New York City Mayor Eric Adams called on Jewish New Yorkers to "stay and fight" in response to the candidacy of self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani in the race to become the next mayor of the Big Apple, the Jewish News Syndicate reported.
Adams made the comment during a reception for Jewish Heritage at Gracie Mansion on Tuesday night.
“You have the right to be in the city and anywhere in this country,” Adams stated. He lamented that “many of my Jewish brothers and sisters [say] they’re leaving” and noted the long history of Jews being forced to flee nations that became hostile, including Spain in the 1400s.
“I’m saying to you, we will run no more. We will stay and fight for the city that we love,” he stressed. “We will not be the generation of fleeing and of leaving. We will be the generation to push back against hate. That’s what we must be.”
“The first thing we must acknowledge is that the heat of antisemitism has gotten too hot in our country, and it cannot continue to rise in degrees in our city where we have the largest Jewish population outside of Israel,” he added. “So I’m here to turn off the flame, to get the frog out of the pot and make sure that we don’t allow hate to live in our city in any form and in any way."
During the event, Israel's Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, implicitly criticized Mamdani's defense of the phrase "globalize the Intifada."
"We are against a global intifada," Akunis said.
"We are for deepening our shared American and Jewish values around the world,” he added. “Throughout history, many enemies and leaders vowed to destroy the Jewish people. They are gone — and we are still here.”
“No one will preach to us, and no one will bring the Jewish people to their knees," he said. "The Jews of New York played a vital role in building this city, grounded in the shared values of the United States and the Jewish people: the values of freedom and democracy."
Mamdani's victory in the Democratic primaries has raised fears in New York's Jewish community over his extreme anti-Israel policies. Mamdani condemned Israel less than two days after the October 7 massacre committed by Hamas, before Israel had begun its retaliation for the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. He also refused to support legislation condemning the Holocaust and has defended the phrase "globalize the Intifada," widely understood as a call for violence against Jews around the world.
Following Mamdani's primary victory, Adams vowed to "save" New York City from the Democratic party's extreme nominee.
"We cannot allow New York City to fall into chaos under the influence of those who want to dismantle the very systems that keep us safe and prosperous," Adams stated in late June.
The incumbent mayor responded to a front-page headline in the New York Post that stated: "NYC SOS: Who will save city after radical socialist batters Cuomo in Dem mayoral primary?"
Adams told the Post in response: “I’m going to take this SOS. Who will save city … ‘Eric."