NYC rabbis ‘hopeful' after telling Mamdani his Israel rhetoric makes Jews feel unsafe - interview

Two rabbis who attended New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's closed-door roundtable on Monday expressed hopefulness and believed the mayor approached the meeting with good intentions. The meeting, convened by the Mayor's Office to Combat Antisemitism, brought together ten rabbis representing various Jewish denominations. Rabbi Jonathan Leener, leader of the Prospect Heights Shul, and Rabbi "S", who wished to remain anonymous, attended the event and expressed their concerns directly to the mayor.

Rabbi S shared that he participated in the roundtable to represent his community's views and felt the outreach was made in good faith. He stated that the mayor's harsh rhetoric against Israel and its government alienated constituents and made Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe. Rabbi Leener, on the other hand, agreed with Rabbi S and emphasized that the mayor's rhetoric contributes to the growing antisemitism in NYC.

Both rabbis highlighted the diversity of voices at the roundtable, with representation from various denominations, geographical locations, and points of view. Despite some tension and passion during the meeting, each rabbi maintained a respectful approach when voicing their concerns. They also noted that the mayor was open to suggestions and listened carefully to the community's plea to help reduce the temperature in the ongoing discourse.

Both rabbis emphasized that there was broad consensus during the conversation about the seriousness of security concerns facing Jewish institutions and the need for the city government to address them. They also expressed a shared desire for the administration to better understand the experiences of Jewish New Yorkers, as many felt vulnerable and anxious due to the rising antisemitism in the city.