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.
What you need to know today
- Mamdani said he was unaware of his commissioner’s plan to meet with an Iranian ambassador. Mayor Zohran Mamdani acknowledged on Friday that Ana María Archilak, his international affairs chief, planned an unauthorized sit-down with Amir Saeid Iravani, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations. Mamdani said he learned of the proposed meeting, originally reported by City Journal, when his administration received a press inquiry about it. He added that the arrangement was “made in error” and the meeting had not taken place. The controversy came as the United States ramps up its attacks on Iran and Israel has signaled that it is also prepared to strike again.
-
Darializa Avila Chevalier doubled down on attending an Oct. 8 pro-Palestinian rally. The Democratic congressional candidate defended her presence at the rally when asked about slogans legitimizing “resistance” at the gathering during an interview on Friday with progressive Jewish author Peter Beinart, our Grace Gilson reports. When Beinart asked whether she was “uncomfortable” with the rally’s signs or slogans, Avila Chevalier responded that any protest would include “folks who are voicing opinions that you might not agree with.”
-
Mamdani said he would add Little Italy to a map highlighting immigrant neighborhoods. After Italian, Irish and Jewish voices decried the omission of their communities from a map highlighting the city’s immigrant enclaves, Mamdani said at a press conference on Friday that Little Italy would be included. The neighborhood hasn’t been home to a large Italian immigrant population in decades.
-
Caffe Aronne is coming to the Jewish Community Center. A poster announced that the cafe, which became kosher-certified after publicizing a pro-Israel stance in the aftermath of Oct. 7, 2023, will open in the JCC on the Upper West Side.
-
Watch our tour of Jewish Manhattan, from the Rugelach King of Harlem to the Battery Park statue “The Immigrants.”
Jewish stories matter, and so does your support. The New York Jewish Week brings you the stories behind the headlines, keeping you connected to Jewish life in New York. Help sustain the reporting you trust by donating today.
