A group of New York rabbis met privately with Mayor Zohran Mamdani at City Hall today, urging him to temper his rhetoric about Israel, speak more carefully about the conflict, consistently condemn Hamas, and devote greater attention to combating antisemitism and protecting the city’s shuls and Jewish institutions.

The hour-long meeting, organized Monday by the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, brought together 10 Orthodox, Reform, and Conservative rabbis for what participants described as an open and respectful conversation about the concerns of New York’s Jewish community.

According to The New York Times, the participants did not present a unified position on Israel. While some encouraged the mayor to moderate his criticism of the Jewish state, others said they would rather see him stop commenting on Israel altogether and instead focus on issues that fall within his responsibilities as mayor.

Several rabbis told Mamdani they do not object to criticism of Israel or Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, but urged him to express those views with greater nuance. They also encouraged him to condemn Hamas more consistently and to make clear that American Jews should not be blamed for decisions made by Israel’s government.

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said he told Mamdani that the mayor has the ability to significantly improve the current atmosphere.

“I’m happy to work in partnership with your administration, but Mr. Mayor, you are 90 percent of what could be different here,” Jacobs recalled telling him.

“If instead of vilifying Israel, you spoke constructively, in measured tones, that would move the needle more than anything else, and I’m hopeful you’ll use that power.”

Despite representing different religious movements and political viewpoints, those present agreed that Mamdani’s relationship with the city’s Jewish community requires meaningful improvement, one participant told The New York Times on condition of anonymity because the discussion was held behind closed doors.

Mamdani, New York City’s first Muslim mayor and a longtime critic of Israel, has faced continued tension with many segments of the city’s Jewish population since taking office.

“There was no tiptoeing around the elephant in the room,” said Rabbi Jonathan Leener, who leads Prospect Heights Shul, a liberal Modern Orthodox congregation in Brooklyn.

“The mayor’s comments have ramifications and he needs to be aware of how in the current climate, that just adds to the temperature and creates an environment that I think a lot of Jews feel vulnerable in,” Leener said.

Two additional rabbis who attended the meeting said concerns about rising antisemitism and the safety of Jewish New Yorkers were echoed by many participants.

The discussion followed Mamdani’s widely publicized speech last month in which he described Netanyahu as a “war criminal.” He later acknowledged that New York law would prevent him from fulfilling a campaign promise to arrest the Israeli prime minister.

Even among Jewish New Yorkers who oppose Netanyahu’s government, some expressed concern that increasingly harsh rhetoric directed at Israel could contribute to greater hostility toward Jews living in the city.

Rabbi Rachel Timoner of Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn said Mamdani should do more to distinguish criticism of Israel from attitudes toward American Jews.

“If he is going to criticize Israel or speak for Palestinian freedom, which I do regularly, then it really matters that there is complexity in his message,” she said.

“We can’t vote there, we don’t have any ability to change what’s happening, yet people are profiling us and spewing hate at us because they’re angry at the Israeli government.”

Timoner said she also encouraged the mayor to speak about antisemitism with the same force and clarity that he has previously used when discussing Islamophobia following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Several attendees said Mamdani listened attentively throughout the meeting and thanked the participants for speaking candidly.

Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of the Mayor’s Office to Combat Antisemitism, described the meeting as “open, positive and constructive.”

“Mayor Mamdani has and will continue to engage with Jewish life in New York City in order to meet the needs of our communities and reaffirm his commitment to the thriving of Jewish communities across the five boroughs,” she said in a statement.

Mamdani, a Democratic Socialist, built much of his political career through pro-Palestinian activism. While attending Bowdoin College, he founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine and led an unsuccessful effort to persuade the school to join an academic boycott of Israel.

Although the mayor has moderated some of his positions on other political issues since taking office, he has largely maintained his longstanding views regarding Israel.

Leener, who identifies as a Zionist and has family living in Israel, said he never expected the meeting to change Mamdani’s opinions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Instead, he said his priority was urging the mayor to focus on protecting Jewish New Yorkers by increasing police security around synagogues and other Jewish institutions.

“That should be his focus and not making comments unnecessarily about the conflict,” Leener said. “Or having a bit more nuance around it. That it’s not just good versus evil.”

{Matzav.com}