Mayor Zohran Mamdani got here beneath fireplace Thursday for failing to denounce the disgusting antisemitic assault of a Huge Apple nurse on the subway — which got here as the town noticed a stunning 70% spike in anti-Jewish crimes.
Hizzoner was ripped by spiritual advocates and a few fellow native pols for his silence after a 23-year-old Jewish girl was assaulted Sunday on a C prepare by a raging sicko who shouted “Jews are consuming children” at her and ripped out a piece of her hair.
“4 days after a deranged antisemitic girl on the NYC subway brutally harassed and assaulted a Jewish woman ripping out her hair whereas screaming medieval blood libels like ‘Jews are consuming children,’ Mayor Zohran Mamdani has remained silent,” stated Moshe Spern, a public faculty educator and the pinnacle of the advocacy group United Jewish Lecturers.
“No assertion. No condemnation. No management.”
Video of the hateful assault circulated on social media within the aftermath of the incident, displaying the suspect — recognized by cops as 45-year-old Bronx resident Diana Smith — spouting off the deranged feedback about Jewish folks as she got here face-to-face with the sufferer.
“I used to be a ragdoll and I couldn’t defend myself — there ought to have been a human barricade round me,” the younger Orthodox Jewish sufferer, who requested that her title be withheld, instructed The Put up on Wednesday, recalling how the attacker yanked out her hair and shoved her to the bottom.
Smith, whom legislation enforcement sources stated has a historical past of psychological sickness, is dealing with hate crime expenses, together with for assault, in accordance with the NYPD.
The assault got here because the NYPD reported a 74.4% enhance in hate crimes general in Might in comparison with the identical month final yr — with crimes towards Jews individually spiking 70.8%, from 24 to 41.
Anti-Muslim hate crimes additionally rose 66.7%, from three in Might 2025 to 5 reported final month, in accordance with the police information.
However Mamdani ignored a Put up reporter’s query in regards to the spike in hate crimes as he left a press convention about World Cup preparations Thursday morning.
Jewish Group Relations Council of New York CEO Mark Treyger known as the NYPD information “sobering” and the subway assault “an assault on the very values that outline New York Metropolis” — as he demanded public officers do extra to guard their constituents.
“We’re grateful for the work of the NYPD, however this disaster requires greater than good police work,” he stated in a press release.
“It requires leaders to do their half to decrease the temperature, as a result of phrases matter. Actions matter. Equivocations matter,” Treyger added, with out naming Mamdani.
Queens Councilwoman Joann Ariola, a Republican, stated “lots of people who really feel extra unsafe than ever.”
“When leaders discuss human rights, allow us to be sure that we’re first defending human rights right here at house, together with the rights, dignity, and security of Jewish New Yorkers,” he stated.
“New York wants robust and inclusive management now greater than ever.”
Spern added: “When the town’s chief can’t even converse out towards uncooked antisemitic violence invoking the darkest libels of the previous, it alerts to each hater that such cruelty is tolerable in New York.”
“This yr alone we’ve already seen 152 hate crimes towards Jewish New Yorkers, and irrespective of how a lot the mayor needs to disregard what’s taking place, it is a drawback that’s solely going to worsen until a robust message is distributed to regulate it,” she instructed The Put up.
When requested what the town was doing to fight the surge in hate crimes, together with the subway assault, Metropolis Corridor supplied a press release from Phylisa Knowledge, the chief director of the Mayor’s Workplace to Fight Antisemitism.
“The rise in antisemitic hate crimes is deeply troubling, and it underscores the pressing must redouble our dedication to tackling antisemitism in all its varieties,” Knowledge stated.
“The Mamdani administration has elevated funding for hate crime prevention efforts by greater than 800 p.c, and can proceed working intently with Jewish communities, interfaith companions, advocacy organizations, and legislation enforcement to make sure that Jewish New Yorkers can stay, worship, and take part in public life free from violence, intimidation, and harassment.”
The Mamdani administration has upped funding for the Workplace for the Prevention of Hate Crimes from $3 million to $26 million in its proposed funds for subsequent fiscal yr.
It’s unclear how a lot of the cash is devoted towards combatting antisemitism, particularly.
Mamdani lately additionally confronted outrage from Jewish advocates for being the primary mayor in 62 years to skip the Israel Day Parade, which passed off Sunday, selecting as an alternative to go for a motorbike experience.
Hizzoner stated he wasn’t attending as a result of he disagrees with the Israeli authorities, however vowed to have fun the Jewish group in different methods and preserve them protected.
Critics identified the parade was a celebration of the Jewish religion, not simply of Israel, and known as him out for politicizing it.
