The President of Israel, Isaac Herzog, described the rhetoric of New York's newly elected mayor, Zohran Mamdani, as "outrageous" and "anti-Jewish" during an event at Yeshiva University, located in the Big Apple, in recent hours.
"Legitimizing the denial of the Jewish people's right to their ancient homeland justifies violence and undermines religious freedom. This is anti-Jewish and anti-American," said Herzog in a critique of Mamdani's actions, specifically referring to his conduct when a little over two weeks ago dozens of protesters boycotted an event in New York that promoted American Jews making 'aliyah' to Israel.
Also known as 'aliyah', this is a process of immigration to Israel facilitated by Israel's Law of Return, which grants citizenship to those who meet certain criteria of Jewish ancestry. It involves paperwork, language and cultural studies, and is supported by government funding and organizations like The Jewish Agency for Israel.
Supporters of the Palestinian cause, or simply the two-state solution sponsored in 1947 by the UN partition plan, criticize this process for allegedly perpetuating the occupation and allowing the State of Israel to continue expanding with settlements in the occupied West Bank.
"The incoming mayor's response was to suggest that Jews considering fulfilling the supreme Zionist dream of making aliyah are violating international law and the sanctity of the synagogue. This rhetoric is outrageous," Herzog continued on the matter, who received the honorary degree of doctor honoris causa from Yeshiva University during the celebration of the 101st annual Hanukkah dinner.
Herzog, who has been under the spotlight for the past week as he must decide on the pardon request for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, continued his belligerent stance against Mamdani, stating that the current "wave of institutional anti-Semitism" in New York is "alarming".
Mamdani has been widely criticized by Israelis, American Jews, and American conservatives for his words from months ago—which also had a major echo during the campaign—assuring that he would arrest Netanyahu if he set foot in New York, as well as for his staunch pro-Palestinian stance and in favor of 'globalizing the Intifada' even before he was a mayoral candidate.
