{"id":221605,"date":"2026-07-24T20:29:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-24T20:29:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/221605\/"},"modified":"2026-07-24T20:29:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-24T20:29:12","slug":"jewish-leaders-tell-mamdani-to-temper-israel-rhetoric-after-upper-west-side-stabbings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/221605\/","title":{"rendered":"Jewish leaders tell Mamdani to temper Israel rhetoric after Upper West Side stabbings"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jewish community leaders called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> to temper his rhetoric about Israel on Friday following the stabbing<\/a> 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\u2019s statements.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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 \u201cAllahu Akbar\u201d during both incidents, according to Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch.<\/p>\n

The NYPD arrested 51-year-old Raul Morales in connection with the attacks. Both victims were hospitalized in stable condition.\n<\/p>\n

Police charged Morales on Friday with a hate crime in the stabbing of the Jewish man<\/a>. Authorities said Morales had no known connection to either victim and that the victims did not appear to know one another.<\/p>\n

\"policePolice 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.<\/p>\n

Despite those unanswered questions, several speakers at Friday\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Eric Goldstein, CEO of UJA-Federation<\/a> of New York, charged that the mayor has repeatedly demonized Israel and helped fuel an environment in which Jewish New Yorkers feel targeted.<\/p>\n

\u201cMayor Mamdani, stop fanning the flames of hatred and division,\u201d Goldstein said. \u201cThe consequences are not abstract; they\u2019re playing out on our streets.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goldstein acknowledged that the accused attacker may have been experiencing mental health challenges, but argued that \u201cpeople in crisis can be especially susceptible to the hatred and conspiracy theories around them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither Tisch nor Mamdani, in their public accounts of the investigation, identified any connection between Morales and the mayor\u2019s rhetoric.\n<\/p>\n

During a question-and-answer session, Goldstein also called Mamdani\u2019s recent video about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu \u201cpolitical grandstanding\u201d and said the mayor\u2019s words have \u201cprofound real-world consequences\u201d for Jewish New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

Mamdani insists he has no tolerance for antisemitism in NYC<\/p>\n

The criticism came days after Mamdani announced that his administration had determined the city lacked independent legal authority to enforce the International Criminal Court\u2019s arrest warrant for Netanyahu. Mamdani nevertheless urged the federal government to execute the warrant and said Netanyahu was not welcome in New York City.<\/p>\n

The announcement drew criticism<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen it comes to my comments about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they are critiques not based on my personal analysis but rather on objective facts,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cThey are critiques of a political leader, not of people of a specific faith or a religion or a background.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy 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,\u201d he added. \u201cMy job is to keep them safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mamdani also condemned the attacks and said anyone found to have acted out of bigotry would be held accountable.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no tolerance for antisemitism or hatred of any kind in this city,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cThis is a city that believes in the beauty and the breadth of all of its five boroughs and everyone who calls it home.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\"\"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\u2019s arrest warrant for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Photo via Mayor\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have asked me not to draw any conclusions as a result of last night\u2019s event,\u201d James said. \u201cAnd so I don\u2019t want to draw any conclusions.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

An appeal to \u2018bring that temperature down\u2019<\/p>\n

Public Advocate Jumaane Williams also cautioned against assigning responsibility before the facts were known, saying communities were understandably in pain regardless of the investigation\u2019s 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 \u201cis not the responsibility of one person or two people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Council Speaker Julie Menin did not mention Mamdani by name but said elected officials must work to \u201cbring the temperature down.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWords matter, and we all have a responsibility to bring that temperature down,\u201d Menin said.\n<\/p>\n

Menin, the City Council\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhatever 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,\u201d Lasher said.<\/p>\n

He urged everyone in power, \u201cincluding our mayor,\u201d to lower the temperature and provide leadership that makes New Yorkers feel safe.\n<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen 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,\u201d Levine said. \u201cThe police were there to protect him. Today, every time the mayor speaks, we need the police to protect us.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo elected official is responsible for every act of hate, but every leader is responsible for helping shape the climate in which we all live,\u201d Treyger said.\n<\/p>\n

Others, including Council Members Gale Brewer and Susan Zhuang, focused on both antisemitism and anti-Asian violence.\n<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is not just an Asian issue or Jewish issue,\u201d Zhuang said. \u201cThe hate does not stop in one community.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cHate against one of us is against all of us,\u201d Razvi said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jewish community leaders called on Mayor Zohran Mamdani to temper his rhetoric about Israel on Friday following the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":221606,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[63653,37,34870,63654,63503],"class_list":["post-221605","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-antisemitic-attack","tag-israel","tag-mamdani","tag-pm-newsletter","tag-upper-west-side"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116976849219980456","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221605","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=221605"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/221605\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/221606"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=221605"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=221605"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=221605"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}