Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York City, wished New York Jews a “peaceful Tisha B’Av” on Wednesday in a social media post that neglected to mention Israel or the destruction of the Jewish Temples.
“Wishing a peaceful Tisha B’Av to Jewish New Yorkers across the five boroughs,” he wrote. “From sundown tonight until tomorrow, mourners will pause and reflect on the history and resiliency of the Jewish people. May all observing have a safe and meaningful fast.”
The fast day commemorates the sacked Jewish Temples in Jerusalem. Mamdani has made opposing the modern Jewish state a center piece of his administration, including promising on the campaign trail to have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested in the Big Apple, and a spokeswoman for Mamdani saying that synagogues that host pro-Israel events violate international law.
The Tisha B’Av post, which drew swift backlash, came a day after Mamdani released a video admitting that he lacked the authority to arrest Netanyahu, whom he called a “war criminal,” when the Israeli premier comes to the city for the United Nations General Assembly.
Moshe Spern, president of United Jewish Teachers who requested an increased police presence for Tisha B’Av in the wake of the mayor’s video, told JNS that “Mamdani doesn’t get the right to wish us a peaceful holiday when his rhetoric directly puts the Jewish community in danger.”
“Maybe he should’ve thought twice about a two-minute libelous video that has been viewed by hundreds of millions of people,” Spern told JNS.
Rabbi Dovid Katz, executive director of the Israel Heritage Foundation, told JNS that Mamdani should apologize for his video before sending a Tisha B’Av message to Jewish New Yorkers.
“We don’t need your honey and we don’t want your sting,” he told JNS. “No leader has ever succeeded by being a hater.”
