Mamdani draws heat over Oct. 7 statement: ‘Cannot give Jewish New Yorkers even a single day to mourn’
Washington Examiner · RC · trust 36/100
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has drawn backlash from several pro-Israel political pundits and officials in response to his statement on the third anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023 , Hamas attack on Israel, in which he criticized what he called Israel’s “genocide” in Gaza .
Mamdani, who has been a sharp critic of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his administration’s campaign in Gaza, acknowledged the grief over “the horrific war crimes” and “unthinkable loss” Israeli endured on Oct. 7, but also said, “the suffering did not begin nor end that day.” Mamdani said in the Wednesday morning statement that the suffering in the region “continued through the Israeli government’s devastating, ongoing genocide in Gaza.”
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Mamdani’s statement and focus on criticizing Israel on the Oct. 7 anniversary have drawn criticism itself. CEO of the Anti-Defamation League Jonathan Greenblatt ripped Mamdani’s response to the anniversary, noting that he did not say the word “Jews” once in the statement.
“On Oct. 7, Hamas -led attackers murdered civilians, committed sexual violence, mutilated bodies and took hostages,” Greenblatt said on X . “You are weaponizing a day meant for mourning the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust to recycle your usual antizionist talking points. The city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel deserves a mayor who can honor the dead without exploiting them.”
Rabbi Marc Schneier , the former president of the New York Board of Rabbis, blasted Mamdani’s response as one that “chose to incite hatred” rather than honor the victims of Oct. 7 and promote peace.
“Mayor Mamdani cannot give Jewish New Yorkers even a single day to mourn without gaslighting us and appropriating the trauma of Oct. 7,” Schneier said. “He expresses sympathy at rising antisemitism while accusing Israel of deliberately killing children, bombing hospitals and committing ‘genocide.’ His rhetoric fuels hostility toward Jewish New Yorkers.”
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R-AR), the daughter of U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, also bashed Mamdani’s words: “Disgusting and shameful to use October 7th as an excuse to repeat Hamas’ talking points. The terrorist enemies that seek to destroy us will not prevail. We stand with the Jewish people and we pray for the victims, their families and the survivors.”
Alex Vindman, a pro-Israel Democrat who served as the National Security Council Director of European Affairs under the first Trump administration and lost the Democratic Senate primary in Florida this year, chimed in on the conversation.
“Mayor Mandani, normally an astute political actor, did a real disservice to DEMs and Dem [Democratic Socialists of America] candidates immediately before midterm elections,” Vindman said. “He ignited controversy in the exact moment Dems are making their appeals to moderates and independents. Unfortunately, he’s undercut Dems in several battlegrounds.”
Co-host of The View Alyssa Farrah Griffin also echoed Schneier’s sentiment, writing on X , “I don’t understand why the Mayor couldn’t simply give Jews *one day* to mourn the largest mass killing of Jews since the holocaust.”
Conservative commentator Ben Shapiro took issue with the ratio of Mamdani’s words about the Oct. 7 attack versus his words criticizing Israel over Gaza. In Mamdani’s statement, the first paragraph centered on Oct. 7, while the second, larger paragraph and most of the third and fourth paragraphs concerned Israel’s actions in Gaza.
“49 words in tribute to the Jews murdered on October 7,” Shapiro said on X . “141 words on how Israel is responsible for everything and the only answer is to hand more power, money, and authority to those who wish to destroy Israel.”
Mamdani closed out his statement arguing, “to honor the dead, we must fight for a world in which every person can live with freedom, safety, and dignity.”
MAMDANI CALLS OUT ISRAEL’S ‘GENOCIDE’ IN GAZA ON THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF OCT. 7 TERRORIST ATTACKS
“Three years later, we must refuse to accept a world in which occupation and apartheid continue, where war crimes are met with impunity, and our federal government continues its complicity with every arms shipment,” Mamdani wrote.
Mamdani’s statement addressing both the Oct. 7 attack and Israel’s actions in Gaza is also emblematic of his public schedule for Wednesday, which says he will be attending a vigil in remembrance of the Oct. 7 attack at 7 p.m. and then will meet with Palestinian New Yorkers at 9 p.m.
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