NEW YORK – A prominent New York rabbi says he delivered a blunt message to Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani after a volatile anti-Israel demonstration targeted his father’s Manhattan synagogue.
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Rabbi Marc Schneier — president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and founding rabbi of The Hamptons Synagogue — said on WABC Radio that he told Mamdani he is “out of sync” with mainstream Jewish and Muslim leaders when it comes to Israel and the future of Gaza.
According to Schneier, he reminded Mamdani that many Muslim leaders across the Middle East and Asia now openly support a two-state solution and accept Israel’s right to exist. “I told him he’s out of touch with the broader Muslim world, not just with Jewish New Yorkers,” Schneier said.
The discussion came after roughly 200 pro-Palestinian demonstrators gathered outside Park East Synagogue, where Schneier’s father, Rabbi Arthur Schneier, was confronted by protesters chanting “globalize the intifada” and other inflammatory slogans. The group heckled attendees at a Nefesh B’Nefesh event inside the historic synagogue, raising questions about why police allowed demonstrators so close to the entrance. Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch later visited the synagogue to personally apologize.
Mamdani has faced criticism for supporting the BDS movement and for saying he would seek to arrest Israel’s prime minister for alleged war crimes. Schneier said he challenged Mamdani on that rhetoric as well as on the wider connection between anti-Zionist activism and antisemitic incidents.
The rabbi also urged Mamdani to back legislation prohibiting demonstrations directly outside houses of worship — synagogues, churches, and mosques alike. Schneier said Mamdani appeared open to the idea and encouraged further conversation.
“He kept saying, ‘Rabbi, I like this direction. Let’s keep talking,’” Schneier recalled, adding that the mayor-elect has checked in with him multiple times since their first call.
A spokesperson for Mamdani’s transition team said the mayor-elect is willing to review proposals that would restrict protests immediately outside religious institutions.
Despite their disagreements, Schneier said the two have maintained a respectful dialogue and “agree to disagree.”
I hate to be the bearer of bad-news, but the last I checked, Eric Adams is still currently the Mayor of NYC! All of this rabid Anti-Israel hatred and Antisemitism all EXPLODED in NYC under his watch! While he says all the right things, at the end of the day, what has he done to protect the Jewish Communities across NYC?!? Yet, our wonderful “Askanim” & “Community-Leaders” all sing his praises and have hoodwinked the Surfs that he is a “true friend of the Jewish people.” NYC has literally disintegrated under the Eric Adams Administration due to his lack-of- leadership and massive corruption-scandals. When you’re in upper-management, you can sense when someone is fit for a leadership role. NYC has been an absolute “Hefker-Velt” over the last 8-plus years. Yes, DiBlasio was also terrible but to be fair, his first term (2013-2017) was not that bad since he inherited a set-table from the Bloomberg-Administration who kept city safe & stable after Guiliani cleaned up in the 90’s. Adams ineptitude helped being about a candidate & now unfortunately, a Mayor-Elect, Mamdani. This is what happens when you let yourself get hoodwinked by self-proclaimed “Community Leaders” who backed EVERY Riff-Raff imaginable for local -offices over the years and do absolutely ZERO for the Klal other than stuff their own pockets and advance their self-interests!!
The rabbi is out of touch if he believes 2 states will be the solution
How arrogant is it of Marc to assume he knows what the Muslims think more than an actual Muslim leader. The problem with some Jews is that they refuse to believe their enemies. The Muslims are not shy about telling us how they feel about us. We need to stop pretending we can make peace with them.
The rabbi is out of touch.mamdani is hamas.now what does the naive rabbi expect
So many judgments by obviously “perfect” people.
“Rabbi” lol
. We dare not be the JEWS OF 1930. Wake up. Mamdani is a young Hitler who hates Jews and ISRAEL. We need an organization which will fight physically if need me to protect fellow JEWS. Most of the world is antisemitic and anti-Israel. We need to stop worrying about what other countries think and influence our politically leadership to pass laws protecting us and our children. Our college students are brainwashed by paid off radical Muslim professors. Stop sending your children to schools that are known as being antisemitic and pick schools that are Jew friendly. Worrying about what others think of us will get us nowhere. RABBI DR. BERNHARD ROSENBERG
I’ll bet that at least half his congregation voted for Mamcommie. Now they’re having buyer’s remorse?