Israel’s Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, spoke at a ceremony marking the lighting of the eighth Hanukkah candle in the city, attended by leaders of the Jewish community and by Shira Gvili, sister of the last hostage in Gaza, Ran Gvili.
Against the backdrop of the election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City, Akunis said, “Recently we have witnessed an attempt to separate Jewish communities from the State of Israel - it will fail.”
Akunis also addressed “the silence of world leaders regarding antisemitic attacks,” saying that “silence is tantamount to support.”