“I am a Jew.” Those four words should be an ordinary declaration of identity. At a prayer vigil outside the New York mayor’s office on Sept. 18, they became a statement of resolve.
Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, senior rabbi of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in Manhattan, built his remarks around “Ivri Anochi,” עברי אנכי, drawing on the Book of Jonah, which Jews read on Yom Kippur afternoon. He described Jonah fleeing his identity and responsibility until, amid a storm, he declared who he was.
“We are not running,” Steinmetz said. “We are standing here, in the open, in the streets of New York.”
Jewish New Yorkers were affirming their place in a city they call home. They should be able to express that belonging confidently, and their mayor should help make that confidence possible.
In 2026, in the city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel, Jewish visibility should never feel like an act of defiance. A kippah, a chai necklace, or support for Israel should not leave someone wondering whether it is safer to become less recognizable.
“You have to think twice before walking in the streets with a kippah or a chai necklace,” Steinmetz said. “And everywhere you go, people try to diminish what you believe and who you are.”
His message was directed especially toward students, asking them to carry their identity proudly into university, work, and public life.
“We are proud New Yorkers, proud Jews, and proud Zionists,” he said.
Annie, an eighth-grade Jewish student, explained why young people had a place at the gathering: “Even though young people can’t vote yet, we still have a voice, and we should use it when something matters to us.”
Her inability to vote does not make her concerns less important. A student should feel confident expressing her Jewish identity. City Hall should listen to that expectation as seriously as it listens to the demands of any political constituency.
Actor Michael Rapaport offered a sharper criticism of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, saying, “He doesn’t think Israel has the right to exist,” calling him “the most divisive mayor of New York by far.”
“We are not going anywhere,” Rapaport added.
Jewish residents should never be expected to minimize their connection to Israel as the price of acceptance in New York. A city that celebrates diversity must make room for identities and convictions its political leaders may not share.
The mayor’s responsibility is to protect that belonging without imposing a political test.
Steinmetz said the vigil arose from concerns about Mamdani’s rhetoric. He said the mayor had “demonized supporters of Israel” over the summer and singled out Israel for criticism. He also said rabbis invited to discuss those concerns had left disappointed.
The question is larger than whether the mayor agrees with Israel’s government. It is whether Jewish residents can trust him to understand their attachment to Israel and take their concerns seriously.
That question becomes especially pressing as New York prepares to host world leaders for next week’s United Nations General Assembly.
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would address the assembly despite the hostility surrounding his anticipated visit.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu will proudly address the General Assembly,” Danon said. “He will do so despite the threats, the incitement, and the anti-Semitic rhetoric we have heard from the mayor of the city of New York.”
The mayor’s encouragement of demonstrations against Netanyahu makes his leadership part of this confrontation. His words carry the authority of City Hall. He should be using that authority to lower tensions and reassure Jewish residents that their safety and belonging are priorities.
“He’s inciting, calling for people to demonstrate against our prime minister,” Danon said. “But none of that will stop us.”
Responding to the discussion of arresting Netanyahu, Danon said, “If someone should be arrested, it’s Mayor Mamdani.”
New Yorkers should demand a steadier standard from their mayor: Protect residents, safeguard peaceful expression, and make clear that political anger provides no license for intimidation.
Peaceful protest belongs in democratic life. Criticism of Netanyahu or Israeli policy is not inherently antisemitic. Those distinctions require careful leadership, especially when a mayor’s words are also heard by students deciding whether to wear a Jewish symbol.
Danon described an agenda extending beyond confrontation.
“Prime Minister Netanyahu will come here to speak about the challenges facing Israel, but also about the opportunities we have in the region,” he said.
New York should provide the conditions for diplomacy and disagreement while protecting its residents. Jews should never become collateral targets of anger directed toward a visiting leader.
The vigil answered that pressure through prayer and public presence. Steinmetz asked listeners to pass a principle to their children: “When the world grows turbulent, we do not hide who we are, we declare it.”
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Jewish resolve cannot substitute for responsible city leadership. The mayor has a duty to defend his Jewish constituents’ belonging, including when their convictions differ from his own.
“I am a Jew” should be a declaration of belonging. New York’s leadership should never allow it to become a statement residents feel compelled to defend.
Ariella Noveck is a journalist specializing in antisemitism and Middle East affairs, with extensive experience covering Jewish communities worldwide. She can be followed on X and Instagram @AriellaNoveck