Two prominent Modern Orthodox Jewish schools in New York City are planning to bring students to a Friday morning prayer gathering outside Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s official residence at Gracie Mansion, prompting criticism from some parents, alumni and students who say the event risks becoming a political demonstration against the mayor.
The Ramaz School on Manhattan’s Upper East Side has told parents that students from eighth through 12th grade will participate. SAR High School in Riverdale plans to bring its eighth-grade class as well as a group of students from higher grades. Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, which sponsors Ramaz, and other synagogues are also expected to participate.
The gathering is being described by the schools as a communal prayer service rather than a protest. Students are expected to pray Shacharit, sing Jewish songs and express Jewish and Zionist identity.
In a message to Ramaz parents, school leaders wrote that “our children’s voices will lead the way," adding that the students would demonstrate that “we are here, we are proud, and we aren’t going anywhere."
The event is taking place amid tensions between parts of New York’s Jewish community and Mamdani over his views on Israel and his criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Organizers have also cited concerns about antisemitism and the safety of Jewish New Yorkers.
Rabbi Binyamin Krauss, principal of SAR Academy, told JNS that the gathering is intended as a “positive statement" that the Jewish community is present, wants to feel safe and wants to express its Zionism. He said organizers expect approximately 240 students from SAR and Ramaz to attend.
Ramaz associate head Rabbi Joshua Lookstein said the school expects to bring about 140 students. SAR is planning transportation for students, including a bus for eighth graders and another bus with space for students from higher grades. A police sound-device permit has been issued for the event.
However, a group of more than 180 alumni, parents and students affiliated with SAR and Ramaz has signed an open letter opposing the choice of location.
The letter says its signatories share concerns about rising antisemitism and support efforts to teach Jewish children to be proud of their identity. However, they argue that holding the prayer service outside the mayor’s residence is likely to be understood as a political statement against Mamdani.
“The chosen location will likely be interpreted as a political statement against the mayor, rather than as a response to rising antisemitism," the letter states. The signatories argue that the event could unnecessarily increase tensions between Mamdani and the Modern Orthodox community instead of encouraging dialogue.
The letter also emphasizes that members of the Modern Orthodox community do not all hold the same political views about Mamdani.
“Choosing to gather outside of his residence, whatever the stated purpose, inaccurately portrays the Modern Orthodox community as a political monolith opposed to the mayor," the signatories wrote.
The group also objected to involving schoolchildren in an event whose political message they consider unclear. The letter says that while children should be taught civic responsibility and given opportunities to express themselves, bringing them to a public gathering outside the mayor’s home could amount to using them as “political pawns."
The signatories urged the schools to move the event to a neutral location, suggesting Central Park as an alternative.
The controversy comes during the period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, traditionally a time of repentance and introspection in Jewish tradition. The open letter argues that the occasion should be used to “repair rifts" within the Jewish community and between the community and the broader city rather than deepen existing divisions.
Mamdani himself said Wednesday that he welcomed the students' planned gathering and would respect their right to hold it outside Gracie Mansion, although he said he expected to be elsewhere in the city when it takes place.
“I welcome them," Mamdani said. “They can have a vigil, or I’ve heard some describe it even as a ‘protest.’ Whatever it is intended to be, they have the room and space to do so outside of Gracie Mansion."
The schools have not described the event as a protest, while critics of the gathering say its location and the circumstances surrounding it make a political message unavoidable.
The Friday gathering is therefore expected to serve both as a public expression of Jewish identity and as a flashpoint in the ongoing debate within New York’s Jewish community over how to respond to Mamdani and his positions on Israel and Jewish communal concerns.