A version of this piece first ran as part of the New York Jewish Week’s daily newsletter, rounding up the latest on politics, culture, food and what’s new with Jews in the city. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.
🕍 First anti-Zionist protest at a synagogue under Mamdani
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Gov. Kathy Hochul has condemned a video of protesters chanting “Say it loud, say it clear, we support Hamas here” outside a Queens synagogue on Thursday night.
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“Hamas is a terrorist organization that calls for the genocide of Jews,” Hochul said on X. “No matter your political beliefs, this type of rhetoric is disgusting, it’s dangerous, and it has no place in New York.”
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani has yet to respond to the rally outside Young Israel of Kew Garden Hills, which was hosting an event promoting real estate sales in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank. It marked an early test of Israel-related tensions for Mamdani, a staunch Israel critic.
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Roughly the same number of counter-protesters showed up, with the NYPD keeping the groups separated through barricades down the street from the synagogue. Some pro-Israel demonstrators shouted “We love ICE,” a reference to the federal immigration enforcement agency involved in the Trump administration’s efforts to deport pro-Palestinian activists.
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Along with the chant in support of Hamas, pro-Palestinian protesters shouted “Death to the IDF” and “Globalize the intifada.” Mamdani came under fire for declining to condemn the latter slogan during election season, though he has said he would “discourage” it.
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PAL-Awda, the group leading the pro-Palestinian protest, also organized a November demonstration that targeted another event about moving to Israel at Park East Synagogue.
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At the time, Mamdani reiterated his vow to keep all New Yorkers safe but added that “sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.” Jewish lawmakers called for “buffer zones” limiting protests directly outside houses of worship.
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Hochul said this week that she plans to announce state legislation to that effect, and newly elected City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who is Jewish, has said the council would move to enact similar legislation.
🗳 From the campaign trail
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Cameron Kasky, a 25-year-old Jewish progressive and Parkland school shooting survivor who is running for Congress in Manhattan, has made criticizing Israel central to his platform.
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Kasky told us that he believes his views on Israel represent “the next generation of Jewish Americans.”
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Brad Lander, the Jewish progressive bidding for Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman’s seat in Manhattan and Brooklyn, emphasizes his strong criticism of ICE as well as Israel.
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But as city comptroller from 2022 to 2025, Lander oversaw a major expansion of the city’s pension fund investments in Palantir Technologies, whose software ICE uses to identify and deport undocumented immigrants, reported amNewYork.
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Lander’s criticism of Israel, key to his challenge to Goldman, is also complicated by his record. While he was comptroller, the city’s public pension funds increased investment in the Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems, according to the New York Daily News.
📚 Cooper Union settles antisemitism case with Jewish students
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The Cooper Union college in Manhattan announced it will pay an unspecified sum to 10 Jewish students who were trapped in a school library by protesters after the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks.
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The school is also overhauling its anti-discrimination and protest policies to settle a Title VI case brought by the students, who accused Cooper Union of tolerating antisemitism.
🍞 Breads Bakery gets pro-Israel support
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Pro-Israel activist Shai Davidai announced a show of support for the Israeli chain Breads Bakery, whose employees are planning to unionize in part over the company’s “support of the genocide happening in Palestine.”
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Davidai encouraged his 146,000 followers to “come get coffee, buy babka for shabbat, and meet other NYC-based Zionist activists” at the bakery today.
🤝 Mamdani meets Spielberg
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Mamdani paid a visit to renowned Jewish filmmaker Steven Spielberg at his Central Park West apartment on Monday, reported The New York Times.
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Spielberg became an official resident of New York on Jan. 1, the day of Mamdani’s inauguration.
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Their meeting was described as a “friendly get-to-know-you conversation.” Spielberg, who made the Oscar-winning Holocaust film “Schindler’s List,” has decried the killing of both Israelis and Gazans since Oct. 7.
