Jonathan Leener, the leader of the Prospect Heights Shul, a liberal modern Orthodox synagogue in Brooklyn, told the outlet after meeting with Mamdani. \u201cThe mayor\u2019s comments have ramifications, and he needs to be aware of how, in the current climate, that just adds to the temperature and creates an environment that I think a lot of Jews feel vulnerable in.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf he is going to criticize Israel or speak for Palestinian freedom, which I do regularly, then it really matters that there is complexity in his message,\u201d Rabbi Timoner, whose congregation includes Senate Minority Leader <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/chuck-schumer\/\" data-type=\"post_tag\" data-id=\"384\">Chuck Schumer<\/a> (D-NY), said he told Mamdani. \u201cWe can\u2019t vote there, we don\u2019t have any ability to change what\u2019s happening, yet people are profiling us and spewing hate at us because they\u2019re angry at the Israeli government.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">On Tuesday, Israeli Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, accused Mamdani of targeting pro-Israel organizations in the U.S. with rhetoric that mirrors language used by Nazi Germany.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe fact that the mayor used the word \u2018monsters\u2019 against AIPAC, as far as I know, and I know the history very well, the Germans used the same words toward the Jewish people in Germany, then in Poland, then in Austria, then in Europe, in France,\u201d Akunis <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/zohran-mamdani-rebuked-by-israeli-diplomat-for-using-same-words-as-nazis-12294886\">told<\/a> <em>Newsweek<\/em>.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mamdani has sought to deflect criticism that he harbors or has perpetuated antisemitism. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThere is no place for antisemitism in Queens or anywhere in our city,\u201d <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NYCMayor\/status\/2051365650858230166\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/x.com\/NYCMayor\/status\/2051365650858230166\">he said<\/a> after vandals targeted Jews in Queens in May.\u00a0\u201cI stand in solidarity with our Jewish neighbors. Their safety, dignity, and belonging are non-negotiable.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But critics continue to raise questions that his policies and stance on Israel have failed to protect their community, including by his move to revoke the city\u2019s use of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism, and scrapping his predecessor\u2019s prohibition on city agencies engaging in the boycott, divest, and sanctions movement against Israel. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In a May protest at Mamdani\u2019s mayoral mansion, demonstrators <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/politics\/4583669\/mamdani-protesters-angered-stance-israel-jews\/\">expressed concern <\/a>about rising hate crimes against the Jewish community. Anti-Jewish incidents represent 57% of New York City\u2019s total reported hate crimes in 2025, despite Jews making up only around 10% of the city\u2019s population, according to the New York Police Department. For the second year in a row, there were more anti-Jewish incidents than other target groups combined.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4565682\/israel-sexual-violence-palestinians-gaza-war\/\"><strong>CONCERNS ABOUT SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN ISRAEL-GAZA CONFLICT RENEWED AMID NYT CONTROVERSY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Meanwhile, crimes against <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/politics\/4583669\/mamdani-protesters-angered-stance-israel-jews\/\">Jewish houses of worship<\/a> have been on the rise in New York City. Authorities thwarted what they <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/nyc-synagogue-terror-plot\/\" data-type=\"link\" data-id=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/news\/nyc-synagogue-terror-plot\/\">described as a terrorist attack<\/a> at a prominent synagogue in May. Multiple synagogues, Jewish homes, and a car in Queens <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4554484\/mamdani-antisemitic-synagogue-vandalism-nyc\/\">were vandalized<\/a> with swastikas and other antisemitic graffiti in the same month.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-5\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-26\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-5\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The incidents came after a man was arrested on charges of repeatedly ramming his car into the Chabad Lubavitch World Headquarters in Brooklyn in January, the same month a local man was arrested on charges of <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/newyork\/video\/nypd-arrest-suspect-in-queens-rabbi-attack\/\">attacking a Queens rabbi<\/a> on Holocaust Remembrance Day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rabbis urge NYC mayor to tone down anti-Israel rhetoric<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2643068,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP25288705453769.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[5845,7053,56552,32726,17204],"class_list":["post-2643067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-anti-israel","tag-antisemitism","tag-mamdani","tag-middle-east","tag-rabbis"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/AP25288705453769.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2643067"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643067\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2643071,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2643067\/revisions\/2643071"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2643068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2643067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2643067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2643067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}