Mamdani to Meet Select Jewish Leaders Due to Mounting Tensions With Community

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is expected to meet Monday with a small group of Jewish community leaders in an effort to address growing concerns among Jewish New Yorkers about his administration’s stance on antisemitism and anti-Israel rhetoric, the New York Post reported last night. The meeting is expected to last about 15 to 20 minutes and comes in the midst of a series of controversies that have strained relations between the mayor and parts of the city’s Jewish community.

The sit-down follows mounting criticism from Jewish organizations and activists over several recent incidents involving the mayor and his inner circle, including the appearance of pro-Palestinian activists at events connected to Mamdani and social media activity by his wife, Rama Duwaji, related to the October 7 Hamas attacks in Israel.

According to reports, the meeting will primarily include Orthodox Jewish community leaders rather than representatives from major national Jewish advocacy groups. Among those expected to attend are Rabbi Moshe Indig, a leader of a Satmar sect in Williamsburg, Brooklyn who endorsed Mamdani during last year’s mayoral race, and Rabbi David Niederman, president and executive director of the United Jewish Organization of Williamsburg.

“It’s a meeting with Jewish community leaders. I don’t know the topic. We’ll see,” Indig said ahead of the gathering.

Some Jewish leaders have sharply criticized the format and scope of the meeting. Sources familiar with the plans said the brief session and the limited guest list have led some community figures to decline the invitation.

One Jewish leader who was invited but chose not to attend described the event as an “insult” and dismissed it as a “photo-op,” according to a source briefed on the meeting.

Several major Jewish organizations said they were not included in the meeting. The Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, the American Jewish Committee and the UJA-Federation of New York are not expected to participate. “We were not invited,” said Scott Richman, the ADL’s New York and New Jersey regional director.

The mayor has faced particularly intense criticism in recent days over controversy involving Duwaji, a Syrian-American artist. Reports revealed that she had previously liked social media posts that questioned whether Hamas terrorists committed sexual violence during the October 7 massacre in Israel and another post sharing images from the attacks. Duwaji also faced scrutiny for creating artwork for a book associated with anti-Israel activist Susan Abulhawa, who has used language widely condemned as antisemitic.

“Collaborating on a project with Susan Abulhawa goes beyond First Lady Duwaji’s deeply troubling liking of pro-October 7 posts reported last week and demonstrates a troubling pattern,” the Anti-Defamation League said in response to the revelations.

Another flashpoint came after Mamdani hosted anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil and his family for a Ramadan dinner at Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the New York City mayor. Khalil has drawn criticism from Jewish groups for statements defending the October 7 Hamas terror attacks.

“Welcoming someone known for justifying the October 7 Hamas terror attacks as an honored guest at Gracie Mansion while some in the Mayor’s inner circle have amplified antisemitic content and posts dismissing the atrocities of that day sends a deeply troubling message,” an ADL spokesperson said.

“Gracie Mansion belongs to all New Yorkers. Public office must never be used to legitimize hate, and New York’s Jewish community deserves a mayor who makes that clear in both words and actions.”

The controversy comes as security concerns for Jewish institutions in New York remain elevated. New York Governor Kathy Hochul said Sunday that National Guard troops have been deployed to assist with security at sensitive locations across the city, including synagogues, as global tensions continue to rise amid the war between Israel and Iran.