I have spent years covering antisemitism, Israel, and Jewish communities. Before New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani took office, I also attended Jewish communal events at Gracie Mansion.

Those gatherings were not merely ceremonial. They represented a relationship between City Hall and one of the largest Jewish communities outside Israel. Jewish New Yorkers could enter the mayor’s residence as their complete selves, bringing their faith, history, and connection to Israel with them.

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Today, the outreach looks very different. At the same time, antisemitism continues to rise across the city.

ARREST MAMDANI, NOT NETANYAHU

Through the first seven months of 2026, the New York Police Department recorded 205 confirmed anti-Jewish hate crimes, up from 189 during the same period in 2025.

One confirmed anti-Jewish hate crime approximately every 25 hours.

In July alone, Jewish New Yorkers were the targets of approximately 70% of all confirmed hate crimes in the city.

Against that backdrop, Mamdani held a Jewish American Heritage Month reception at Gracie Mansion, but many of the city’s leading Jewish institutions stayed away. Their absence reflected a deeper concern: Jewish New Yorkers increasingly feel welcome only if they separate their Jewish identity from Zionism, Israel, or their fears following the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks.

That is not genuine inclusion. It is conditional inclusion.

For most Jewish New Yorkers, Israel is not simply a foreign policy issue. It is connected to family, faith, history, collective memory, and security. An administration cannot meaningfully celebrate Jewish heritage while treating the Jewish people’s connection to Israel as embarrassing, illegitimate, or politically inconvenient.

Mamdani has made efforts to demonstrate that he is listening. He recently met privately with 10 rabbis, and participants described the discussion as candid. But other........

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