Councilman Felder Slams Hochul’s ‘Antisemitic Chutzpah’ as Outrageous Hypocrisy

NEW YORK — City Councilman Simcha Felder tore into Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday, accusing her of political opportunism and enabling antisemitism in New York City.

“The audacity of Governor Hochul showing up in Midwood just one day after she proudly celebrated the election of an outspoken and unapologetic antisemite is beyond comprehension,” Felder said in a scathing statement.

Felder charged that Hochul’s endorsement of mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani helped legitimize hate. “Hours after his election, masked vandals covered the neighborhood in swastikas, and suddenly, for the first time anyone remembers, the Governor is on Avenue J, almost two miles from where the swastikas were first discovered,” he said.

The Councilman condemned Hochul for her absence during past attacks on the Jewish community. “Where was the Governor when Jewish New Yorkers were beaten on the streets and in the parks? Where was she when synagogues were desecrated and yeshiva kids were assaulted?”

The horrific acts of antisemitic violence in Brooklyn have no place in our state.

I'm committing an additional $20 million in our next budget to protect vulnerable communities.

To the students, families, and all Jewish New Yorkers: We stand with you. Hate has no home here. pic.twitter.com/aiBamtzu9N

— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) November 6, 2025

Felder further blasted Hochul for supporting a candidate whose policies he says endanger Jews, including backing BDS, Globalize the Intifada, and defunding the NYPD. “Hochul empowered antisemitic hate — and then, dripping with hypocrisy, she shows up in Midwood to announce more funding to protect yeshivas from the very violence she enabled,” he said.

He concluded with a sharp warning: “Governor Hochul should spare us the staged concern. New Yorkers deserve a leader who stands against hate consistently — not an actress who only appears when politically convenient and still fails to do it right.”