By: Fern Sidman

In a forceful and deeply personal address in New York City, Israeli President Isaac Herzog directly confronted what he described as an alarming new strain of antisemitism taking root within the American political landscape—embodied, he warned, by New York City’s incoming mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Speaking Sunday night at the 101st Annual Hanukkah Dinner of Yeshiva University, where he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate, Herzog used his platform to sound the alarm on what he called “institutional antisemitism” and the accelerating mainstreaming of anti-Jewish hostility.

Herzog’s remarks—delivered before an audience of prominent Jewish philanthropists, community leaders, and elected officials—were among the most direct criticisms ever issued by an Israeli president toward a newly elected American municipal leader. As reported on Monday by World Israel News, the Israeli head of state castigated Mamdani for his repeated antagonism toward Israel and the Jewish community, culminating in the assemblyman’s response to protests outside a Manhattan synagogue last month.

The synagogue, Park East, had hosted an Aliyah information fair for Jews considering immigration to Israel. Mamdani, instead of condemning the extreme anti-Israel demonstrators gathered outside, accused the synagogue of “using sacred spaces” to promote “violations of international law”—a remark widely perceived as labeling Jewish immigration to Judea and Samaria as a criminal act.

Herzog called the charge “outrageous,” arguing that it represents not merely a political disagreement, but a fundamental assault on the Jewish people’s basic historical identity.

“Returning to Zion and connecting to Israel have been cornerstones of Jewish faith and Jewish tradition for thousands of years,” Herzog declared. “Delegitimizing the Jewish people’s right to their ancient homeland and their age-old dream of Jerusalem legitimizes violence and undermines freedom of religion. This is both anti-Jewish and anti-American.”

The World Israel News report noted that the president’s remarks reflect a growing sense of unease within Israeli and American Jewish circles as Mamdani prepares to assume office on January 1. The mayor-elect, a prominent member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has repeatedly refused to condemn the chant “Globalize the Intifada,” publicly supports the BDS movement, and has vowed to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York—a threat he claims is tied to the International Criminal Court’s politicized allegations against Israel.

Herzog framed this rhetoric not as fringe activism, but as a dangerous and escalating institutional threat that could erode the standing and security of Jewish communities in America’s largest city.

Herzog’s address also touched on the broader global resurgence of antisemitism—a theme he has raised repeatedly since the Hamas-led massacre of October 7, 2023, and the subsequent war in Gaza. Citing data and anecdotal reports, Herzog described a climate of hostility in which Jewish students, professionals, and community institutions face intensified harassment.

“Here in New York, and all across America, the turbulence is unnerving,” he said. “Institutional antisemitism, Holocaust inversion, conspiracies left and right, Jew-hatred platformed on social media, and moral bankruptcy masquerading as social justice have all disturbingly increased.”

Herzog drew a direct comparison between the slurs of past eras and the coded language of contemporary anti-Zionism—terms like “Zios,” which the World Israel News report noted have become commonplace in radical activist spaces. “Where Jews were once ‘Yids’ in America, Zionists are now called ‘Zios,’” he said, emphasizing the continuity between old and new forms of hatred.

The Israeli president also used his remarks to refocus international attention on a central humanitarian demand: the return of Ran Gvili, the final remaining Israeli hostage still held in Gaza. Gvili, a 24-year-old Israeli police officer, was murdered during the October 7 attacks. His remains have not yet been recovered, and Israel maintains that Hamas possesses critical information about his location.

Herzog thanked President Trump for his role in securing previous hostage releases under the U.S.-backed 20-point Gaza peace plan.

“President Trump’s leadership has been essential in bringing home the innocent,” Herzog said to applause. “We demand the immediate return of Ran Gvili. This must be a moral imperative for the entire international community.”

World Israel News recently reported that Israeli negotiators traveled to Cairo at the end of last week to intensify talks with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, after Hamas signaled an interest in advancing to the next phase of the peace agreement—including steps toward eventual demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.

Herzog’s unusually sharp rebuke of Mamdani reflects the depth of concern within Israel’s political establishment.

The controversy began last month after an anti-Israel protest erupted outside Park East Synagogue, where participants screamed slogans such as “Globalize the intifada”—a phrase that World Israel News emphasized is widely understood as a call for violence against Jews. Videos from the event showed demonstrators attempting to block entry, harassing attendees, and waving Hamas flags.

Mamdani’s response was not to denounce the demonstrators, but to issue a public statement implying that hosting the Aliyah fair itself violated international law. “These sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law,” Mamdani wrote.

To many in the Jewish community, including prominent liberal leaders, the comments crossed a red line. If moving to the Jewish homeland constitutes a crime, they argued, then Jewish self-determination itself becomes illegitimate. Herzog echoed this sentiment forcefully.

“The delegitimization of Israel by New York City’s top elected official is a red flag,” Herzog said. “A mayor who casts the Jewish democratic State of Israel as an international criminal is not merely engaging in political critique. He is reviving old narratives that have always led to persecution.”

As World Israel News reported, Jewish organizations across the political spectrum—from Orthodox institutions to centrist community groups—have raised concerns about whether Mamdani will be able or willing to protect Jewish New Yorkers amid what federal data indicates is the largest spike in antisemitic incidents in U.S. history.

Herzog framed the Mamdani episode within a broader struggle over historical truth and communal dignity.

“Holocaust inversion,” he warned, has become a staple of contemporary discourse—where Israel is falsely cast as a genocidal force and Jews as the oppressors of their own ancestral lands. This, he argued, is an erasure of history and an invitation to violence.

“Delegitimizing the Jewish right to a homeland is not legitimate political critique,” Herzog said. “It is the rebranding of ancient antisemitism.”

The Israeli president—whose own family has a storied legacy in both Israeli and diasporic Jewish life—closed his remarks with a call for unity, vigilance, and moral clarity.

“We must not allow hatred to masquerade as justice,” he declared. “We must not allow ignorance to replace truth, or fear to silence faith. Jews everywhere must stand proud and strong—and our allies must stand with us.”