Shortly after Zohran Mamdani won the New York City mayoral election, I received a text from a new number. It was the mayor-elect.
I felt compelled to talk to him out of respect for him becoming the new mayor. Our intense and productive conversation came after a violent protest outside my father’s Park East Synagogue. What happened that night on the streets of New York was not a political debate, but a deliberate act of intimidation against Jews, including a targeted campaign at the doors of a synagogue.
That call marked the beginning of an ongoing dialogue between us about where New York City should draw lines, how it protects houses of worship, and what leadership looks like when fear invades sacred spaces. Since then, the mayor and I have been in regular contact.
DHS REVEALS BACKGROUND OF NYC CITY COUNCIL EMPLOYEE AFTER MAMDANI ROK OVER ARREST
It was clear what the mayor and I did not agree with, namely that he should recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. His demonization of the Jewish state of Israel and his past use of anti-Semitic tropes such as “apartheid,” “occupation,” and “genocide” have endangered the safety of New York’s Jews. I told him, just as I tell every Muslim leader I know, that anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism.
I have urged Mayor Mamdani to pursue legislation that would immediately ban protests in front of all places of worship. This was not about silencing freedom of speech. It was intended to draw a clear and reasonable line between the right to protest and the right to pray without fear. To his credit, he listened. Our conversations have also led to concrete policy steps. In Mamdani’s second executive order, he directed the Police Commissioner and Legal Department to revise the NYPD’s patrol guidelines to ensure clearer protection of houses of worship. The order called for evaluating buffer zones near synagogues, churches and mosques ranging from 5 to 18 meters from entrances, additional restrictions during publicly scheduled religious services and appropriate restrictions even during non-religious activities.
This was serious and substantial progress. The mayor acknowledged what Jewish communities across New York have been saying for months: that protests against houses of worship cross a line.
When a pro-Hamas protest was planned in Queens, the new mayor didn’t wait for chaos to break out. Hours before the protest began, he ordered dozens of NYPD officers to the area to ensure the safety of nearby synagogues, Jewish schools and families. This proactive measure has shown that disagreements do not exclude responsibility. In a statement, Mayor Mamdani wrote that “chants in support of a terrorist organization have no place in our city.”
In my view, his words acknowledge that past rhetoric, hesitation and intimidation during protests, including those attended by Mamdani, were wrong. I believe that saying such chants “have no place in the city” is an acknowledgment that hate speech during protests against Jewish New Yorkers can turn violent.
The mayor’s rebuke of the protesters and the terrorist organization may have had political fallout from his base, as some progressive activists and members of the Democratic Socialists of America criticized Mayor Mamdani and other leaders for condemning the chants. That reality should worry every New Yorker. Rejecting terrorism and anti-Semitism should never be controversial in America.
But gratitude does not eliminate disagreement. Mamdani took a step in the right direction. Now he is pushing this bill along with Governor Kathy Hochul, who has introduced a statewide bill to prevent protesters from being within “20 feet of the property line of houses of worship.”
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS ADVICE
Leadership is not measured by whether the right words are spoken, but by whether they are spoken immediately and consistently and are backed by action.
To be overly optimistic, we may see a change in the mayor’s understanding of Israel and in the way anti-Israel rhetoric impacts New York City’s Jewish community, the largest outside Israel. As I wrote during the High Holy Days, “But Jewish tradition is clear: true transformation does not happen overnight or conveniently. It requires repentance, confession, and change.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The next step will be for Mayor Mamdani to join me in a meeting with global Muslim leaders and their representatives in New York, with whom I have worked for decades. These are leaders of Arab and Muslim majority countries who may not agree with every policy of the Israeli government, but they all unequivocally recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish nation. These voices represent coexistence, not sedition.
Now, as mayor, he must demonstrate to all New Yorkers that he understands that Israel is at the core of the Jewish faith. One cannot separate Israel from the Jewish community.
CLICK HERE FROM RABBI MARC SCHNEIER
