Overview
- At Yeshiva University and the American Zionist Movement assembly, Israel’s president said Zohran Mamdani shows contempt for the Jewish nation‑state and called the rhetoric outrageous.
- Herzog cited the disruption of an aliyah event at Park East Synagogue and criticized the mayor‑elect’s response as undermining Jews’ right to practice their faith.
- He urged Jews to use legal, educational and civic tools to counter rising antisemitism, saying delegitimizing Jewish ties to Israel encourages violence.
- Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove told the AZM gathering that communal orthodoxy on Israel has pushed some young Jews toward anti‑Zionism, noting that about one‑third of Jewish New Yorkers backed Mamdani.
- Conference tensions extended to Israeli politics as UnXeptable delivered a letter urging Herzog to deny a Netanyahu pardon and ZOA delegates pressed him to grant one, which he declined to address substantively.