Israel’s Consul General in New York, Ofir Akunis, warned Tuesday morning in an interview with Oded Menashe of a sharp deterioration in the antisemitic atmosphere in the city, arguing that statements by New York City Mayor Zuhran Mamdani and recent events in New York are causing great concern among the Jewish community.
1+Akunis noted that Mamdani “is bringing Israel back to center stage, just like in his campaign,” and recalled that the mayor called the pro-Israel organization AIPAC “monsters.” He attacked: “That’s a terrible and horrific word, a word that recalls the propaganda against Jews in 1930s Europe.”
Akunis also addressed the feelings within the Jewish community and shared: “What’s certain is that there’s very great concern about the behavior, about the escalation in his statements. You hear it among all the leaders of Jewish organizations, you definitely hear it in conversations with groups of Jews.”
1+The consul went on to describe Hamas symbols proliferating throughout the city: “This is unprecedented—the use of Hamas’s green bandanas at the Nakhba protests. We’re talking about New York, not the Gaza Strip, not Tehran, not Beirut—New York.”
Akunis then issued an unusual warning: “I’m telling you this morning, Oded, and I suggest you remember these words: there is a real and immediate danger to the safety of New York’s Jews.” When asked if this includes a security threat, he replied: “The answer is yes,” and explained: “History has taught us that everything that starts with words eventually turns into actions.”