NEW YORK — The leading Jewish communal groups in New York City on Tuesday pushed back against Mayor Zohran Mamdani after his latest anti-Israel controversies, expressing alarm and suggesting hypocrisy by the mayor.

Mamdani, in the past week, hosted a prominent anti-Israel activist, Columbia University’s Mahmoud Kahlil, at his official residence, and shared a stage with a speaker who has supported violence against Israelis.

The UJA-Federation of New York said that Mamdani “began his term highlighting his commitment to creating an inclusive New York,” but that the recent incidents raise “deep concerns in our community.”

“This is an important moment for Mayor Mamdani to live up to his own rhetoric and reaffirm his commitment to confronting antisemitism and keeping every New Yorker safe,” the federation said in a statement.

The head of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, Mark Treyger, said that, after Mamdani met with Khalil, “if the mayor truly cares about ensuring democratic protections apply to all New Yorkers,” he should meet with Jewish students from Columbia University who suffered antisemitic discrimination. Khalil’s group led protests on the campus that contributed to discrimination against Jews.

“The mayor is no longer a candidate; he is now the mayor of the most diverse city in the world and must be seen as a mayor for all New Yorkers, which includes close to 1 million Jews,” Treyger said.

“Leadership in this moment requires moral clarity and a commitment to protecting the rights and dignity of every New Yorker, which includes the Jewish community,” he said.

Leadership in New York requires the ability to hold multiple truths at once. Advertisement if(typeof rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner != "function" || !rgb_remove_toi_dfp_banner("#336x280_Middle_1")){ window.tude = window.tude || { cmd: [] }; tude.cmd.push(function() { if(navigator.userAgent.indexOf("rgbmedia-app") > -1){ tude.setDeviceType("mobile"); } tude.refreshAdsViaDivMappings([ { divId: '336x280_Middle_1', baseDivId: '336x280_Middle_1', } ]); }); } The mayor is entitled to his views on this matter, even though I strongly disagree with Mahmoud Khalil’s rhetoric, which many Jewish New Yorkers have experienced as contributing to a climate of… https://t.co/Yeaw8dnsP3 — Mark Treyger ???? (@MarkTreyger718) March 11, 2026

Leadership in New York requires the ability to hold multiple truths at once.

The mayor is entitled to his views on this matter, even though I strongly disagree with Mahmoud Khalil’s rhetoric, which many Jewish New Yorkers have experienced as contributing to a climate of… https://t.co/Yeaw8dnsP3

— Mark Treyger ???? (@MarkTreyger718) March 11, 2026

The forceful statements from the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York stood out because the two groups are generally not confrontational in politics and seek warm ties with City Hall.

Last week, Mamdani hosted Khalil at his official residence, Gracie Mansion, in Manhattan, for Ramadan.

The Trump administration detained Khalil last year and is seeking his deportation, making him a cause celebre on parts of the left.

Khalil was an organizer and spokesperson for Columbia University Apartheid Divest, the anti-Zionist protest alliance at the Ivy League university.

The group led the takeover of a campus building, sparking clashes with police, hosted pro-Hamas figures on campus, called for the eradication of Western civilization, distributed Hamas propaganda, and praised violent “resistance” by Palestinians, including, explicitly, the October 7, 2023, invasion, in which terrorists slaughtered, raped, kidnapped and tortured civilians across southern Israel.

Since his release from detention, Khalil has justified the Hamas invasion of Israel, dismissed antisemitism at Columbia, and called for Israel’s destruction.

Mamdani hailed Khalil’s “profound courage” since his arrest and said he “is a New Yorker, and he belongs in New York City.”

For Mahmoud Khalil, this past year has been marked by profound hardship—and by profound courage. A year ago, Mahmoud was walking home through our city after sharing an iftar with his wife Noor when he was detained by federal agents, flown to Louisiana, and then held in an ICE… pic.twitter.com/6dBtLh0GeT — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 10, 2026

For Mahmoud Khalil, this past year has been marked by profound hardship—and by profound courage.

A year ago, Mahmoud was walking home through our city after sharing an iftar with his wife Noor when he was detained by federal agents, flown to Louisiana, and then held in an ICE… pic.twitter.com/6dBtLh0GeT

— Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@NYCMayor) March 10, 2026

Mamdani’s chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, is one of Khalil’s lawyers in his case against the Trump administration.

Last week, Mamdani appeared at the Muslim American Society’s center on Staten Island for a Ramadan event.

A prominent anti-Zionist activist, Abdullah Akl, introduced Mamdani at the event and welcomed him onstage.

Akl was a leader of the hardline anti-Zionist activist group Within Our Lifetime, one of the most prominent of the protest groups in New York City, and often led the group’s rallies. Within Our Lifetime has targeted hospitals, transportation hubs, libraries, museums and holiday events with disruptive protests.

During one protest in 2024, Akl led chants that called for strikes against Tel Aviv and in support of a Hamas spokesperson.

Akl celebrated the October 7 attack and issued a call to “support the resistance” on the day it happened.

He was arrested during at least one protest in 2024 and is suing the NYPD over the arrest.

Another leader at the Staten Island center where Mamdani appeared regularly promotes antisemitic conspiracies online.

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