Mayor Mamdani: Listen, before it’s too late.

At a small event run by JFNA a year ago, the current Israeli ambassador to the United States, Rabbi Dr. Yechiel Leiter, said something profound about his role. His job, he explained, was to remove the “stain of Cain” from the State of Israel — and that his work often focused on fighting against descriptions of Netanyahu as a “child-killer.” In his estimation, when the most recognizable Jew in the entire world is widely viewed as bloodthirsty and evil, it trickles down to the entirety of the Jewish people.

The Ambassador and I probably wouldn’t characterize Bibi Netanyahu with precisely the same adjectives. I am critical of Netanyahu’s administration; beyond the credible allegations of corruption he must stand trial for, I believe he must be held accountable for the failures that led to October 7. And I, like many other Jewish Americans, have encouraged the efforts to flood Gaza with humanitarian aid and condemned abuses of authority by a minority of soldiers in the region.

But Ambassador Leiter’s words are undeniably true: when Netanyahu is seen by much of the world as “worse than Hitler,” the impact is felt by Jews globally. If you want data, look at the FBI’s statistics on the 69% of hate crimes which target Jews. If you want anecdotes, you don’t need to look further than the Upper East Side, where I live and work — our synagogues have been targeted by furious protestors and many people I know now remove their kippot before stepping onto the street.

Today Mayor Mamdani doubled and then tripled down on his claims about Netanyahu being a war criminal and genocidaire that he would seek to arrest. Mamdani, in this video, is presidential in bearing: serious, flanked by flags, the tones muted. “Benjamin Netanyahu is not welcome in New York City,” Mamdani says, “nor is any war criminal at large.”

I am absolutely certain that Mamdani isn’t going to be making videos about the 74 other defendants on the ICC’s open warrant list. And that certainty is the problem with Mamdani’s videos. When he repeatedly targets only one global figure with repeated character attacks — even if some of them are legitimate — and that figure is the leader of the one Jewish state in the world, he is contributing to a negative perception of Jews and Zionists. Call it trickle-down antisemitism. 

When Mamdani took office in January of 2026, he pledged to be a mayor for all New Yorkers. He promised this in response to the worries of many of the Jews living in this city. I don’t want to speak for all of us, but I represent many people I know when I say we are even more worried seven months into his term. 

Mayor Mamdani isn’t talking to most Jewish New Yorkers. He may be making inroads with Satmar and the progressive bloc of Jewish New York, but most Orthodox Jews — the Jews overwhelmingly impacted by antisemitic hate crimes, Jews who look like me — are afraid. 

We are afraid. Of a world even more dangerous for our children. Of a city even more hostile toward our kippot and wigs. Of being targeted as “baby-killers” and “zionazis” as we get onto the subway or walk through Central Park.

Mayor Mamdani, today you decided not to be a mayor for all New Yorkers.

You chose not to listen to our concerns.

I hope it’s not too late to undo the results of that choice.