Overview
- Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani held a private meeting Thursday with roughly a dozen members of the New York Board of Rabbis, with attendees describing the conversation as productive and encouraging.
- Participants said concerns were aired candidly, the content was kept confidential, and a mechanism for regular follow-up meetings with the mayor-elect’s team was agreed.
- The outreach followed Mamdani’s appearances Wednesday night at both major Satmar Chof Alef/Kuf Alef Kislev celebrations, where he was warmly received and later posted video of his visit.
- Jewish leaders remain divided over Mamdani’s anti-Zionist record, including support for BDS, even as some Satmar leaders praised his commitments and one faction’s leader had endorsed him during the campaign.
- Several rabbis noted ongoing public-safety priorities, with some reporting he has been receptive to proposals affecting demonstrations near houses of worship, and he has retained NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch as a signal of continuity.