Mayor Promotes “Nakba Day” Video Amid Criticism
On Monday, Mayor Zoran Mamdani increased focus on a video recognizing “Nakba Day” despite growing criticism from Jewish organizations.
He played down a report from The Sunday Post indicating that at least three notable figures from mainstream Jewish groups declined invitations to his “Jewish Heritage” event at Gracie House. Their reason? Concerns about anti-Israel sentiments.
“I want Jewish leaders throughout the city to know that my door is always open,” Mamdani told reporters during a press event in the Bronx. He also expressed anticipation for welcoming many Jewish leaders at Gracie House that evening through Shavuot.
“It’s part of my promise to be a mayor for everyone,” he continued. “That means being there for those who supported me, those who didn’t, and even those who didn’t cast a vote at all. I often meet New Yorkers at various events and just have conversations on the street, and I enjoy those interactions.”
Mark Trager, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council, which organizes the city’s Israel Day Parade, criticized the mayor’s timing, accusing him of promoting an anti-Israel narrative right before Jewish New Yorkers prepared for Shabbat.
National Jewish organizations voiced their discontent over a post discussing the forced removal of Palestinians during Israel’s establishment in 1948, claiming it lacked essential historical context.
In a strong statement, the Anti-Defamation League of New York and New Jersey characterized the city’s video as propaganda, arguing that it failed to include details like the UN Partition Plan, the Arab rejection of it, why many Palestinians left, and the story of 850,000 Jewish refugees uprooted from Arab lands.
They asserted, “Announcing this just before the Sabbath isn’t leadership; it’s provocation.”
Nonetheless, Mamdani persisted in promoting the video during Monday’s press conference, asserting, “I firmly believe that recognizing the suffering of one group doesn’t negate acknowledging the suffering of another.” He added that it was a “privilege” to share the experiences of Inea Bushnak, an 88-year-old Nakba survivor who resides in the city.
