To Councilman Mamdani

Councilman Mamdani,

As an Israeli, I’m disgusted by your words and behavior –
as a New Yorker, I’m appealing to your conscience.

I was raised in New York, as were my parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. We’ve seen mayors come and go, protests rise and fade, neighborhoods built and rebuilt. What’s never changed is our conviction that New York belongs to everyone who loves it and works to make it better.

I write as a Jew and a fourth-generation New Yorker. When you won, I felt a worry I haven’t felt before: an unease that comes from the language and the crowds that surround your movement. That unease is personal, rooted in my family’s history of persecution and in the duty I feel to keep my community safe.

This fear isn’t a call to shut down debate; it’s a plea to lead responsibly. Our neighborhoods include people who have lived here for generations and people who have arrived recently, many fleeing violence and seeking safety, including my family fleeing Syria from Muslim persecution. We are all neighbors now. We do not have to be enemies.

Jewish families like mine, alongside our neighbors of many backgrounds built these blocks shoulder to shoulder. That legacy deserves protection, not polarization.

I’m asking you to use your platform to protect that legacy. Speak plainly against threats and intimidation. Convene faith leaders, immigrant organizations, and community groups. Show that justice and safety can advance together.

The entire world is watching, Jews are done being quiet, History is recording.

Respectfully,
Sammy Dweck Fragin
Fourth-Generation Jewish New Yorker