• July 26, 2026
• Demonstrations
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has taken a courageous stand by refusing to remain silent about Israel’s crimes against the Palestinian people and the recent genocide in Gaza . Despite enormous political pressure and repeated false accusations of antisemitism, Mamdani has continued to distinguish between criticism of Israel and hostility toward Jews.

In a widely circulated video, Mayor Mamdani called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a war criminal and declared that he is not welcome in New York City. While acknowledging that the city does not have the legal authority to arrest Netanyahu, Mamdani called upon the federal government to enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant.

His remarks were directed at Netanyahu’s political conduct and Israel’s actions in Gaza—not at Jews or Judaism. Nevertheless, Zionist organizations attempted to portray his criticism of an Israeli political leader as an attack on the Jewish people.

The Upper West Side Stabbing

The controversy intensified following a disturbing double stabbing on Manhattan’s Upper West Side on Thursday, July 23, 2026.

A 57-year-old Asian man was stabbed near West 84th Street and Central Park West. Shortly afterward, a 50-year-old Jewish man wearing a kippah was attacked near West 86th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. Both victims were hospitalized and were expected to survive.

Police arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales, who allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attacks. He was charged with attempted murder and hate-crime offenses.

The attacks were horrific and deserved unequivocal condemnation. Yet before all the facts were established, Zionist leaders and organizations attempted to blame Mayor Mamdani. They claimed that his criticism of Israel and Netanyahu had created an atmosphere that encouraged antisemitic violence.

However, authorities presented no evidence connecting the attacker to Mamdani, his statements, or his position on Israel. There was also no known connection between the suspect and either victim. Despite this, the stabbing was politically exploited in an attempt to silence the mayor and falsely equate criticism of Israel with hatred of Jews. (CBS News New York)

Mayor Mamdani Condemns Antisemitism

Mayor Mamdani firmly rejected the accusation that his criticism of Israel was fueling antisemitism. He condemned the attacks and made clear that hatred and bigotry have no place in New York City.

“There’s no tolerance for antisemitism in this city. We have to root out antisemitism from across the five boroughs.”

He also explained the important difference between criticizing a government and attacking a religious or ethnic community:

“When we make criticisms of a nation-state or policies, we have to remember those are criticisms of exactly that—never of a people, never of a faith.”

Mamdani emphasized that, as mayor, his responsibility is to protect every New Yorker, regardless of religion, background, political beliefs, or whether they agree with him. CBS News New York

Anti-Zionist Jews Stand With Mayor Mamdani

On Sunday, July 26, 2026, anti-Zionist Jewish rabbis and activists gathered on Manhattan’s Upper West Side for a counterprotest supporting Mayor Mamdani.

Across the street, Zionist demonstrators continued their campaign against the mayor, accusing him of endangering Jews because of his support for Palestinian rights and his criticism of Israel.

The Jewish counterprotesters rejected those accusations and delivered a clear message:

Mayor Mamdani is a friend of the Jewish people. Anti-Zionism is not antisemitism. Israel does not represent Jews or Judaism.

The rabbis condemned the political exploitation of the attack and insisted that the alleged attacker—not the mayor—must be held responsible.

Rabbi Weiss: Separating Judaism From Zionism Protects Jews

Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss explained that Mayor Mamdani was helping Jewish people by distinguishing Judaism from Zionism.

“People are against Jews not because of Judaism. They’re against Jews because of what the Zionists are doing, and they think Jews are responsible. He is doing a job to clarify that it’s not Judaism. He is doing the Jews a favor.”

Rabbi Weiss warned that when Israel commits violence while claiming to represent all Jews, anger toward Israel can be wrongly directed against innocent Jewish people.

The solution is not to silence criticism of Israel. The solution is to make clear that Israel and Zionism do not represent Judaism or the Jewish people.

Rabbi Dovid Feldman Responds to Zionist Protesters

Rabbi Dovid Feldman spoke with reporters about the Jewish religious opposition to Zionism and the importance of standing for justice in Palestine.

When a reporter asked him to respond to Zionist demonstrators across the street who were calling the rabbis “crazy,” Rabbi Feldman explained that Jewish opposition to Zionism is deeply rooted in Judaism.

Rabbi Feldman also debated New York State Assemblyman Michael Novakhov of District 45 about the causes of tension between Jews and Muslims and the proper way to restore peace.

He explained that peace cannot be achieved through occupation, violence, propaganda, or unconditional support for Israel. Genuine peace requires justice, equal rights, mutual respect, and an end to the oppression of the Palestinian people.

Rabbi Joseph Kohn Calls for Justice

Rabbi Joseph Kohn also spoke in support of Mayor Mamdani’s call for accountability and justice.

He condemned the crimes committed against Palestinians and made clear that these actions have nothing to do with Judaism. Jewish law forbids murder, theft, oppression, and the taking of another people’s property.

Rabbi Kohn urged Mayor Mamdani to remain courageous and resist the pressure intended to silence his criticism of Netanyahu and Israel.

Criticism of Israel Is Not Antisemitism

The counterprotest demonstrated that Zionist organizations do not speak for all Jews. Religious Jews stood publicly with Mayor Mamdani while condemning both the Upper West Side stabbing and Israel’s crimes against Palestinians.

Violence against Jewish people must always be condemned. At the same time, antisemitism must never be exploited as a political weapon against those who criticize Israel or speak for Palestine.

Gallery

Two sides of Amsterdam Ave on the UWS in Manhattan hold two sides of an international geo-political conflict with one side of pro-Israeli Zionists calling out Mamdani and blaming him for a stabbing of one Asian and one Jewish man days prior, calling it an anti-semitic attack while members of the Jewish orthodox organization Neturei Karta International who are anti-Zionists calls for an end to the Jewish state. Both sides yelled across the street for almost two hours without a resolution in sight.