Jewish leaders in New York City are sharply criticizing Mayor Zohran Mamdani, accusing him of “fanning the flames of hatred and division” as police continue investigating two stabbings on Manhattan’s Upper West Side as possible hate crimes.
New York Attorney General Letitia James said the two victims from Thursday’s attack were in stable condition. Authorities identified the suspect as 51-year-old Raul Morales, who officials say allegedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” while stabbing two men Thursday afternoon.
Eric Goldstein, CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York, said Friday that Mamdani’s public comments about Israel have helped create a dangerous atmosphere for Jewish residents. “When the mayor of New York repeatedly uses his platform to relentlessly single out and demonize Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, and calls those who support it monsters, he contributes to a climate in which Jewish New Yorkers are increasingly targeted and unsafe,” Goldstein said.
Goldstein urged the mayor to change course, saying the impact of such rhetoric is being felt beyond political debate. “Mayor Mamdani, stop fanning the flames of hatred and division. The consequences are not abstract. They are playing out on our streets. But make no mistake, we’re not going anywhere. The Jewish community of New York, the largest in the world outside Israel, will continue to walk the streets of the Upper West Side and all the streets of New York openly and proudly,” he added.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a still image taken from handout video released on July 21, 2026. (Reuters)
Rabbi Yosie Levine of The Jewish Center echoed those concerns Friday, arguing that political rhetoric can place Jewish communities at risk. “When public officials repeatedly cast the Jewish community as a stand-in for actions of the Israeli government, they create a climate in which Jews become targets,” Levine said.
Levine described a troubling shift in how Jewish institutions experience security in New York. “You know 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. The police were there to protect him. Today, every time the mayor speaks, we need the police to protect us,” he said. “Jewish life in America is starting to feel like Jewish life in Europe. Armed guards, bulletproof glass, and the constant fear that yesterday’s rhetoric will turn into today’s assault.”
Asked by INC News for comment, Mamdani’s office pointed to remarks the mayor made Friday to NY1, where he condemned antisemitism and broader hate. “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. And if anyone is perpetrating this kind of a bigotry, that kind of hatred, they will be held fully accountable,” Mamdani told the station.
“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,” he added. “They are critiques of a political leader not of people of a specific faith or a religion or a background and 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. My job is to keep them safe.”
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The suspect allegedly yelled “Allahu Akbar” during the attack on Thursday, July 23, in New York City. (Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol/@AGHamilton29 via X)
The victims were identified in media reports as Chok Sung, 57, and Moshe Grunhaus, 50.
“So many people know Moshe, so many people care about him. He was just trying to pray at his synagogue, and now we’re the ones praying for his recovery,” Levine said. “To have been stabbed 200 feet from the Jewish center evokes all the worst images of the Jewish past. If a Jew can’t feel safe walking home from shul in broad daylight on a Thursday afternoon on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, then something has gone profoundly wrong, not only for the Jewish community, but for our city.”
Goldstein added that Mamdani’s recent video in which he called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a “war criminal” was “political grandstanding.”
“This is the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel. His words have profound real world consequences on us and shame on him. Shame on him for doing this for perceived political benefit when it has real world consequence for the Jews of New York. He must stop,” Goldstein said.
James said after speaking with the NYPD commissioner and local district attorney, “they have asked me not to draw any conclusions as a result of last night’s event.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that while his office lacks the authority to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu under the International Criminal Court’s warrant, he urges the U.S. to do so. (Camara Porter/AdMedia/Sipa USA; Ronen Zvulun/Pool/Reuters)
“What I do want to say is that it’s really critically important that individuals understand that anti-Semitic acts have been growing in the city of New York. It’s really critically important,” she said. “And then also acts against the Asian community have also been on the increase. So it’s important that I stand with my Jewish friends, that I stand with my Asian friends, that I let everyone know that there should not be any space between any of us, that we should stand together against any form of hate, any act of hate in the city and the state of New York, that it will not be tolerated.”
