Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is distancing himself from the extreme rhetoric shouted at outside a Nefesh B’Nefesh event at Park East Synagogue on Wednesday night — while simultaneously accusing the synagogue of promoting actions he claims “violate international law”.
“The Mayor-elect has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so,” Mamdani’s press secretary, Dora Pekec, said in a Thursday afternoon statement. “He believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation, and that these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.”
When asked by the Jewish Insider to clarify what “activities” Pekec was referring to, Mamdani’s team said the remark was “specifically in reference to the organization’s promotion of settlement activity beyond the Green Line,” which they claimed “violates international law.”
Outside the event, anti-Israel demonstrators shouted explosive chants including “Death to the IDF,” “We don’t want no Zionists here,” “Resistance you make us proud, take another settler out,” and “From New York to Gaza, globalize the intifada.”
One protest leader repeatedly called for intimidation, shouting into a megaphone: “We need to make them scared. We need to make them scared. We need to make them scared.” The agitator added that it was activists’ “duty to make them think twice before holding these events.”
Governor Kathy Hochul condemned the incident, posting on X:
“No New Yorker should be intimidated or harassed at their house of worship. What happened last night at Park East Synagogue was shameful and a blatant attack on the Jewish community. Hate has no place in New York.”
The event hosted by Nefesh B’Nefesh proceeded despite the disruption.
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16 Responses
This Moslem megalomaniac would consider Tel Aviv disputed territory. Disgusting creep. His apology is along the childish lines of “sorry that I said you’re stupid. Its just that you really are dumb.”
Disgusting double standard. Last I checked, every pro-Palestine protest also “promotes activities in violation of international law.”
But they were advocating for genocide of the Jews, so that’s fine.
These Hamas thugs should attempt this in any state except NY and CA. They would be shot. Pathetic cowards.
He should be taken into custody for violating the US Constitution. New York is not an “international city”, it is a city inside the United States of America. We do not uphold foreign laws, and there’s no such thing as “international law”. This is a treasonous position and he should be made to answer for it.
Its very clear on where he stands. He is blatant about it. U dont repeatedly threaten to arrest the PM of Israel if he steps into the most Jewish city on earth outside Israel and then keep mum on israel events in NY. May Hashem have rachamim on us
this is just the beginning of his trip. the event should be held all over and more and more Jews should be given the opportunity to return to the land of our fathers, the place that G-D promised will be home to the Jewish people. Jews, please come home.
there is no “international law” that forbids indigenous peoples from living in their own land. discriminating against jews in judea isn’t international law, it’s racism.
shloime: You are ignoring the well established rule that Jews are untermenschen, We are talking as if anti-Semitism was the result of anti-zionism. The reverse is true, the reason many people are anti-Israel is because Israel is perceived as being Jewish.
Thanks indig
The only law this Shul violated was the despicable letting go of Rav Goldschmidt שליט”א
If this madmani cared about the rats and crime in NY as much as he cares about sustaining Hamas, maybe NY has something to hold on to. All he’s concerned about is the international stage. Tell him he was elected to take care of NY. Maybe it’s better this way.
unomin: “He should be taken into custody for violating the US Constitution.”
Huh? First, he hasn’t violated the constitution. Second, “violating the constitution” is not a crime, and you can’t get arrested for it. He said something stupid and wrong, but the first amendment protects his right to say it.
Shloime, 100% true, but also there is not really any such thing as “international law” in the sense that Mamdani is using it. There is no world government, nor any international legislature. The “laws of nations” are more like the customs of nations, which they obey most of the time, unless it’s really important to them not to.
BASESTHER:
Why do you write incendiary opinions when the article explicitly states otherwise?
“When asked by the Jewish Insider to clarify what “activities” Pekec was referring to, Mamdani’s team said the remark was “specifically in reference to the organization’s promotion of settlement activity beyond the Green Line,” which they claimed “violates international law.””
Tel Aviv is obviously not beyond the Green Line.
The real question we should all ask ourselves and our ruv is: Is it right for Jews to buy/occupy land in the occupied territories? Jews in Galus need to be careful to bow to the nations, for one.
Unocommin: “We do not uphold foreign laws…”
Well, it seems like the Zionists do uphold foreign law in anything and everything internationally. If you use that card, you might get a pointed finger of exactly this issue – that Jews are treasonous because of double loyalty. We should not ever in America imply that a candidate is antisemitic because of his stance on Israel. It’s extremely dangerous.
LAMother: Hashem should have rachamim on us everywhere, in NYC, in LA, and especially in Israel, the most dangerous place for Jews to live in a practical sense. Please don’t buy into Zionist propaganda – they need to boil up fear in us to keep us thinking that they’re our saviors.
Bikurim: When Hashem will send Moshiach, we will all go! But now under the Zionist State it is very dangerous to live there.
When will Jews wake up? The TaNaCh very clearly tells us why Hashem allows little Austrian house painters and carpetbagging Ugandan brats to become powerful. We need to look inward and expunge the evil from within. The clue is the party AOC & Mamzerdani affiliate with. In New York and especially in Ramapo, DemocRat Jewish “leaders” spit and trample on the Laws of the Torah while covering their heads with tichels and streimels.