Ofir Akunis, Israeli consul general in New York, stated on Friday, the day after a visibly Jewish man and another man were stabbed outside a synagogue in Manhattan on the fast day Tisha B’Av, that he had warned about the consequences of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s actions.
The mayor’s spokeswoman has said that synagogues violate international law by hosting pro-Israel events, and Mamdani said often on the campaign trail that he would have the Israeli prime minister arrested in New York City. Benjamin Netanyahu is expected in Manhattan in September for the United Nations General Assembly, and Mamdani recently released a video in which he admitted that he lacked the authority to arrest the Israeli premier but called him a “war criminal” and said that federal authorities should detain him.
“Mayor Mamdani is inciting violence against Jews in New York,” Akunis said. “I warned about the consequences of his actions on his first day in office after he signed the order abolishing the IHRA definition of antisemitism. Yesterday was just another example of his hateful rhetoric fueling physical attacks.”
“This pattern is too familiar and echoes Europe 100 years ago,” Akunis said. “Incitement always promotes and encourages physical violence.”
Anti-Jewish hate crimes have surged this year, including a 182% increase during Mamdani’s first month in office.
