The New York City Council unanimously elected Councilwoman Julie Menin, a Democrat representing parts of the Upper East Side, as its new speaker on Wednesday, making her the first Jewish speaker in the council’s history, reported JNS.
Menin won the speakership with 51 votes and no opposition.
Menin, a moderate Democrat who has publicly supported Israel, is expected to serve as a potential check on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has become notorious for his anti-Israel stance.
Mamdani has repeatedly said he would have Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he entered the city.
He caused an uproar on his first day in office when he cancelled executive orders related to Israel, which were issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams.
In her acceptance remarks on Wednesday, Menin credited her upbringing as the daughter of a Holocaust survivor for shaping her political values.
“The East Side of Manhattan was a community that welcomed my family with open arms, a community that gave them a better life after the horrors that they had been through, and with the beauty of life, brings things full circle," she said. “I now have the great honor and distinction of representing that neighborhood."
Menin also compared the Islamophobia that followed the Sept. 11 attacks to the “hatred and violence" she said are “running rampant across our country and around the world."
She noted the significance of the moment, saying, “We live in a day when the first Muslim mayor of New York City and now the first Jewish speaker of the council are serving at the same time."
She added that what will define this interfaith leadership is whether it can “calm tensions, bridge divides and… recognize we are one city, no matter the religion we practice or the language we speak."
Menin has been outspoken in her support for Israel, including marching in the city’s most recent Israel Day Parade, and has worked to combat antisemitism through Holocaust education initiatives.
Ahead of the vote, Menin said she would seek common ground with Mamdani, telling the New York Post she raised her concerns directly with the mayor.
“I was extremely concerned about the repeal of the executive orders and other matters, and I expressed my concerns to the mayor directly about that," she said.
She added that Mamdani told her he had issued a new executive order that maintains the Office to Combat Antisemitism and instructs the police commissioner to monitor protests near houses of worship.
“What I’m focused on with the council is what the council can do to ensure that we are protecting New Yorkers," she said.