About 150 students and Jewish leaders rallied outside Gracie Mansion on Friday to protest Mayor “Zohran the moron” Mamdani’s rhetoric ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the city.
The protesters recited prayers, chanted and spoke outside the home of Hizzoner, who revealed in July that he was looking for a legal loophole to arrest Netanyahu for alleged war crimes when the Israeli PM comes to Manhattan for the UN General Assembly.
A smaller group of counter-protesting anti-Zionist Orthodox Jews nearby screamed, “Shame, shame, Israel doesn’t speak in the Jewish name!”
“This summer, the mayor of New York demonized supporters of Israel and focused on singling out the Jewish state for criticism,” said Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of the Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, referring to Mamdani’s alleged divisive recent anti-Israel comments.
“There are many others that amplify the mayor’s message. And in this climate of criticism, we need you to remember who you are, and we need you to stand tall. We are not running. We are standing here in the open, in the streets of New York.”
Actor Michael Rappaport, who attended the rally, claimed, “Zohran the moron is the most divisive mayor in the history of this city by far, and he’s only been in business for eight months” — while ripping Mamdani’s wife as “racist,” “homophobic” and an “antisemite.”
The rally comes a week ahead of the UN session, where Netanyahu is expected to speak.
The NYPD emphasized that there is no specific threat tied to the annual powow, but law enforcement will be deploying heightened security throughout the Big Apple.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch has been ordering increased patrols for every major event in the city this year, especially those centering on Jewish holidays, because of the “hostilities in Iran” and a rise in antisemitic attacks at home, she said earlier this month.
Those hate crimes include a stabbing this summer outside an Upper West Side synagogue and plots directed at local Jewish institutions that were thwarted by the NYPD intelligence team, she said.
“I want to feel safe being openly Jewish in my city,” an 8-year-old named Annie said at Friday’s gathering.
“I want to be able to wear my [Star of David], go to synagogue and go to school without being afraid of antisemitism. I’m here to ask our mayor to make the safety of Jewish New Yorkers a priority and to respectfully listen to the concerns of people who disagree with you.”
Stella Zavodnick, a senior at Salanter Akiba Riverdale High School, an Orthodox Jewish school in The Bronx, said there was a shift in attitudes toward Jewish New Yorkers after the outbreak of the Hamas-Israel war Oct. 7, 2023.
“My Jewish identity didn’t begin with a hard year, and it isn’t defined by one, either,” she said. “It began with generations of learning, of showing up for each other, of building through exile, through return, through every attempt to erase us. Now that story belongs to us, to my generation. I know what I’m going to carry forward,” she said.
Most of the protesters directed their calls-to-action directly at Mamdani, who sparked outrage over his Netanyahu threat.
Hizzoner eventually acknowledged he did not have the authority to arrest the “war criminal.”
Rappaport said he is mulling over a run to succeed Mamdani if a better candidate doesn’t present themselves for the 2029 election.
“He’s been divisive every single day since he’s been in office. He’s lied. He’s a con man with a fantastic smile and cute dimples,” the actor-comedian said.
“I am deeply, deeply, sincerely considering running for mayor. … It’s not an ego-based decision,” Rappaport said. “I am a concerned New Yorker. And Zohran the moron must be removed from office in 2029. And if I’m the person to do it, I’m the person to do it.”
City Hall did not respond to a Post request for comment.
