Jewish leaders fault Mamdani rhetoric as Upper West Side stabbing, hate crime probe continues

Jewish leaders successful New York City are accusing Mayor Zohran Mamdani of " fanning the flames of hatred and division" arsenic an probe is continuing Friday into a brace of stabbings successful Manhattan’s Upper West Side that are being looked astatine arsenic imaginable hatred crimes.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said some victims successful Thursday’s onslaught are presently successful unchangeable condition. The suspect, identified arsenic Raul Morales, 51, is accused of yelling "Allahu Akbar" portion stabbing 2 men connected Thursday afternoon, according to officials.

"When the politician of New York repeatedly uses his level to relentlessly azygous retired and demonize Israel, the world's lone Jewish state, and calls those who enactment it monsters, helium contributes to a clime successful which Jewish New Yorkers are progressively targeted and unsafe," Eric Goldstein, the CEO of the UJA-Federation of New York, said Friday.

"Mayor Mamdani, halt fanning the flames of hatred and division. The consequences are not abstract. They are playing retired connected our streets. But marque nary mistake, we're not going anywhere. The Jewish assemblage of New York, the largest successful the satellite extracurricular Israel, volition proceed to locomotion the streets of the Upper West Side and each the streets of New York openly and proudly," helium added.

SUSPECT ARRESTED AFTER ALLEGEDLY YELLING ‘ALLAHU AKBAR,' STABBING 2 MEN IN NYC ATTACK

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks astir Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu successful a inactive representation taken from handout video released connected July 21, 2026. (Reuters)

Rabbi Yosie Levine of The Jewish Center besides said Friday that, "When nationalist officials repeatedly formed the Jewish assemblage arsenic a stand-in for actions of the Israeli government, they make a clime successful which Jews go targets."

"You cognize erstwhile I was increasing up, the lone clip we saw information extracurricular of my synagogue oregon extracurricular of my Jewish time schoolhouse was erstwhile the politician came to speak. The constabulary were determination to support him. Today, each clip the politician speaks, we request the constabulary to support us," helium added. "Jewish beingness successful America is starting to consciousness similar Jewish beingness successful Europe. Armed guards, bulletproof glass, and the changeless fearfulness that yesterday's rhetoric volition crook into today's assault."

When asked by Fox News Digital for a response, Mamdani's bureau highlighted remarks the politician made to NY1 connected Friday, successful which helium said, "There's nary tolerance for antisemitism oregon hatred of immoderate benignant successful this city."

"This is simply a metropolis that believes successful the quality and the breadth of each of its 5 boroughs and everyone who calls it home. And if anyone is perpetrating this benignant of a bigotry, that benignant of hatred, they volition beryllium held afloat accountable," Mamdani told the station.

"When it comes to my comments astir Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they are critiques not based connected my idiosyncratic investigation but alternatively connected nonsubjective facts," helium added. "They are critiques of a governmental person not of radical of a circumstantial religion oregon a religion oregon a inheritance and my work arsenic the politician of this metropolis is to support each New Yorker safe, nary substance wherever they travel from, what they judge in, oregon frankly, adjacent if they hold with my politics. My occupation is to support them safe." 

WITNESSES RECOUNT 'SCARY' NYC STABBING AFTER SUSPECT ALLEGEDLY YELLED 'ALLAHU AKBAR' DURING ATTACKS

The fishy allegedly yelled "Allahu Akbar" during the onslaught connected Thursday, July 23, successful New York City. (Manhattan Shomrim Safety Patrol/@AGHamilton29 via X)

The victims were identified successful media reports arsenic Chok Sung, 57, and Moshe Grunhaus, 50.

"So galore radical cognize Moshe, truthful galore radical attraction astir him. He was conscionable trying to commune astatine his synagogue, and present we're the ones praying for his recovery," Levine said. "To person been stabbed 200 feet from the Jewish halfway evokes each the worst images of the Jewish past. If a Jew can't consciousness harmless walking location from shul successful wide daylight connected a Thursday day connected the Upper West Side of Manhattan, past thing has gone profoundly wrong, not lone for the Jewish community, but for our city."

Goldstein added that Mamdani's caller video successful which helium called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a "war criminal" was "political grandstanding."

"This is the largest Jewish assemblage successful the satellite extracurricular of Israel. His words person profound existent satellite consequences connected america and shame connected him. Shame connected him for doing this for perceived governmental payment erstwhile it has existent satellite effect for the Jews of New York. He indispensable stop," Goldstein said.

James said aft speaking with the NYPD commissioner and section territory attorney, "they person asked maine not to gully immoderate conclusions arsenic a effect of past night's event."

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said that portion his bureau lacks the authorization to apprehension Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu nether the International Criminal Court's warrant, helium urges the U.S. to bash so. (Camara Porter/AdMedia/Sipa USA; Ronen Zvulun/Pool/Reuters)

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"What I bash privation to accidental is that it's truly critically important that individuals recognize that anti-Semitic acts person been increasing successful the metropolis of New York. It's truly critically important," she said. "And past besides acts against the Asian assemblage person besides been connected the increase. So it's important that I basal with my Jewish friends, that I basal with my Asian friends, that I fto everyone cognize that determination should not beryllium immoderate abstraction betwixt immoderate of us, that we should basal unneurotic against immoderate signifier of hate, immoderate enactment of hatred successful the metropolis and the authorities of New York, that it volition not beryllium tolerated."