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OU calls on Mamdani to ‘embrace responsibility of governing for all’

“We should aspire to much more than basic civility, and with the Almighty’s help and New Yorkers holding each other accountable, we will,” said executive vice president Rabbi Josh Joseph.

Rabbi Josh Joseph
Rabbi Josh Joseph, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Orthodox Union. Credit: Courtesy.

Rabbi Josh Joseph, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Orthodox Union, is urging New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist with a history of anti-Israel rhetoric, to champion unity in his next step of leadership.

“We invite the mayor-elect to embrace the responsibility of governing for all, protecting the vulnerable, rejecting divisive rhetoric and ensuring that safety, dignity and respect are guaranteed to every New Yorker, including Jewish New Yorkers,” he wrote on Wednesday.

“We should aspire to much more than basic civility, and with the Almighty’s help and New Yorkers holding each other accountable, we will,” the rabbi stated.

Joseph added that, while the broader Jewish community can often be “fractured and at odds,” he commended the fact that the community “came together with a strong voice and organized effectively in turning out the vote.”

“We are committed to building on this progress,” he stated. “The Orthodox Union is more determined than ever to continue advocating for the needs of the Jewish people and transforming our collective strength into lasting impact at City Hall and beyond.”

The Berkeley project “has a record of promoting anti-Israel and antisemitic agendas,” Oleg Ivanov, of StandWithUs, told JNS. “We are deeply concerned that the same thing will happen in this training.”
The announcement comes as Israeli banks are expected to end correspondent banking services to Palestinian counterparts.
The Federation told JNS exclusively that it is ending its engagement with a consultant who headed one of its communications projects after JNS reported that he advised attendees at a Federations conference to avoid using the word “Zionism.”
Alyza Lewin, president of U.S. affairs at the Combat Antisemitism Movement, stated that El-Sayed’s victory “should raise alarm bells for Jewish Americans across the country and everyone who believes in civil rights for all.”