Ofir Akunis, Israel's consul general in New York, has publicly labeled Mayor Zohran Mamdani an antisemite, compared the mayor's support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel to tactics used by Nazi Germany, and said Mamdani bears direct responsibility for attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions in the city, according to an interview Akunis gave to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency ahead of Rosh Hashanah.
Israel's New York consul general calls Mayor Mamdani an antisemite, draws Nazi comparisons
Ofir Akunis, Israel's consul general in New York, has publicly labeled Mayor Zohran Mamdani an antisemite, compared the mayor's support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel to tactics used by Nazi Germany, and said Mamdani bears direct responsibility for attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions in the city, according to an interview Akunis gave to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency ahead of Rosh Hashanah.
Mamdani, described in the source as an avowed anti-Zionist, revoked on his first day in office an executive order issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams, that had opposed the BDS movement. Akunis invoked Nazi Germany while discussing that decision, saying: 'Who boycotted Jews? The Third Reich.'
Akunis was appointed to the New York consulate in 2024 by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and is a member of Netanyahu's Likud party, as well as a former Israeli cabinet minister and Knesset member. He stepped into the role in February 2024, a period the source describes as marked by surging antisemitism, anti-Israel activism following the October 7 attack, and conflict between the Biden administration and the Netanyahu government over the war in Gaza.
Hate crimes against Jews in New York City are up 8.5% from the prior year, according to the source. Akunis has attributed that trend to Mamdani's leadership and said the mayor was 'directly responsible' for a recent attack at Central Synagogue, in which a man punched a congregant and headbutted a security guard. The source notes that the assailant had posted numerous anti-Mamdani messages on social media.
Akunis has said he will not meet with Mamdani until the mayor recognizes Israel as a Jewish state. Mamdani has said Israel has a right to exist as a state 'with equal rights for all' and that he cannot endorse states that privilege one religion over another. The two have not met.
The source notes that Likud has featured Mamdani on a campaign billboard ahead of Israel's October 27 elections, placing his image alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Iran's Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei, and Hezbollah Secretary General Naim Qassem. Akunis said he had not seen the billboard and could not comment on it specifically.
- The source does not state whether Mamdani's office responded directly to Akunis' characterization of him as an antisemite or his claim that Mamdani bears responsibility for the Central Synagogue attack.
- The source does not identify the source of the 8.5% hate crime figure beyond attributing it to Akunis' claim.
- The source does not state what specific actions, if any, Mamdani has taken as mayor regarding antisemitism enforcement or hate crime response.
- The source does not establish whether Israeli government officials in Jerusalem have formally endorsed or distanced themselves from Akunis' specific public statements about Mamdani.
- The source does not state the date of the Central Synagogue attack beyond describing it as occurring 'last month.'
- The source does not specify what criteria Akunis uses to determine which groups 'promote blood libels against Israel,' which would govern whom he agrees to meet.
Read the original at The Jerusalem Post