Mr. Mamdani,
I have often written that your anti-Zionism is blatant antisemitism. But today, the anniversary of Oct. 7, I write about something much deeper—your lack of humanity.
In your statement today, you spent far more time falsely accusing Israel of genocide than grieving the Israeli dead.
Ecclesiastes teaches that there is a time for everything. Oct. 7 is a time to mourn the Israeli victims, a time to say plainly that nothing justifies terror. Full stop.
This evening, I viewed raw footage of that day—much of it filmed by the terrorists themselves—showing the brutal murders of some of the 1,200 innocent Israelis who were mercilessly slaughtered.
You were personally invited to attend this viewing by Israel’s consul general in New York, Ofir Akunis, but you declined.
Had you attended, you would have seen Hamas terrorists sawing off an Israeli soldier’s head. And you could not even give us this one day to mourn.
You would have seen a terrorist bludgeoning an already slain Israeli civilian with a hoe over and over. And you could not even give us this one day.
You would have seen a terrorist calling his mother in Gaza, telling her, “I murdered 10 Jews with my own hands today. I’m a hero.” And you could not even give us this one day.
You would have seen a lifeless, naked Israeli woman, surrounded by terrorists shouting with glee as they humiliated her body. And you could not even give us this one day.
You would have seen terrorists firing into cars, murdering Israelis point-blank and then shooting them again and again. And you could not even give us this one day.
You would have seen hostages loaded onto a Hamas truck, surrounded by hundreds of Gazan civilians shouting for joy at their capture. And you could not even give us this one day.
You would have seen young women and men fleeing for their lives from the Nova music festival as terrorists hunted them down. And you could not even give us this one day.
Today I not only rend my garment in mourning for those 1,200 innocent souls, but I also rend it for the millions around the world who celebrate this day of bestial murder of Jews because they were Jews.
And I rend it for you, Mr. Mayor, the leader of our city, who offered empty words of comfort—words dwarfed by your accusations against Israel.
Today, I do not cry out against your distorted positions on Israel. No, I am crying out against your lack of humanity, your lack of decency and your failure to be a mensch.
One day, Mr. Mamdani. Just one day.
