Major Jewish leaders and organizations in New York City are planning to boycott Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s upcoming Jewish Heritage celebration at Gracie Mansion, deepening tensions between the Democratic socialist mayor and large segments of the city’s Jewish community.
At least three prominent Jewish figures and groups confirmed they will not attend the event, citing Mamdani’s rhetoric about Israel and recent comments critics say crossed a line.
“We will not be attending the Jewish American Heritage Month celebration at Gracie Mansion being hosted by a mayor who denies a core pillar of our heritage — the State of Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people,” the UJA-Federation of New York said in a statement.
The organization describes itself as the world’s largest local philanthropy.
Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York, also said he would skip the event. The group organizes New York’s annual Israel Day Parade, scheduled for May 31.
“It’s a really telling and concerning sign of where things stand in New York City right now,” Treyger told The Post.
Treyger accused Mamdani of inflaming tensions further with a Friday social media message commemorating “Nakba Day,” which marks what Palestinians describe as the catastrophe surrounding Israel’s founding in 1948.
The post included a professionally produced interview with a city resident identified as a “Nakba survivor.”
“The mayor issued a social media production which omitted significant parts of history,” Treyger said. “It only inflamed tensions further.”
The criticism comes amid heightened anxiety in New York’s Jewish community following recent anti-Israel protests outside a historic Park Avenue synagogue in Manhattan and a senior services center in Brooklyn.
Treyger also pointed to the arrest Friday of a suspect accused of plotting to attack a synagogue in New York City who allegedly had ties to Iran’s military apparatus.
“We’re looking for leadership that New Yorkers deserve to lower the temperature and bring people together — now more than ever,” Treyger said.
Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, said he would also boycott the Gracie Mansion event.
“Jewish heritage should include recognition of the State of Israel,” Potasnik said.
“Jewish history didn’t end in 1946.”
Former Brooklyn Assemblyman Dov Hikind, founder of Americans Against Antisemitism, had previously urged Jewish leaders to boycott the mayor’s event as frustrations over Mamdani’s rhetoric continued to build.
Mamdani’s office pushed back on the criticism Sunday, insisting the mayor has actively engaged with Jewish communities across the city since taking office.
“Since taking office, Mayor Mamdani has made it a priority to consistently show up for and build relationships across New York City’s Jewish communities,” spokesman Sam Raskin said in a statement.
More over at The New York Post:
Jewish leaders snub Mamdani, reject invite to 'Jewish Heritage' event at Gracie Mansion https://t.co/rBWPtFmDyv pic.twitter.com/E4rDxQZThw
— New York Post (@nypost) May 18, 2026
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