Tense closed-door meeting between NYC Mayor and rabbis: "You are 90 percent of the problem"

A group of rabbis from New York turned this week with a plea to Mayor Zoran Mamdani, demanding that he dedicate more attention to the impact of his anti-Israel rhetoric on the safety of the city's Jews. The closed-door meeting, held at City Hall and first reported by the "New York Times," reveals the growing tension between the Jewish community and the local leader.

During the meeting, which lasted about an hour and was organized by the Mayor's Office for the Fight Against Antisemitism, ten rabbis from various streams of Judaism sought to illustrate to Mamdani how his public statements resonate throughout a city where hate crimes against Jews are on a worrying upward trend.

![Zoran Mamdani and Donald Trump (Photo: The White House)]

"You are 90 percent of the problem"

According to Rabbi Rachel Timoner of the "Beth Elohim" community in Brooklyn, the meeting was characterized by a variety of opinions. Some Jewish leaders urged the mayor to soften his statements, while others asked that he stop criticizing Israel entirely and focus on local city issues. Others supported his right to criticize but demanded that it be done with sensitivity, consistently condemning Hamas and emphasizing that U.S. Jews do not bear responsibility for the actions of the Israeli government.

"I am happy to work in partnership with your administration, but Mr. Mayor, you are 90 percent of what could be different here," said Rabbi Rick Jacobs, head of the Reform movement in North America, during the meeting. "If instead of slandering Israel you spoke in a constructive way and in a measured tone, it would change the situation more than anything else."

Despite the variety of opinions in the room, there was a consensus among those present that Mamdani's relationship with the Jewish community, which has seen many lows since he took office, must change.

---

The elephant in the room and consequences on the ground

"We did not walk on eggshells around the elephant in the room," noted Rabbi Yonatan Linner, leader of a modern-orthodox community in Brooklyn. "The mayor's comments have consequences, and he must be aware that in the current climate, this only raises the temperature and creates an environment where many Jews feel vulnerable."

Although some New York Jews also oppose Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mamdani's recent speech—in which he denounced Netanyahu as a "war criminal" and admitted that the law prevents him from fulfilling his campaign promise to arrest him—aroused deep concern. Many fear the mayor risks fueling antisemitism on the streets.

Pro-Palestinian roots

Mamdani, a social-democrat serving as the first Muslim mayor of New York, emerged from the pro-Palestinian movement. As a student, he founded a branch of the "Students for Justice in Palestine" organization and led a campaign to convince his academic institution to boycott Israel.

Now, as he leads the city with the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel, Mamdani remains loyal to his positions. However, according to participants, the mayor expressed appreciation for the leaders' honesty and declared he is taking their concerns to heart. Felicia Wisdom, CEO of the Mayor's Office for the Fight Against Antisemitism, summarized the meeting in an official statement as an "open, positive and constructive conversation."