Rabbi urges NYC mayor-elect to condemn ‘globalize the intifada’ phrase

SPECIAL: Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, senior rabbi of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, called on New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to denounce the phrase “globalize the intifada” in the wake of Sunday’s devastating antisemitic attack in Sydney, Australia.

In an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital, Hirsch said American Jews are on edge after two gunmen killed 15 people and injured dozens during last weekend’s Hanukkah celebration in Bondi Beach. in the middle Global increase in antisemitismHirsch said politicians and “every moral authority” should stand in solidarity with the Jewish community and condemn “globalizing the intifada.”

“What does ‘globalizing the intifada’ mean? It means Bondi Beach,” Hirsch said, calling on “every responsible political and moral authority” to condemn what he described as a “call for mass genocide.”

The term “globalizing Intidafa,” which Hirsch said meant “destroying Israel,” took center stage in New York’s mayoral election this year after Mamdani refused to condemn the phrase, arguing it did not support police language. The mayor-elect has since pledged to discourage others from using the app but has stopped short of outright condemnation.

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“This should be condemned. This is not just an issue. [whether] does not encourage its use,” Hirsch said.

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“I want to make a distinction. This is different from saying, ‘I believe that the Palestinians deserve a state and that state should live peacefully side by side with Israel.’ That’s not what the ‘globalize the intifada’ group means. “They amount to ‘destroying Israel,’ and that should be condemned by every responsible political and moral authority,” Hirsch said.

Hirsch was clear that criticizing the Israeli government is not antisemitic, as many Americans have been since Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu launched a war in Gaza following Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023.

“But this is not Zoran Mamdani’s approach and it is not the approach of his allies,” Hirsch said. “From his childhood he was against the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, and this is a fundamental distinction and very dangerous.”

Zohran Mamdani gives a victory speech at the mayoral election night vigil party on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in New York City. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

Mamdani, who founded her school’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, has deep roots in pro-Palestinian activism.

As a New York State assemblyman, Mamdani proposed legislation that would prohibit “non-profit corporations from providing unauthorized support for Israeli settlement activities.”

More recently, Mamdani confirmed his support for Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS), the pro-Palestinian movement to divest from Israel.

When pressed about his anti-Israel views during the campaign, Mamdani affirmed his commitment to protecting Jewish New Yorkers if elected.

However, Hirsch pointed out that “let alone pursuing anti-Zionist policies, even the rhetoric of anti-Zionism creates hostility towards Jews and the Jewish community.”

“So even if you sent 20 police officers outside a Jewish institution, that would still be more dangerous to Jewish life because the environment would be much more hostile,” Hirsch added. “And what happens to Jews never stays in the hands of Jews. So it’s a problem for everyone, for all New Yorkers and for all Americans, because New York is a very important component of American society, but if hostility towards Jews increases, then the city itself will become a more violent place, a worse place, a less tolerant place, a city that looks different than the city we love.”

Hirsch made his comments to Fox News Digital less than a month after protesters gathered outside the Park East Synagogue in Manhattan, calling for an “intifada” for the deaths of Israeli Defense Forces soldiers and chanting “We don’t want Zionists here.”

Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue called on New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani to denounce the phrase “globalize the intifada.” (Shahar Azran)

Ahead of Election Day, New York City rabbis attended multiple 650 rabbis across the country will sign “Rabbis’ Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future” affirms that Jewish Americans “cannot remain silent” about discrimination against Jewish people and references Mamdani’s anti-Israel stances.

As Mamdani prepares to run for mayor next year, he recently met with a group of Jewish leaders in New York City, including rabbis like Hirsch who have expressed concerns about his candidacy. New York is home to the largest Jewish diaspora outside Israel.

“My main concern, and I would love to impress on the next mayor, is that even if you don’t wake up tomorrow, even if you’re convinced and you’re a Zionist, understand that rhetoric leads to action, words lead to action, and anti-Zionism is a hateful ideology and no matter how much police you put outside of Jewish institutions, it leads to hateful actions against Jews. That’s the important thing,” Hirsch said.

Hirsch told Fox News Digital that he appreciated Mamdani’s willingness to meet with Jewish leaders, including those “who largely disagree with him.”

“He made an effort to go out and reach people, and not just us but other members of the Jewish community, and I think that’s a constructive and welcome thing,” Hirsch said.

Mayor-elect of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, answers questions from reporters at a press conference on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025, in New York City. (Heather Khalifa/AP Photo)

But the senior rabbi said the rest was up to Mamdani. “It’s your choice,” Hirsch said, addressing the mayor directly.

“I hope, not only for the sake of the Jewish community, but also for the sake of the New York City we all love, that Mayor-elect Mamdani will speak with common sense when it comes to her past hostility towards the existence of Israel,” Hirsch added, urging her to “avoid policies that would fan the flames of hostility in the city and worsen an already very tense environment and a very vulnerable American and New York.” Jewish community.”

While Hirsch this week encouraged Mamdani to reconsider his stance on Israel, the newly elected mayor was quick to condemn the Bondi Beach attack on Sunday morning.

“Today’s attack on Hanukkah celebrations in Sydney was a despicable act of anti-Semitic terrorism. I mourn those killed and will keep their families, the Jewish community and the Chabad movement in my prayers,” Mamdani said. he said in a statement.

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“When I become Mayor, I will work every day to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe on our streets, in our subways, in our shul, every moment of the day. Let this be a goal shared by every New Yorker, and let’s make this horrific violence a thing of the past,” the mayor-elect added.

Mamdani’s transition team did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.