New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing mounting criticism after his administration unveiled a map highlighting the city’s “immigrant enclaves” that excludes historic Jewish, Italian, and Irish neighborhoods—communities that played a central role in shaping the city’s identity over the past two centuries.

The map, released in May as part of a city initiative celebrating New York’s ethnic neighborhoods, is titled “New York City Immigrant Enclaves.” It identifies 30 communities representing a wide range of immigrant populations, including Yemeni, Pakistani, Egyptian, African, Palestinian, Chinese, Korean, Albanian, Colombian, Dominican, Ecuadoran, Indian, Haitian, Polish, and several others.

Critics, however, say the project overlooks some of New York’s most iconic immigrant communities. They point to the absence of neighborhoods such as Little Italy, as well as longstanding Irish and Jewish enclaves that helped build the city during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Queens Republican Councilwoman Joann Ariola sharply criticized the omission, telling the New York Post that the map suggests the mayor’s office does not view Jews, Italians, and Irish immigrants as worthy of recognition.

“They were able to get a Little Bhod-Tibet in there, but what about the original ‘Little neighborhood,’ Little Italy?” Ariola asked. “And what about areas like Woodlawn, in the Bronx, which are home to plenty of Irish immigrants? Do the Irish and Italians not count for the Mayor’s office?”

State Assemblyman Kalman Yeger also condemned the map, accusing Mamdani of deliberately excluding the Jewish community.

“Mr. Mamdani’s erasing Jews is an essential part of his brand. No surprise.”

Joseph Scelsa, founder of the Italian-American Museum on Mulberry Street, called the omission of Little Italy a serious error.

“Italian-Americans are still a major population in New York City. To not recognize where Italian-Americans came from and settled is a terrible mistake. I don’t understand why Little Italy isn’t included. I hope it’s an oversight,” Scelsa said.

Jewish author Avital Chizhik-Goldschmidt also criticized the map in a post on X, writing, “The Mayor’s Office made a map of NYC’s immigrant enclaves: Little Africa, Little Poland, Little Palestine. But they just couldn’t figure out how to represent 11% of the city. Couldn’t decipher where the Jews are from.”

Manhattan Institute senior fellow Christopher Rufo argued that the controversy fits a broader pattern, noting that Mamdani has previously advocated removing public recognition of Italian heritage.

Former Los Angeles mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt likewise accused the mayor of engaging in “deliberate subversion” by excluding Jewish, Italian, and Irish neighborhoods from the map.

In response to the backlash, the mayor’s office defended the project, arguing that it focuses on immigrant communities rather than religious groups. A City Hall spokesperson said the map “does not highlight religious groups,” adding that the campaign “highlights neighborhoods in New York City that have substantial foreign-born populations from regions and countries around the world.”

The administration also emphasized that the map was designed as a tourism resource and noted that the “immigrant enclave series began during the [Eric] Adams administration.” Officials added that additional neighborhoods are expected to be incorporated into the project “in the upcoming months.”