Jewish community leaders called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to temper his rhetoric about Israel on Friday following the stabbing of a Jewish man and an Asian man on the Upper West Side, even though investigators had not established a motive or any connection between the attacks and the mayor’s statements.
The calls came during a news conference attended by several city and state elected officials at The Jewish Center on West 86th Street, near where the Jewish victim was attacked Thursday afternoon after leaving the synagogue.
Police said the same suspect attacked a 40-year-old Asian man on West 84th Street near Central Park West and the 50-year-old Jewish man about two blocks away. Victims and witnesses told investigators that the attacker yelled “Allahu Akbar” during both incidents, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
The NYPD arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales in connection with the attacks. Both victims were hospitalized in stable condition.
Police charged Morales on Friday with a hate crime in the stabbing of the Jewish man. Authorities said Morales had no known connection to either victim and that the victims did not appear to know one another.
Police took a possible suspect into custody after two men were stabbed on the Upper West Side.Photo by Dean Moses 
Eric Goldstein, left, CEO of UJA-Federation of New York, listens as Council Member Gale Brewer speaks during a news conference at the Jewish Center on the Upper West Side on July 24, 2026.Photo by Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit.
Despite those unanswered questions, several speakers at Friday’s gathering sought to connect the violence to a broader climate of heated rhetoric surrounding Israel and antisemitism, with some accusing Mamdani of contributing to the hostility.
Eric Goldstein, CEO of UJA-Federation of New York, charged that the mayor has repeatedly demonized Israel and helped fuel an environment in which Jewish New Yorkers feel targeted.
“Mayor Mamdani, stop fanning the flames of hatred and division,” Goldstein said. “The consequences are not abstract; they’re playing out on our streets.”
Goldstein acknowledged that the accused attacker may have been experiencing mental health challenges, but argued that “people in crisis can be especially susceptible to the hatred and conspiracy theories around them.”
Neither Tisch nor Mamdani, in their public accounts of the investigation, identified any connection between Morales and the mayor’s rhetoric.
During a question-and-answer session, Goldstein also called Mamdani’s recent video about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “political grandstanding” and said the mayor’s words have “profound real-world consequences” for Jewish New Yorkers.
Mamdani insists he has no tolerance for antisemitism in NYC
The criticism came days after Mamdani announced that his administration had determined the city lacked independent legal authority to enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Mamdani nevertheless urged the federal government to execute the warrant and said Netanyahu was not welcome in New York City.
The announcement drew criticism from some Jewish organizations, which accused Mamdani of unfairly singling out Israel, as well as from some pro-Palestinian advocates who argued that his earlier campaign rhetoric about arresting Netanyahu amounted to political theater.
Mamdani directly defended his comments about Netanyahu during an interview with NY1 on Friday morning, saying they were critiques of a political leader rather than people of a particular faith, religion or background.
“When it comes to my comments about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they are critiques not based on my personal analysis but rather on objective facts,” Mamdani said. “They are critiques of a political leader, not of people of a specific faith or a religion or a background.”
“My responsibility as the mayor of this city is to keep every New Yorker safe, no matter where they come from, what they believe in, or frankly, even if they agree with my politics,” he added. “My job is to keep them safe.”
Mamdani also condemned the attacks and said anyone found to have acted out of bigotry would be held accountable.
“There’s no tolerance for antisemitism or hatred of any kind in this city,” Mamdani said. “This is a city that believes in the beauty and the breadth of all of its five boroughs and everyone who calls it home.”
Asked Friday separately what he would say to critics who believe he is not doing enough to protect Jewish New Yorkers, Mamdani reiterated that the city would not tolerate hatred based on faith, background, or national identity. He also noted that police were still examining whether mental health played a role and whether the attacks constituted hate crimes.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks in a video released on July 21, 2026, in which he said New York City lacked the independent legal authority to enforce the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Photo via Mayor’s Office YouTube 
Attorney General Letitia James, Council Member Susan Zhuang and other elected, community and faith leaders gather at the Jewish Center on the Upper West SidePhoto by Gerardo Romo / NYC Council Media Unit.
Attorney General Letitia James urged caution at the Jewish Center gathering, saying she had spoken with Tisch and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and had been asked not to reach conclusions while the investigation continued.
“They have asked me not to draw any conclusions as a result of last night’s event,” James said. “And so I don’t want to draw any conclusions.”
James nevertheless said antisemitic acts and attacks against Asian New Yorkers had left both communities fearful. She urged the Manhattan district attorney and police commissioner to investigate the case and report their findings to the community.
An appeal to ‘bring that temperature down’
Public Advocate Jumaane Williams also cautioned against assigning responsibility before the facts were known, saying communities were understandably in pain regardless of the investigation’s ultimate findings. Williams said public figures collectively have a responsibility to consider how their language may affect frightened or vulnerable people, but added that the responsibility “is not the responsibility of one person or two people.”
Council Speaker Julie Menin did not mention Mamdani by name but said elected officials must work to “bring the temperature down.”
“Words matter, and we all have a responsibility to bring that temperature down,” Menin said.
Menin, the City Council’s first Jewish speaker, described discussing with her family whether it remained safe for her daughter to wear a Star of David or for her sons to wear yarmulkes in public.
Assembly Member and Democratic Congressional nominee Micah Lander called on Mamdani more directly to reconsider his rhetoric, while acknowledging that investigators had not determined what motivated the suspect.
“Whatever facts unfold about the motivations of the attacker, we already have seen more than enough tragedy to know that overheated rhetoric in the political arena can lead to antisemitic violence,” Lasher said.
He urged everyone in power, “including our mayor,” to lower the temperature and provide leadership that makes New Yorkers feel safe.
Rabbi Yosie Levine of the Jewish Center issued an even more pointed rebuke, arguing that Jewish institutions increasingly require protection because of the political climate.
“When I was growing up, the only time we saw security outside of my synagogue or outside of my Jewish day school was when the mayor came to speak,” Levine said. “The police were there to protect him. Today, every time the mayor speaks, we need the police to protect us.”
Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, offered a more measured assessment, saying no elected official could be held responsible for every hateful act but that political leaders help shape the broader climate.
“No elected official is responsible for every act of hate, but every leader is responsible for helping shape the climate in which we all live,” Treyger said.
Others, including Council Members Gale Brewer and Susan Zhuang, focused on both antisemitism and anti-Asian violence.
Zhuang, the first Chinese American elected to the City Council from Brooklyn, said attacks against Asian New Yorkers have continued even as public attention has faded.
“This is not just an Asian issue or Jewish issue,” Zhuang said. “The hate does not stop in one community.”
Mohammed Razvi, CEO of the Council of Peoples Organization and president of the Muslim Day Parade, joined Jewish and Christian faith leaders in condemning the attacks.
“Hate against one of us is against all of us,” Razvi said.