Mamdani critical of New York synagogue after it was protested by ‘Globalize the Intifada’ agitators

According to the Jerusalem Post, the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation protesters outside Park East Synagogue, which was hosting an event by Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization that assists North American Jews moving to Israel, drew swift condemnation from Jewish leaders and elected officials, who described the group’s rhetoric as antisemitic and threatening.

Police kept the protest and counter-protesters separated but did not shut down the antisemitic protest.

In a statement Thursday, Mamdani’s spokesperson, Dora Pekec, said the mayor-elect “discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so,” adding that “every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation.” She also suggested that “sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.”

When pressed to clarify the reference to international law, Mamdani’s team said he was referring specifically to Nefesh B’Nefesh’s promotion of “settlement activity beyond the Green Line.” While the organization does not assign new immigrants to specific communities, it has advertised West Bank settlements at some events. Some countries consider Israeli settlements in the West Bank illegal under international law; Israel and the United States do not.

Mamdani offered no direct statement himself.

The Nefesh B’Nefesh event was billed as an informational session on navigating the immigration process and learning about life in Israel. But the Palestinian Assembly for Liberation cast the organization as an agent of “settler recruitment,” claiming in promotional materials that it has brought “80,000 settlers” to Israel since 2003 and helped thousands join the Israeli military, language echoing broader activist efforts to label all Jewish immigration to Israel as illegitimate.

During the protest, participants shouted obscenities at pro-Israel counter-protesters and made repeated calls that Jewish leaders described as direct threats. One activist was heard yelling, “We need to make them scared,” according to videos from the scene.

Mark Levine, New York City’s comptroller-elect, condemned the protest as unacceptable intimidation. Rabbi Marc Schneier, a prominent critic of Mamdani whose father is the longtime rabbi at the synagogue, faulted police for allowing protesters to gather directly in front of the synagogue.

Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, argued that accusations of illegal activity on the part of Nefesh B’Nefesh were unfounded. “It is not a violation of any law, international or otherwise, for Jews to gather in a synagogue or immigrate to Israel,” he said, calling the chants a threat to community safety.

UJA-Federation New York likewise denounced the protest as “incitement to violence,” urging leaders across the city to condemn the rhetoric unequivocally.

Outgoing Mayor Eric Adams, currently on an overseas trip that included a visit to Israel, characterized the chants as “vile” and the protesters as “sick and warped.” He indicated he would visit Park East Synagogue upon his return and warned, “We cannot hand this city over to radicals.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani during his campaign, also criticized the demonstration, calling the incident “a blatant attack on the Jewish community” and reiterating that “hate has no place in New York.”

The antisemitic protest has heightened concerns many New York Jews have had about Mamdani’s views on Israel and how those positions might influence his leadership as mayor. During the campaign, Mamdani initially resisted condemning the slogan “globalize the intifada,” later shifting to say he would “discourage” it after backlash by many who interpret it as a call to violence.

His record in the state legislature included sponsoring legislation that attempted to restrict nonprofit funding linked to Israeli settlements.