NEW YORK — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in his inaugural address on Thursday, vowed to adhere to his far-left policy proposals and represent all New Yorkers, including Jews, Palestinians, and those who oppose him.

Mamdani is a longtime anti-Zionist who has alarmed a swath of Jewish New Yorkers who fear that his anti-Israel rhetoric and policies will foment hostility against Jews. Mamdani has repeatedly said he will protect Jews, while sticking to his harsh criticism of Israel.

“I know there are some who view this administration with distrust or disdain,” he said in his speech. “I promise you this: if you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor.”

Listing the array of New Yorkers whom he will represent, he said they “will speak Pashto and Mandarin, Yiddish and Creole. They will pray in mosques, at shul, at church, at gurdwaras and mandirs and temples.”

‘They will be Russian Jewish immigrants in Brighton Beach,” Mamdani said. He added shortly afterward, “They will be Palestinian New Yorkers in Bay Ridge who will no longer have to contend with a politics that speaks of universalism and then makes them the exception.”

That line drew an audible cheer from the crowd.

“It will be loud, it will be different, it will feel like the New York we love,” he said later.

Mamdani made other nods to Jews during his speech, referring to two traditional New York Jewish dishes.

“Where else could a Muslim kid like me grow up eating bagels and lox every Sunday?” he said, and at another point referred to city residents who serve customers “pastrami on rye.”

The mayor said he was committed to his far-reaching........

© The Times of Israel