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The mayor-elect chastised a synagogue that hosted an event promoting migration to Israel and occupied settlements. His spokeswoman said the gathering promoted “activities in violation of international law.”
Nov. 24, 2025Updated 8:54 p.m. ET
It was the first high-profile incident since Zohran Mamdani’s election involving one of New York City’s most sensitive flash points: the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
A rowdy protest descended last Wednesday on Park East Synagogue, one of New York’s most prominent Modern Orthodox congregations, which had rented space to an organization that helps Jews move to Israel as well as to settlements in the occupied West Bank. Chants of “death to the I.D.F.” and “globalize the intifada” rang through the air.
Mr. Mamdani, the mayor-elect, responded the next day, saying through a spokeswoman that he “discouraged the language” used at the protest and that New Yorkers must be “free to enter a house of worship without intimidation.”
But it was what he said next that alarmed some Jewish leaders: He chastised the synagogue, saying through his spokeswoman that “these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.”
Mr. Mamdani, who will become mayor on Jan. 1, has struggled to build bonds with segments of the Jewish population, many of whom opposed his candidacy in part because of his sustained criticism of Israel and his pro-Palestinian activism.
And though Mr. Mamdani has said he will protect Jewish institutions amid heightened levels of antisemitism and hate crimes, his initial response to the protest did little to quell that unease and was widely criticized by some Jewish leaders.
