Last week the New York City’s Park East synagogue hosted a talk on matters of American Jewish interest, including immigration to Israel. Outside, a crowd of protesters raged against the event’s Jewish participants, including cries of “we need to make them scared,” “f—king Jewish pricks,” and “globalize the intifada” (a phrase the United States Congress officially recognizes as a call for violence against the Jewish people).

Photo: Anti-Israel protest in New York City, by Joe Catron via Flickr. Stylistic modifications made. For illustrative purposes only – not the Park East Synagogue protest.

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s response has been described by some Jewish leaders as “ambivalent” or “hollow.”

It was not ambivalent, and it was not hollow. Mamdani’s statement was outright terrifying:

“The Mayor-elect has discouraged the language used at last night’s protest and will continue to do so…he believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation, and that these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.”

(Spokesperson for Mayor-elect Mamdani, November 20, 2025. Emphasis added)

International law?

A lecture at a synagogue violated international law?

To be clear, in addition to being absolutely protected by America’s First Amendment, a talk about Jewish immigration at a synagogue does not even remotely violate any international law, convention or treaty.

It is well known that the Mayor-elect promised to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should he ever visit New York City, supposedly for reasons of “international law.” Ironically, doing so would actually violate both U.S. Federal law as well as several of the very international laws Mamdani claims to uphold – a legal topic we’ve previously discussed in depth.

Yet in this case, the soon-to-be mayor of New York City was not accusing a foreign leader of war crimes: he was accusing Jews.

Not Israeli leaders – Jews. American Jews. New York Jews.

For attending a talk at a synagogue.

Let that sink in for a minute.

While you do, let’s recall Amsterdam, November 2024: the local Muslim population carried out an actual, modern day program against visiting Israeli soccer fans, literally hunting them through the city streets. For hours, the Dutch police were nowhere to be found.

It is not coincidence that Amsterdam’s city government speaks about Israel, and treats its local Jews, in a manner starkly similar to Mamdani.

Just one example: Amsterdam police have the right to refuse assignments on moral grounds. One of the assignments police frequently refuse is protecting Jewish sites, including Holland’s National Holocaust Museum. On “moral grounds.” And with the legal support of the government.

The New York City police will soon be under the command of a mayor who accuses American Jews of war crimes. In a city where violent antisemitic attacks have already reached shocking levels, the police are about to become unreliable at best, and perhaps even hostile.

Photo: NYC Police via Pixels.

Matters under the mayor’s direct authority, such as police protection, are only the beginning. Dozens of city agencies are next.

For example, Mamdani has promised to cut New York City’s relationship with Israel’s Technion University via Cornell University. The mayor does not directly control this decision, but he does have the power to appoint members of the board of management of the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation, which can then force Cornell into decisions against the partnership.

In the coming years, NYC will see dozens of other political appointments, some visible and others subtle, and they will impact every aspect the City’s culture, education and safety, for years to come.

So what can we do about it?

To answer that question, one must first understand the scope of the problem.

At a 2001 conference in Durban, South Africa, the Palestinian Authority and its various allies (including Qatar and Iran) launched what later came to be known as the “Diplomatic Intifada.” Their target was the generation just being born: today’s 18-24 year old cohort. Their timeframe was decades, and their budget was essentially unlimited.

I saw this tsunami of antisemitism fast approaching during the Gaza war in 2009, and I moved to Israel shortly after. But “Aliya” is not a viable or attractive option for everyone. This is why RealityCheck is dedicated to doing everything we can to make a meaningful change on an appropriately large scale.

We are currently working with a number of Israeli government departments to focus greater resources on this important priority at a nation-state level. This is work we hope to be able to share with you soon.

In the meantime, we continue to share our writing with you, in the hopes that you will absorb and share our ideas with others. We have ongoing projects in OSINT intelligence, legal analysis and coordination with foreign governments, all of which have already made a difference in the world. We are also developing an important AI project we hope to share with you soon.

For your part, you can do three things:

1. Be utterly committed to truth at any cost and speak without compromise. Some Jewish leaders irresponsibly called Mamdani’s statement “ambivalent” or “hollow” instead of what it was: terrifying and malicious. If uncompromising honesty endangers your job, get a new one. If it endangers your place in your community, find a new community. And if it endangers your safety – move. Yes, this takes courage, maybe even sacrifice. Yes this is blunt, hard, perhaps even costly advice. Yet the cost of silence will ultimately be far, far greater. (Remember 1938?)

2. Raise your children (or your future children!) to understand and appreciate the importance of Israel, of Judaism and of basic respect for truth itself. Teach them to be strong, unafraid and true to their values. Learning starts at home, values start at home, and it all starts early.

3. Finally, you can support organizations that are doing powerful, meaningful work. If you feel we’ve earned that kind of support, please click to make a tax deductible donation, or feel free to contact us at any time to discuss our vital projects: contact@realitycheckresearch.org.

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