A well‑known rabbi in New York recently announced that he had “taught” Mayor‑elect Zohran Mamdani about achieving peace in Gaza, after a hateful mob targeted his father’s synagogue. Rabbi Marc Schneier, who heads The Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and founded The Hamptons Synagogue, called out Mamdani by saying he was “out of touch with the greater Muslim world” and that many Muslim leaders actually support a two‑state solution.
Schneier described the meeting for a Sunday broadcast on 77 WABC’s “The Cats Roundtable.” He told Jax‑prefilled interviewer John Catsimatidis, “Not only are you out of touch with the Jewish community, you’re out of touch with the greater Muslim world.” He went on to say, “You, Mr. Mayor‑elect, you refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state,” noting that Mamdani is a practicing Muslim.
The rabbi added that he talks regularly with Muslim leaders worldwide, from Saudi Arabia to Asia, and that he views Mamdani’s stance as an echo of his father, Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani, who has long promoted anti‑Israel rhetoric. Schneier has, however, praised Mamdani for reaching out, supporting his proposal for legislation that would bar protests outside houses of worship after a disturbing mob incident at the historic Park East Synagogue in Manhattan.
Schneier’s own father, Arthur Schneier, once faced a hostile crowd chanting “globalize the intifada” and threatening to “take another settler out.” The New York City protest drew about 200 demonstrators who heckled Jews attending a Nefesh B’nefesh event, a Zionist group that assists Jews immigrating to Israel, including contested West Bank communities. NYPD had been criticized for inadequate policing; Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch later publicly apologized to the synagogue.
During a conversation with Mamdani—now a state Assemblyman—Schneier urged him to sponsor a bill that would forbid any demonstration in front of a synagogue, church, or mosque in New York City. “Why don’t you sponsor legislation that would no longer permit any protests, any demonstrations in front of a house of worship in New York City—whether a synagogue, a church or a mosque?” he asked.
Mamdani replied, “Rabbi, I love that idea… You have my number. Let’s continue this conversation. Let’s work on this legislation,” the rabbi said, noting that Mamdani has called him several times since that first exchange and the two can have a civil dialogue and “agree to disagree.”
A spokesperson for the Mamdani transition confirmed that the mayor‑elect remains interested in hearing more about Schneier’s proposal to restrict protests outside places of worship.
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