New York Mayor’s Comments on Israel Fuel Antisemitism, Threaten Jewish Community

Rep. Nick Langworthy said New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent remarks about Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are making Jewish residents in New York less safe and fueling antisemitic sentiment.

During an interview on Saturday, the Republican congressman criticized the mayor for threatening to arrest Netanyahu if he traveled to New York City. Langworthy described the comments as irresponsible and beyond any mayor’s authority.

“I think this is very long-term damage that’s done,” he said. “It’s dividing people in the city, and it’s making our Jewish residents in New York less safe. He’s normalizing antisemitism.”

Langworthy emphasized that no U.S. mayor has the power to arrest foreign leaders and warned such rhetoric is particularly dangerous given New York hosts the United Nations, where world leaders routinely gather. “No mayor ever had the authority to arrest foreign dignitaries or heads of state,” he stated. “In a city that actually hosts the United Nations, it’s a downright dangerous proposition.”

The congressman also linked Mamdani’s rhetoric to rising antisemitic violence, citing Thursday’s stabbing of two men leaving a synagogue in New York. Authorities arrested a 51-year-old suspect who reportedly shouted “Allahu Akbar” during the attack.

“Whether people like it or not, he has a very large platform, and he has followers that are listening to him,” Langworthy said. “He’s normalizing antisemitism with his attack on Israel, his unwillingness to march in the parade, and the constant inflammatory rhetoric about the war in Gaza.”

Langworthy added that public officials must recognize their words carry consequences. “People are going to get hurt,” he stated. “We’ve seen it with the stabbing, and I sadly believe this is only the beginning. He’s got to tone down this rhetoric and understand that he has to be a mayor for the entire city.”

The congressman also warned Mamdani’s comments heighten tensions ahead of the U.N. General Assembly in September. “He set the table with this statement,” Langworthy said. “No one ever believed he had the ability to arrest the president [or prime minister] of Israel. He sets this video up like it’s a trailer on Netflix, like this is some revelation.”

Langworthy noted Mamdani’s remarks place added pressure on the New York Police Department during U.N. security preparations. “He’s creating a large line of division,” he said. “New York is one of the largest Jewish cultural centers in America, and he is the first leader of this city to ever go in the direction of normalizing antisemitic behavior.”

The congressman additionally criticized Mamdani’s support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement and referenced social media activity by Mamdani’s spouse following Hamas terrorists’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel. “Unfortunately, elections have consequences,” Langworthy said. “Sadly, we have a mayor that’s leading the way on it rather than trying to tone it down and fight back against it.”