By COLlive reporter
Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the Mayor of New York City, once again hosted a reception marking Jewish American Heritage Month on Monday.
Since it was held ahead of Shavuos, the event featured an all-milchig menu catered by Papillon (certified by Tarnopol). Guests were served cheesecake, blintzes, bourekas, and knishes, along with wine and refreshments.
“Tonight, across the five boroughs, Jewish New Yorkers are preparing for the holiday ahead,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in his remarks. “Homes and shuls are being decorated with blossoming flowers. Cheesecakes are being baked. Blintzes are being folded. Children are learning about the values that have defined Judaism for millennia.”
So what could possibly go wrong?
Certain Jewish groups objected to the event’s host.
This tension was fueled by an incident just days earlier, when Mamdani posted a video commemorating “Nakba Day,” marking the period surrounding Israel’s War of Independence in 1948.
Mamdani described it as “an annual day of remembrance to commemorate the expulsion of more than 700,000 Palestinians between 1947 and 1949,” alongside a video featuring one of those individuals.
The video, produced with New York taxpayer funds, received criticism from members of the Jewish community and others. One Christian mother commented, “Saying 700,000 people shouldn’t have been displaced in 1948 is just a euphemism for saying Israel shouldn’t have been founded.”
Mamdani defended the decision earlier Monday, saying recognition of Palestinian suffering does not diminish Jewish history or concerns over antisemitism, while emphasizing that his administration remains open to dialogue with Jewish leaders.
Former Democratic New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind said before the event, “I am calling on Jewish leaders not to attend this event. I plead with you to take a stand. Show pride. Have self-respect. You don’t have to go to Gracie Mansion for cheese danishes.”
Organizations that skipped the mayor’s blintzes included representatives of the Conference of Presidents, UJA-Federation of New York, Jewish Community Relations Council, Anti-Defamation League, American Jewish Committee, Met Council, Orthodox Union, Agudath Israel of America, and others.
As a result, those who did attend were highlighted, including progressive Jewish activists and liberal Jewish leaders, as well as representatives of the Satmar and Crown Heights Jewish communities. Among them were Devorah Halberstam, Honorary NYPD Commissioner of Community Safety and chair of the Board of Commissioners to Combat Antisemitism, and community activist Yaacov Behrman.
Halberstam said she attended because she has been “building a friendship and finding common ground and mutual respect” with the Mayor. “I think he wants to learn more about the Jewish community, and I hope that I will help him build bridges,” she said.
“Responding to Hikind’s characterization of attendees as “traitors,” Rabbi Yaacov Behrman, who strongly criticized Mamdani’s Nakba Day video over the weekend, said that Hikind should stop creating drama over who is or isn’t going, adding that it is important to be outspoken when the mayor crosses the line while also remaining engaged.
“No one attending this event is endorsing the mayor’s views or suggesting that his Nakba post was anything less than outrageous and unacceptable,” he wrote on X.
“This is not really about going or not going. It is about the why, and about how a person conducts himself in general. Was Mordechai considered a traitor to the Jewish people because of his position in government?
“A traitor does what is best for himself, whether for image or personal gain. A leader does what he genuinely believes is right for his community. Going for personal gain or refusing to go for personal gain are ultimately the same thing.
“We should be proud Jews, confident enough to speak our minds without fear and mature enough to act in the way we believe the moment demands,” Behrman concluded.
VIDEO:
At the event itself, Mamdani addressed preparations for Shavuos, rising antisemitism, and the city’s responsibility to ensure Jewish New Yorkers feel secure. He also honored former Manhattan Borough President Ruth Messinger for her longstanding public service and leadership.
“As we mark the history and contributions of Jewish New Yorkers, we know that there are many who seek to make it harder for you to live at the heart of our city, to make you unsafe for no other reason than the faith you observe and the clothes that you wear.
“Despite Jewish New Yorkers accounting for nearly 12% of our city’s population, you are also the targets of more than 50% of all hate crimes. Jewish New Yorkers have worked to cultivate a city that is safe and open to all. You should be accorded the same security and the same peace of mind.”
Mamdani also announced an annual investment of $26 million to expand hate crime prevention efforts through the Office to Prevent Hate Crimes.
“I know that there is more that has to be done to ensure that our response to antisemitism is not merely that, a response after it has happened. We must also invest in ensuring that we prevent it from happening in the first place.”
