Two of the city’s largest Jewish organizations say they will not attend Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Jewish American Heritage Month celebration at Gracie Mansion on Monday night.
The UJA-Federation of New York and Mark Treyger, the chief executive of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the city’s two leading Jewish communal bodies, told The New York Post they will skip the event. Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, said he will also stay away.
“We will not be attending the Jewish American Heritage Month celebration at Gracie Mansion being hosted by a mayor who denies a core pillar of our heritage, the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people,” the UJA-Federation said in a statement.
“Jewish heritage should include recognition of the State of Israel,” Potasnik said. “Jewish history didn’t end in 1946.”
Mamdani’s office is billing the gathering as a “Pre-Shavuot Celebration in Honor of Jewish American Heritage Month,” with a kosher dairy menu. About 150 guests representing different segments of the city’s roughly one million Jewish residents are expected to attend, according to City Hall.
Among those who say they will attend is Rabbi David Niederman, head of the United Jewish Organizations of (Satmar) Williamsburg, who told The NY Post that participation was “right and appropriate.”
The boycott follows a Nakba Day video released by Mamdani’s office on Friday afternoon, shortly before the start of Shabbos, that prompted a wave of outrage among Jewish leaders. The video featured Inea Bushaq, a translator described in the mayor’s official post as a “New Yorker and a Nakba survivor,” and framed the events of 1947 to 1949 as the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians during the creation of the State of Israel.
Jewish leaders said the video presented a one-sided account of Israel’s War of Independence that omitted the invasion of the nascent Jewish state by five Arab armies, the massacres and expulsions of Jewish communities during the war, and the subsequent expulsion of more than 800,000 Jews from Arab and Muslim countries. Critics also said the video carried the implication that Israel’s existence itself is an ongoing catastrophe, the literal meaning of the Arabic word “Nakba.”
Treyger said the Friday video had sharply worsened tensions with the Jewish community. His council organizes Israel Day on Fifth, the annual pro-Israel parade scheduled for May 31, which Mamdani has said he will not march in. The mayor also declined to recognize Israel’s Independence Day last month.
Mamdani, a democratic socialist who rose to power aligned with pro-Palestinian activism, has refused to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, has supported divestment from Israel Bonds and has accused Israel of committing genocide during the war in Gaza that followed the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. He has nevertheless insisted he will protect and “cherish” Jewish New Yorkers.
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21 Responses
It is shameful that any Yid acknowledges the mayoral reign of a rabid Jew hater like Madmani. It is irrelevant that he takes the terrorist position that considers the State of Israel as an enemy of mankind. None of this is politics. It is rather his deep hatered for Jews, anywhere they live including NYC. We, who subscribe to Torah dictated moral value, daven daily that we be freed from this terrorist lover. One does not need to buy into the Zionist thinking to recognize hate when we see it. Till then, I am embarrassed that Niederman or anyone else would look to this terrorist as a leader.
Among the many sins of Satmar and its followers, add one more
Satmar needs to be boycotted!
If moshiach took away the welfare they would snub him and run back to golus
Kudos to him and to all who do not follow in lockstep the Zionist agenda . . .
Let it be clear once again, Israel does not present the world jewry!!!
Just another good read I came across today from a ZIONIST;
“Antisemitism is not caused by criticism of Israel per se. But when Israel conducts a war that violates international norms and claims to speak for all Jews, it creates conditions where antisemitism spikes. The way to reduce it, in his view, is for Israel to change course and for Jewish communities to clearly distinguish between the state and Jewish identity”
Hats off to Satmar who are just following the Torah’s edict of hakoras hatov to let the Egyptians become converts after 4 generations because they hosted us even though they hated us and afflicted us. Satmar too has hakoras hatov to the NY Dems for all the gov programs they get and hope to get! Follow the money.
They’re really making friends
To FaceIt
The problem with Neturei Karta — and now, it seems, with Niderman and those following his approach- is that they view Israel and Zionism as the bullseye on a target. In their worldview, opposing Zionism becomes so central that it justifies aligning with groups and individuals who openly support violence against Jews. That’s why Neturei Karta has no issue marching alongside Hamas supporters: the shared opposition to Zionism overrides everything else.
And now Niderman appears ready to embrace Mamdani. After distributing the Nakba film, any person with a conscience should distance themselves from someone who promotes such a one‑sided, inflammatory narrative. The “Nakba” framing ignores the historical reality: five Arab armies invaded the newly established State of Israel, and it was the decisions of Arab leaders that led to the mass flight of Arab civilians.
FaceIt:
You’re correct. The State of Israel doesn’t represent Jewry. Two problems with this logic. One – the goyim don’t know that. So they hate all Jews, including Satmar. Two – Madmani is playing a game with this event. He will protect violence against Jews, with lip service to Israel and his hateful opinions about that. I’m no fan of Tziyonim, and the anti-chareidi sentiments in E”Y are sickening. But Niederman is just a pawn that this terrorist mayor will use as an excuse for his support of violence against Jews. I would hope you were smart enough to recognize this.
@ah yid
@the little you know
First and foremost, Satmar has no affiliation with NT.
Nakba is a historic fact, in the eyes of those who bore it, at least.
Lately it became costume that every rally in NY or even in London after the stabbings that Jews/Zionist are fluttering the blue and white flag, objectively and politically correct, if the flag represents the Jews because we’ve suffered a holocaust and therefore they rightfully suffered a Nakba of their own, both should be recognized, as much as we hate both . . .
Finally, thanks for having a coolheaded conversation, not bashing as others do.
“The UJA-Federation of New York and Mark Treyger, the chief executive of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York…will skip the event.
“We will not be attending…being hosted by a mayor who denies a core pillar of our heritage, the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people,” the UJA-Federation said in a statement.
“Jewish heritage should include recognition of the State of Israel,” Potasnik said. “Jewish history didn’t end in 1946.””
Here we have three different groups claiming to not only be Jewish but to represent Jews, yet they are spouting such nonsense (and idolatry). Wow.
No, the Zionist paradise never was and never will be the “homeland” of the Jewish people because the Jewish people’s actual homeland is the Torah. And even if E”Y were the “homeland”, that has nothing to do with the political “State” of “Israel” that exists partly in E”Y and partly not in E”Y.
Then, these “Jews” claim that “State” as homeland is a “core pillar of our heritage”? A “core pillar” to a Jew would be belief in G-d, following His Torah and the like. But they claim a core pillar is this heretical political entity that’s not even a century old and established – with the express purpose of uprooting the Torah, but that’s almost besides the point – only thousands of years after we became a “nation”/people at Mt. Sinai?
Then, this board of “rabbis” claims – with all seriousness, presumably – that “Jewish history didn’t end in 1946”, so therefore “Jewish heritage should include recognition of ” the Zionist paradise. That’s a non-sequitur, of course. One has nothing to do with the other. Of course, Jewish history is still ongoing, and always will be forever. But that has nothing to do with the idol (other than the cataclysmic disaster to Jews that is that idol).
And some posters here think that Satmar is the issue here? So sad.
@the-little-I-know
“@FaceIt:
You’re correct. The State of Israel doesn’t represent Jewry. Two problems with this logic. One – the goyim don’t know that…”
The Satmar Rav held that it was a big mitzvah to inform the nations of that – so that they would not blame Jews for anything the Zionists do or don’t do.
(That’s also the reason why the NK do their protests and the like, but that’s almost besides the point.)
Regarding your second point, as Mayor of NYC, including its Jews, he is required to keep safe and well the Jews in NYC, and to condemn hate against Jews (which he has done). Demanding that he have any opinion on the Zionist paradise is simply silly. His job is Mayor of NYC, not US ambassador to the UN.
I have a new found respect for Neturei Karta.
Essentially they share one philosophy with Satmar, I.e. it’s our duty to (wash our dirty laundry in public which the vast majority of Gedolim held is a Chillul Hashem) proclaim to the world that Zionism does not represent Judaism and is in fact the antithesis to Judaism and therefore pretend that the haters of Israel are “not really antisemites”. They simply read V’yoel Moshe. [True, the advent of Medinas Yisroel heightened the hatred of the Arabic/islamic world but who are we kidding. Ever read the Rambam’s Igeres Teiman?? But that’s not even the main point. What was the alternative? Did Hitler YM”S kill 6 million because of Hertzel? (Satmar Ruv is the only one to say that and not in a practical sense). The Heiliger Belzer Ruv said that EY was an Ir Miklat at the time. Im not addressing the Halachic aspect of it. For me the Avnei Nezer is enough (right, his son wrote it, as if his son was a קטלא קניא, and I have a bridge to sell you)].
FOR A GOY TO SAY “IM NOT ANTISEMITIC, JUST ANTI ZIONIST”, is analogous to me saying, I HAVE NOTHING AGAINST BLACKS IM SIMPLY ANTI EMANCIPATION.
By Satmar cozying up to this Rusha (oh sorry, only the love of his life is an anti -Semite) allowing him to hide behind “having Jewish best friends “ is bordering on Redifa.
NO DIFFERENT THAN NETUREI KARTA.
Difference is, Satmar as organization has what to lose big time by attending Palestinian marches. Neturei Karta has no such issue. They are true to their SHARED Hadhkofas Hatorah.
Hence, my new found respect for NETUREI KARTA.
You always know the true colors of a person from the people s/he associates with.
To sound more religious:- let me quote the phrase based on פרשת קרח already coming up in a month [even sooner for Israelis]:- אוי לאיש אוי לשכינו
Shvantzelach
I see on one side the secular UJA group is boycotting city hall event along with this rabbi Joseph Potasnik who heads the board of rabbis made up of reform,conservative.reconstructiinist and some modern orthodox rabbis. On the other hand observant Jews like Satmar are going to the city hall event.I would choose the religious side as opposed to the reform clergy. I honestly don’t feel there is any antisemitism compared to fifty years ago. I ask all my friends and no one bothers them. It’s a media thing. Colleges have anti semitism because so many students intermarry.
After Satmar Bikur Cholim, the rest of that cult is Drek.
Neturei karta actually acts as a safeguard for Jews. Satmar is chumming up to momdani for financial reasons. Actualy. NK should be praised as they are idealistic and are not getting any money from any Arab countries. In fact I have seen individuals from NK collecting at weddings. Had they had the kind of money people fantasize NK gets from Arab groups they would not be shnoring at weddings.
I wish (wishful thinking…) that YWN would have a special section of comments for those who are intellectually honest.
@WiseSage58,
Although as can be seen from a previous comment of mine, I’m critical of Satmar (those individuals/factions) in this instance and this general issue, your comment “After Satmar Bikur Cholim, the rest of that cult is Drek” is ludicrous and ignorant. It’s quite obvious that you (or a family member) experienced their Chessed pertaining to Bikkur Cholim. That’s where your exposure to Satmar probably ends.
Fact is, that the Heiliger Satmar Ruv [A daas Yuchid on many issues], introduced to his Chasiddim and through them, to the world at large all sorts of Chessed (not simply Tzedakkah). Have you ever been to a Satmar Shul at 5am to see a full house of Baalei Battim learning B’chavrusah (or alone) before Davening and before starting a day of work? My (safe) guess is no.
Drek?
Please.
It seems that it’s a three way contest; 1) hating Satmar. 2) hating Israel. 3) hating Mamdani.
The facts; they didn’t finish with Hamas, they didn’t finish with Hezbollah and they will NOT finish with Iran. This state is a thorn in Hashem’s eyes and so to every Torah observant Yid.
May we be זוכה to the speedy desolvment of this catastrophic entity, without any further bloodshed, אמן