A massive electronic billboard in the heart of Times Square was used by an anti-Zionist Orthodox Jewish organization to publicly denounce Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu following his blistering attack on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the United Nations, with the organizers declaring before crowds in Midtown Manhattan that “Netanyahu Does Not Represent American Jews,” “Zionism Is Not Judaism” and “Not in Our Name.”

The campaign was organized by Natruna, with funding raised from Satmar-affiliated donors in New York, according to its organizers. The Times Square display reportedly cost tens of thousands of dollars and was coordinated by R’ Moshe Dovid Katz, a Satmar activist who founded Torah Jews and serves as chairman of Natruna.

The billboard appeared at 1557 Broadway in Times Square following Netanyahu’s Sept. 24 address to the United Nations General Assembly, placing the message on one of the world’s most heavily trafficked commercial advertising corridors.

Netanyahu had devoted an unusually pointed portion of his UN address to Mamdani, accusing the mayor of spreading false accusations against Israel, associating with figures hostile to Israel and contributing to an atmosphere in which Jewish New Yorkers feel increasingly unsafe.

“To all those spreading these lies about my country and our brave soldiers, whether they sit in this hall or in the office of the anti-Semitic mayor of New York, I say this: Shame on you. Shame on you for distorting the facts. Shame on you for inverting victim and aggressor. Shame on you for spitting in the face of truth,” Netanyahu said.

Netanyahu then addressed Mamdani directly.

“Mr. Mamdani, since you were elected mayor of this city, many Jews no longer feel safe in New York. They talk to me. They tell me, ‘This isn’t the city we remember. It changed so quickly.’”

The prime minister went on to accuse Mamdani of praising individuals convicted of supporting Hamas and maintaining relationships with controversial figures including streamer Hasan Piker. Netanyahu also criticized people associated with Mamdani over social-media activity and contacts that he said reflected hostility toward Israel.

Explaining how the campaign was financed, R’ Katz said: “I raised these thousands of dollars, dollar by dollar, from Jewish New Yorkers who were deeply frustrated that Netanyahu was using our communities in his political battles. Many Jews feel that they are being silenced and are not properly represented. They asked that their voice be heard clearly, first and foremost, before the entire world.”

Natruna publicly described the billboard as a response to what it called Netanyahu’s “weaponization of antisemitism,” and confirmed that the Times Square advertisement cost thousands of dollars raised from Jewish New Yorkers who supported its message.

The campaign was not presented merely as a defense of Mamdani. Its messaging reflected the longstanding anti-Zionist position associated with Satmar and Natruna, rejecting the idea that the State of Israel politically represents Jews throughout the world.

Referring to the purpose of the Times Square display, R’ Katz said: “It pains us deeply to see our holy religion exploited to advance the agenda of a foreign government. Jews are not an extension of the State of Israel, Zionism is not Judaism, and Netanyahu does not represent us. We want to live in peace and tranquility with our neighbors without being dragged into political battles that are not ours.”

Natruna further argued that treating Jewish communities around the world as representatives of the Israeli government does not combat antisemitism but can instead expose Jews outside Israel to anger generated by Israeli government policies. That argument represents the organization’s ideological position and is sharply disputed within the broader Jewish community.

The Times Square campaign quickly spread well beyond New York.

Middle East Eye, which has millions of followers across its social-media platforms, highlighted the display, where the coverage quickly accumulated tens of thousands of views along with more than 1,000 likes and hundreds of shares, according to figures cited by the organizers.

The Jordanian-based Roya network also produced coverage of the campaign for its Arabic-speaking audience, exposing the Times Square demonstration to viewers throughout Jordan and elsewhere in the Arab world.

Quds News Network, a Palestinian media network with a substantial social-media following, similarly circulated images and reports about the display, generating additional views and comments across Arabic-language platforms.

The campaign also traveled to Turkey, where TRHaber reported on the billboard under a headline describing an anti-Netanyahu advertisement in Times Square. Its coverage focused heavily on Natruna’s ideological distinction between Judaism and Zionism.

The story reached audiences still farther afield through Independent Urdu, the Urdu-language edition affiliated with The Independent, bringing the campaign to readers in Pakistan and other Urdu-speaking communities.

The result was precisely the international amplification the organizers had sought: an advertisement purchased in Manhattan was soon being circulated among English-speaking audiences in the West, Arabic-speaking audiences across the Middle East, Turkish readers and Urdu-speaking audiences in South Asia.

Natruna also used the publicity to direct viewers to their own website, where the Times Square footage was prominently displayed alongside material explaining the organization’s opposition to Zionism.

The site highlighted the campaign with the phrases “As Seen in Times Square” and “Yes, That Was Us,” before directing visitors to explanations of why the billboard had been commissioned and the ideology of the organization behind it.

The campaign follows other recent public statements by Satmar-associated anti-Zionist activists defending Mamdani against accusations of antisemitism. Torah Jews published a statement in August highlighting the Satmar Rebbe’s opposition to labeling Mamdani an antisemite, and in July published another message telling Netanyahu to “Leave Us Out Of Your Mess.”

{Matzav.com}