At a prayer vigil outside the New York mayor’s office on Sept. 18, they became a statement of resolve.
asserted
they → become → resolve
Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz, senior rabbi of Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun in Manhattan, built his remarks around “Ivri Anochi,” עברי אנכי, drawing on the Book of Jonah, which Jews read on Yom Kippur afternoon.
asserted
Jews → build → afternoon
He described Jonah fleeing his identity and responsibility until, amid a storm, he declared who he was.
asserted
he → describe → storm
“We are not running,” Steinmetz said.
asserted
Steinmetz → run → ?
“We are standing here, in the open, in the streets of New York.”
asserted
We → stand → York
Jewish New Yorkers were affirming their place in a city they call home.
asserted
they → affirm → city
They should be able to express that belonging confidently, and their mayor should help make that confidence possible.
asserted
confidence → express → belonging
In 2026, in the city with the largest Jewish population outside Israel, Jewish visibility should never feel like an act of defiance.
asserted
visibility → feel → defiance
A kippah, a chai necklace, or support for Israel should not leave someone wondering whether it is safer to become less recognizable.
asserted
it → leave → someone
“You have to think twice before walking in the streets with a kippah or a chai necklace,” Steinmetz said.
asserted
Steinmetz → have → kippah
“And everywhere you go, people try to diminish what you believe and who you are.”
asserted
you → go → what
His message was directed especially toward students, asking them to carry their identity proudly into university, work, and public life.
asserted
message → direct → university
“We are proud New Yorkers, proud Jews, and proud Zionists,” he said.
asserted
he → say → ?
Annie, an eighth-grade Jewish student, explained why young people had a place at the gathering: “Even though young people can’t vote yet, we still have a voice, and we should use it when something matters to us.”
asserted
something → explain → us
Her inability to vote does not make her concerns less important.
asserted
concerns → vote → ?
A student should feel confident expressing her Jewish identity.
asserted
student → feel → identity
City Hall should listen to that expectation as seriously as it listens to the demands of any political constituency.
asserted
it → listen → constituency
Actor Michael Rapaport offered a sharper criticism of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, saying, “He doesn’t think Israel has the right to exist,” calling him “the most divisive mayor of New York by far.”
asserted
Israel → offer → York
“We are not going anywhere,” Rapaport added.
asserted
Rapaport → go → ?
Jewish residents should never be expected to minimize their connection to Israel as the price of acceptance in New York.
asserted
residents → expect → York
A city that celebrates diversity must make room for identities and convictions its political leaders may not share.
uncertain
leaders → celebrate → identities
The mayor’s responsibility is to protect that belonging without imposing a political test.
asserted
responsibility → protect → test
Steinmetz said the vigil arose from concerns about Mamdani’s rhetoric.
asserted
vigil → say → rhetoric
He said the mayor had “demonized supporters of Israel” over the summer and singled out Israel for criticism.
asserted
mayor → say → criticism
He also said rabbis invited to discuss those concerns had left disappointed.
asserted
rabbis → say → concerns
The question is larger than whether the mayor agrees with Israel’s government.
asserted
mayor → agree → government
It is whether Jewish residents can trust him to understand their attachment to Israel and take their concerns seriously.
asserted
residents → trust → concerns
That question becomes especially pressing as New York prepares to host world leaders for next week’s United Nations General Assembly.
asserted
York → become → Assembly
Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would address the assembly despite the hostility surrounding his anticipated visit.
asserted
Netanyahu → say → visit
“Prime Minister Netanyahu will proudly address the General Assembly,” Danon said.
asserted
Danon → address → Assembly
“He will do so despite the threats, the incitement, and the anti-Semitic rhetoric we have heard from the mayor of the city of New York.”
asserted
we → do → York
The mayor’s encouragement of demonstrations against Netanyahu makes his leadership part of this confrontation.
asserted
leadership → make → confrontation
His words carry the authority of City Hall.
asserted
words → carry → Hall
He should be using that authority to lower tensions and reassure Jewish residents that their safety and belonging are priorities.
asserted
safety → use → residents
“He’s inciting, calling for people to demonstrate against our prime minister,” Danon said.
asserted
Danon → incite → minister
“But none of that will stop us.”
asserted
none → stop → us
Responding to the discussion of arresting Netanyahu, Danon said, “If someone should be arrested, it’s Mayor Mamdani.”
asserted
it → respond → Netanyahu
New Yorkers should demand a steadier standard from their mayor: Protect residents, safeguard peaceful expression, and make clear that political anger provides no license for intimidation.
asserted
provides → demand → intimidation
Peaceful protest belongs in democratic life.
asserted
protest → belong → life
Those distinctions require careful leadership, especially when a mayor’s words are also heard by students deciding whether to wear a Jewish symbol.
asserted
words → require → symbol
…and 11 more, not listed.
The Aporia
