Rabbis Urge NYC Mayor to Tone Down Israel Rhetoric

A group of ten rabbis from across the Jewish religious spectrum met with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday, urging him to change his approach to the city's Jewish community and to tone down his rhetoric on Israel, which they said is stoking division and making Jews feel vulnerable. The meeting, held at City Hall, came amid rising anti-Jewish hate crimes in the city and a period of strained relations between the mayor and Jewish leaders.

The rabbis, representing Reform, Conservative, and Modern Orthodox denominations, conveyed a unified message that the mayor's relationship with the Jewish community must improve. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, recalled telling Mamdani, "I'm happy to work in partnership with your administration, but Mr. Mayor, you are 90 percent of what could be different here." He urged the mayor to speak in more measured, constructive tones rather than vilifying Israel.

The meeting followed recent controversies, including Mamdani's public denunciation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal last month. Rabbi Jonathan Leener, leader of the Prospect Heights Shul in Brooklyn, said there was "no...