Julie Menin was unanimously elected speaker of the City Council on Wednesday. The first Jew in the role and a centrist Democrat, she will be a significant check on Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who promised to “govern as a democratic socialist.”
Menin’s mother and grandmother survived the Holocaust hiding in a cellar in Hungary, and her grandfather was killed.
In her inaugural speech, Menin celebrated the new frontiers she shared with Mamdani. “We live in a day with the first Muslim mayor of New York City and now the first Jewish speaker of the Council serving at the same time,” sad Menin.
But the two have strong ideological differences. Mamdani sought to thwart her bid in favor of a more progressive candidate, Politico reported, and Menin declined to endorse him for mayor.
Menin invited Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, the head of the New York Board of Rabbis, to deliver her invocation. The organization recently criticized Mamdani for revoking two of his predecessor’s executive orders related to defining antisemitism and banning boycotts of Israel. (Potasnik sat on one of Mamdani’s transition committees.)
Menin herself called Mamdani to say she was “extremely concerned” about repealing the orders, according to the New York Post.
She referenced a recent anti-Zionist protest outside a Manhattan synagogue in her speech, saying, “We cannot let what happened outside Park East Synagogue ever happen again, at any house of worship.” Mamdani suggested that the event, which promoted migration to Israel, misused a “sacred space.”
But Menin also said that Mamdani seemed open to a bill she plans to pass, which would prohibit protests in a perimeter around houses of worship and schools. Gov. Kathy Hochul said she will announce a similar statewide measure on Tuesday.
Anti-Zionist protest canceled
PAL-Awda, the anti-Zionist group that organized the rally outside Park East Synagogue, nixed another protest on Wednesday night. It was planned to target Nefesh B’Nefesh, the same organization that hosted the synagogue event.
“Our planned action tonight to protest the settler recruitment event is being cancelled,” the group said on Instagram. “Although NBN is still holding their event, their reach and attendance has been diminished.”
PAL-Awda has not yet announced if it will continue to hold a rally against an Israeli real estate event in Kew Gardens Hills on Thursday night.
An Instagram account for the Bukharian Jewish community, which has a large concentration in the area, urged local residents “not to show up” for fear of altercations.
Jews and non-Jews split on Mamdani
Jewish New Yorkers view Mamdani’s criticism of Israel very differently from their non-Jewish neighbors, according to a poll from Honan Strategy Group released this week.
A majority of non-Jewish voters, 53%, said that Mamdani’s rhetoric about Israel reflected legitimate policy disagreements. Among Jewish voters, 47% agreed and 40% said his criticism “crosses a line and fuels antisemitism” — a view shared by only 23% of non-Jews.
Similarly, a majority of Jewish voters said they “have reason to feel threatened by some of Mamdani’s statements and allies,” while a majority of non-Jewish voters said that concern was “an overreaction fueled by politics.”
Jews were more likely to interpret Mamdani’s rise as a sign of deepening division and normalized antisemitism, while more non-Jews said he brought dialogue and healthy debate.
Voters also differed sharply on Mamdani’s steps into foreign affairs. Most Jews (69%) said that his pledge to arrest Netanyahu was “inappropriate and dangerous,” while 46% of non-Jews agreed.
The poll surveyed 848 likely New York City voters from Dec. 4-12, with a 3.6% margin of error that increased among subgroups.
From the campaign trail
Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Jewish state senator representing the Upper West Side, endorsed Rep. Dan Goldman for reelection in his competitive contest against Brad Lander.
“With all of the Trump administration’s threats to our city and our democracy, New Yorkers need someone in Washington who will not only fight but who knows how to win,” he said in a statement.
Hoylman-Sigal endorsed Mamdani, a supporter of Lander’s, in the general mayoral election.
“We need an assemblyman who will say ‘no’ to Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani — no to higher taxes, no to bail reform, and no to antisemitism,” said Sussman.
NY Jewish Week: It’s official: Julie Menin, who has raised concerns with Mamdani, elected first Jewish NYC Council speaker
Plus, a poll finds that Jews and non-Jews differ sharply on Mamdani.
By New York Jewish Week Staff | Original Article
Menin coasts to victory
Julie Menin was unanimously elected speaker of the City Council on Wednesday. The first Jew in the role and a centrist Democrat, she will be a significant check on Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who promised to “govern as a democratic socialist.”
Menin’s mother and grandmother survived the Holocaust hiding in a cellar in Hungary, and her grandfather was killed.
In her inaugural speech, Menin celebrated the new frontiers she shared with Mamdani. “We live in a day with the first Muslim mayor of New York City and now the first Jewish speaker of the Council serving at the same time,” sad Menin.
But the two have strong ideological differences. Mamdani sought to thwart her bid in favor of a more progressive candidate, Politico reported, and Menin declined to endorse him for mayor.
Menin invited Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, the head of the New York Board of Rabbis, to deliver her invocation. The organization recently criticized Mamdani for revoking two of his predecessor’s executive orders related to defining antisemitism and banning boycotts of Israel. (Potasnik sat on one of Mamdani’s transition committees.)
Menin herself called Mamdani to say she was “extremely concerned” about repealing the orders, according to the New York Post.
She referenced a recent anti-Zionist protest outside a Manhattan synagogue in her speech, saying, “We cannot let what happened outside Park East Synagogue ever happen again, at any house of worship.” Mamdani suggested that the event, which promoted migration to Israel, misused a “sacred space.”
But Menin also said that Mamdani seemed open to a bill she plans to pass, which would prohibit protests in a perimeter around houses of worship and schools. Gov. Kathy Hochul said she will announce a similar statewide measure on Tuesday.
Anti-Zionist protest canceled
PAL-Awda, the anti-Zionist group that organized the rally outside Park East Synagogue, nixed another protest on Wednesday night. It was planned to target Nefesh B’Nefesh, the same organization that hosted the synagogue event.
“Our planned action tonight to protest the settler recruitment event is being cancelled,” the group said on Instagram. “Although NBN is still holding their event, their reach and attendance has been diminished.”
PAL-Awda has not yet announced if it will continue to hold a rally against an Israeli real estate event in Kew Gardens Hills on Thursday night.
An Instagram account for the Bukharian Jewish community, which has a large concentration in the area, urged local residents “not to show up” for fear of altercations.
Jews and non-Jews split on Mamdani
Jewish New Yorkers view Mamdani’s criticism of Israel very differently from their non-Jewish neighbors, according to a poll from Honan Strategy Group released this week.
A majority of non-Jewish voters, 53%, said that Mamdani’s rhetoric about Israel reflected legitimate policy disagreements. Among Jewish voters, 47% agreed and 40% said his criticism “crosses a line and fuels antisemitism” — a view shared by only 23% of non-Jews.
Similarly, a majority of Jewish voters said they “have reason to feel threatened by some of Mamdani’s statements and allies,” while a majority of non-Jewish voters said that concern was “an overreaction fueled by politics.”
Jews were more likely to interpret Mamdani’s rise as a sign of deepening division and normalized antisemitism, while more non-Jews said he brought dialogue and healthy debate.
Voters also differed sharply on Mamdani’s steps into foreign affairs. Most Jews (69%) said that his pledge to arrest Netanyahu was “inappropriate and dangerous,” while 46% of non-Jews agreed.
The poll surveyed 848 likely New York City voters from Dec. 4-12, with a 3.6% margin of error that increased among subgroups.
From the campaign trail
Brad Hoylman-Sigal, a Jewish state senator representing the Upper West Side, endorsed Rep. Dan Goldman for reelection in his competitive contest against Brad Lander.
“With all of the Trump administration’s threats to our city and our democracy, New Yorkers need someone in Washington who will not only fight but who knows how to win,” he said in a statement.
Hoylman-Sigal endorsed Mamdani, a supporter of Lander’s, in the general mayoral election.
Yeshiva University Professor Will Sussman, who sued MIT for antisemitic harassment as a PhD student last year, announced he is running for New York State Assembly.
“We need an assemblyman who will say ‘no’ to Kathy Hochul and Zohran Mamdani — no to higher taxes, no to bail reform, and no to antisemitism,” said Sussman.
Recent Post
Archives