Zohran Mamdani Meets Rabbis Behind Closed Doors: What Happened at the NYC Mayor’s Jewish Roundtable?

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani met with 10 rabbis from throughout the Jewish community at City Hall on Monday to discuss antisemitism, and some of the rabbis expressed their concern with Mamdani’s rhetoric regarding Israel.

The hour-long closed-press meeting was arranged by the Mayor’s Office Combat Antisemitism (MOCA), through a liaison, Phylisa Wisdom, who also serves as Mamdani’s liaison to the Jewish community in the city. The rabbis included Reform, Conservative, Reconstructionist and Modern Orthodox rabbis.

The meeting was among the steps City Hall is taking to reach out to Jewish leaders as part of a larger strategy to combat antisemitism that is slated for release ahead of Rosh Hashanah, according to the Cleveland Jewish News.

Rabbis Raise Concerns about Mamdani’s Israel Rhetoric

Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said there was a “uniform sense” in the room that Mamdani needed to understand the impact of his frequent and harsh criticism of Israel, his pledge to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and his calls for protests against Netanyahu during any visit to the city.

“Everyone agreed that the current course can’t go on,” Jacobs told The Forward after the meeting. “The way he vilifies Israel, and so constantly, is really causing harm.”

Jacobs said he made a personal appeal to Mamdani to use his rhetorical ability to shift the conversation. “Mr Mayor, you have rhetorical gifts that really are quite extraordinary,” Jacobs recalled telling him, arguing that a change in tone and frequency would be “unbelievably powerful” and ease cooperation between Jewish leaders and the administration.

Rabbi Jon Leener of Prospect Heights Shul in Brooklyn, who described himself as a Zionist, also said he disagreed strongly with Mamdani’s position on Israel.

Leener told the mayor that some of his rhetoric had contributed to heightened tensions at a time when some members of the Jewish community feel increasingly vulnerable.

Progressive Rabbis Also Express Concerns

Concerns about Mamdani’s approach to Israel were not limited to rabbis who oppose his views.

Rabbi Rachel Timoner, senior rabbi of Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, said progressive rabbis at the meeting also told Mamdani they had concerns about the way he discusses Israel.

Timoner said some rabbis and congregants agree with Mamdani on a range of issues and want to work with his administration, while also maintaining strong criticisms of Israel.

The rabbis encouraged Mamdani to emphasize examples of Israelis and Palestinians working together, acknowledge the complexity of the conflict and focus on areas where City Hall and Jewish leaders can cooperate.

Hate Crime Data Adds Context

The discussion comes as New York City continues to report significant levels of anti-Jewish hate crime.

According to NYPD data cited in the reporting, anti-Jewish hate crimes increased 8.5% during Mamdani’s first seven months in office and represented 57% of reported hate crimes in the city during that period. July recorded a 53% year-over-year increase in anti-Jewish hate crimes, according to the same data.

The figures should be read in the context of the broader pattern of hate crimes in New York City and verified against the latest NYPD data before publication.

Some Major Jewish Groups Were Not Invited

The New York Board of Rabbis, which represents more than 750 rabbis across denominations in the New York area, was not represented at the meeting, according to a board spokesman cited by JNS.

The Rabbinic Council of America also said it was not included in the roundtable.

The exclusion underscores that the meeting was a select group of Jewish clergy rather than a formal representation of the city’s Jewish community as a whole.

City Hall Describes Meeting as Constructive

Mamdani’s office characterized the discussion positively.

Timoner said Mamdani “listened deeply and responded with care” and indicated that he would discuss the feedback with his team and consider how to incorporate it into the administration’s approach.

City Hall called the session “open, positive and constructive.” Wisdom said in a statement, “Mayor Mamdani has and will continue to engage with Jewish life in New York City in order to meet the needs of our communities and reaffirm his commitment to the thriving of Jewish communities across the five boroughs.”

Leener said the discussion was a meaningful step and said he had specifically advocated for greater police presence around synagogues and Jewish institutions. He said he left the meeting believing Mamdani understood the seriousness of those security concerns.

Mamdani Faces Pressure Ahead of Antisemitism Strategy

Monday’s meeting followed a separate meeting between Mamdani and leaders of the Hasidic Satmar community the previous week. It also followed a late-July gathering with faith leaders on Staten Island, where the only rabbi present told JNS that Mamdani did not say much when antisemitism was raised.

The latest meeting gives the administration another opportunity to build relationships with Jewish leaders as it prepares its broader antisemitism strategy. The response from different Jewish groups, including those who disagree sharply over Israel, is likely to remain an important test of that outreach.