New York, NY — Betsy Berns Korn, Chair, and William C. Daroff, CEO, of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, issued the following statement:
“Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s video accusing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of genocide and other horrific crimes is outrageous, slanderous, and dangerous. It traffics in inflammatory falsehoods while erasing Hamas, the October 7 terrorist attacks, and the events that led to this war. His video presents a biased, one-sided political indictment that demonizes Israel, distorts the truth, and inflames hostility toward Israel and its supporters.
“New York City is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel. At a time when Jewish New Yorkers face persistent antisemitism and threats of violence, the mayor should understand the consequences of turning the power and platforms of his office against the world’s only Jewish state. His fixation on Israel deepens division, alienates many Jewish New Yorkers, and emboldens those who target Jews under the banner of anti-Israel activism.
“New Yorkers elected Mayor Mamdani to govern their city, protect its residents, and bring its diverse communities together. They did not elect him to conduct American foreign policy or turn City Hall into a platform for slandering and threatening to prosecute the democratically elected leader of a close American ally.
“Mayor Mamdani has repeatedly demonstrated an obsessive hostility toward Israel that is wholly incompatible with his obligation to represent all New Yorkers. He has neither the authority nor the expertise to conduct foreign policy from City Hall. He must end this dangerous political theater and focus on governing a city confronting serious challenges, including the persistent threat of antisemitism.”
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The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations is the recognized central coordinating body representing 50 national Jewish organizations on issues of national and international concern. The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the positions of all member organizations.
