Israel’s president accuses Mamdani of ‘outrageous anti-Jewish, anti-American’ rhetoric

President Isaac Herzog excoriates New York City’s Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for delegitimizing immigration to Israel, calling his rhetoric antisemitic and anti-American.

By David Rosenberg, World Israel News

Israeli President Isaac Herzog took aim at New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani over the weekend, accusing Mamdani of antisemitism after the state assemblyman criticized a Manhattan synagogue last month for hosting an immigration fair for Jews considering moving to Israel.

On Sunday, Herzog addressed the 101st Annual Hanukkah Dinner of Yeshiva University in New York, where he was awarded an honorary doctorate.

In his speech, Herzog demanded the release of Israel’s final remaining hostage in the Gaza Strip, Ran Gvili, and thanked President Donald Trump for his role in securing the return of hostages from Gaza and advancing the Gaza peace plan.

The Israeli president also warned against the global rise of antisemitism, and lamented the extremist rhetoric from elected officials, citing Mamdani’s comments as an example.

“Here in New York, and all across America, the turbulence is unnerving, and the challenges facing our people, the Jewish people, are growing,” Herzog said.

“Institutional antisemitism, Holocaust inversion, conspiracies left and right, Jew-hatred platformed on social media, and moral bankruptcy masquerading as social justice have all disturbingly increased.”

“Where Jews were once ‘Yids’ in America, Zionists are now called ‘Zios.’ Jews are always the first, but never the last, to be demonized, targeted, ‘other-ized’.”

Herzog warned that the delegitimization of Israel and the Jewish right to a homeland by the top elected official of New York City were a “red flag.”

“Recent developments in New York City have raised a red flag. Here, we see the rise of a new mayor-elect who makes no effort to conceal his contempt for the Jewish democratic State of Israel, the only nation-state of the Jewish people.”

Referring to the protests outside an Aliyah event at a Manhattan synagogue in November, Herzog said that “The incoming mayor’s response was to suggest that Jews who consider fulfilling the ultimate Zionist dream of making Aliyah are violating international law and the sanctity of the synagogue. This rhetoric is outrageous.”

“Returning to Zion and connecting to Israel have been cornerstones of Jewish faith and Jewish tradition for thousands of years. Delegitimizing the Jewish people’s right to their ancient homeland and their age-old dream of Jerusalem legitimizes violence and undermines freedom of religion.”

“This is both anti-Jewish and anti-American.”