NYC mayor’s Oct. 7 statement omits Jews, draws sharp criticism
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a four‑paragraph statement on Oct. 7, 2026, marking the third anniversary of the Hamas attack that killed more than 1,100 Israelis and abducted 251 people.
The mayor described the Oct. 7 assault as a "horrific war crime" and listed the Israeli death toll, but the word "Jews" never appeared in the text. He then shifted focus to Israel’s response, calling it a "genocide" and citing more than 74,000 Palestinian deaths, including over 21,000 children.
Anti‑Defamation League CEO Jonathan Greenblatt noted the omission within minutes, saying the mayor never said "Jews." The ADL and other observers called the absence a deliberate avoidance of reference to the Jewish victims of the attack.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, whose own tribute referred explicitly to the "deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust," contrasted her remarks with Mamdani’s. She emphasized the need to remember the innocent lives stolen and to stand with survivors.
Israeli officials also condemned the statement. Israel’s UN ambassador Danny Danon said Mamdani was trying to "hijack" the day, likening it to turning September 11 into a day of mourning for al‑Qaeda terrorists. U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the remarks an "outrageous & disgusting rant" and labeled Mamdani a "jihadist sympathizer." Israel’s ambassador to Washington, Yechiel Leiter, described every sentence in the mayor’s post as a lie.
Democratic members of Congress joined the criticism. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz said Mamdani was "desecrating the memory of murdered, innocent Jews," while Rep. Josh Gottheimer accused him of blaming the victims. Rep. Daniel Goldman called the message "reprehensible" and noted that Mamdani presented disputed casualty figures as settled fact.
The mayor’s past statements follow a similar pattern. In previous anniversaries, Mamdani briefly acknowledged the Hamas attack before pivoting to accusations of Israeli genocide. His 2025 statement used the same skeletal structure, with casualty numbers adjusted but the overall architecture unchanged.
Additional scrutiny arose after Jewish Insider reported that Mamdani’s wife, Rama Duwaji, had "liked" Instagram posts from Oct. 7 and Oct. 8 that appeared to celebrate the attack. A City Hall spokesperson responded that Mamdani has been clear that Hamas is a terrorist organization.
During a Union Square vigil on Oct. 7, Mamdani was booed and labeled a traitor by some attendees. He later defended his original statement, saying there must be room to mourn both the 1,100 Israelis killed and the 74,000 Palestinians who have died since.
The controversy highlights a broader clash over how the Oct. 7 tragedy is framed in public discourse, with advocates urging precise acknowledgment of the Jewish victims and critics warning against language that obscures the attack’s origins.
