Why hating Israel backfires on Diaspora Jews

Imagine being a Jew who lives in New York, Paris, Montreal or most anywhere in the world. Although you may never have visited Israel, have had any ties with it or be religiously observant, that wouldn’t matter. Because the inextricable connection between the ancestral homeland and the Jewish ethnicity, determined by one’s parents, is impossible to ignore.

That was the purpose of a recent meeting between a contingent of New York rabbis and Mayor Zohran Mamdani, where the discussion centered around the issue of how negative Israel messaging causes Jews to feel unsafe. 

Those religious community leaders participated in this sit-down, to emphasize how “some of the mayor’s rhetoric has contributed to turning up the temperature at a moment when many Jewish New Yorkers already feel increasingly vulnerable.”

It’s hard to deny that ever since Mamdani was elected to serve as mayor, in the city that houses the largest Jewish population in the world, short of Tel Aviv, that there has been a significant uptick in antisemitic sentiment, accompanied by frightening incidents targeting the city’s Jews.  

The recent stabbing of a Jewish man, exiting a synagogue, attests to the mortal danger which no longer lurks in the shadows, but is happening in broad daylight, with the Islamic cry, “Allahu Akbar,” (God is great)

That’s why it was important for the mayor to hear that, in today’s highly-charged anti-Israel atmosphere, much of which has come from him, along with the continued castigation of the Jewish homeland and its prime minister, is resulting in an anti-Jewish environment which can only backfire on the New York community of Jews.

The ugly truth is that Israel remains the only country where criticism towards its government policies or its military action, has a devastatingly negative impact on people who don’t even live in the Middle East, but merely happen to share the same ethnic background as those who reside in that part of the world. 

Think about it. Your parents or grandparents could have been born in Ireland or France, but when those countries are harshly criticized for their positions or actions, no one hunts down the Irish or the French with the intention of harming them.

Why is it different for Jews? There is only one explanation. That’s because there is a spiritual component, attached, which is missing in every other ethnicity that exists in the world. 

For those who may disagree with that theory, how else can the phenomenon be explained? It can’t, especially when, in the vast majority of cases, there is no real connection to Diaspora Jews and the hateful feelings that are directed towards them, just for sharing the same bloodlines.

That spiritual element is one that cannot be overlooked, because it is thousands of years old, dating back to Isaac and Ishmael, the two sons of Abraham, with only one of them inheriting the promise.

Since then, there has been a bitter rivalry and ensuing conflict which has escalated into a non-ending desire to eliminate the Jewish people and replace them, with a substitute entity that was never the divine plan of the Almighty.

Sadly, many who participate in that endeavor, to make the switch, may not realize that their vocal loathing and blame-shifting plays right into the hands of those ancient feuds which rail against the divine order that was set up by God. Consequently, their beef is with the Creator, despite their anger being directed at Jews and their ancestral homeland.

It’s a fight they can never win, but, blinded by their jealousy and unbridled passions, they are unable to see the futility of their wrath. It is this indignation which also accounts for an irrational hatred towards a race of people who have given the world amazing medical breakthroughs, technological advancements and ingenuity of nearly every type, resulting in the betterment of life for all.

Likewise, not understood, is the military might, exceptional intelligence and war strategies that have been perfected by Israel who is currently fighting an existential battle directed at all of mankind. If they win, the rest of the world wins, ensuring that evil doesn’t spread further.

But it’s hard to take all that in when there is an age-old hatred at work in the hearts of people.  

Nevertheless, Mayor Mamdani must recognize his contribution of malevolence and volatile accusations against Israel, which have been responsible for the noticeable rise in antisemitic crimes.

“According to NYPD data, antisemitic hate crimes in New York City have risen by 8.5% year-to-date during the first seven months of Zohran Mamdani’s mayoralty, which began on January 1, 2026. While overall violent crime in the city has decreased, anti-Jewish bias incidents continue to make up the majority—over 56%—of all recorded hate crimes citywide.”

With statistics like that, how could the mayor deny a causal effect or deny that he is clearly part of the problem? The question is, will he do something about it to change the climate which is happening in the city where he vowed to protect Jewish citizens, ensuring their safety? Or was that just an empty promise, designed to make sure that he would not lose all of the Jewish vote?

Will Mamdani take heed and listen to those religious leaders who told him that “his continual singling out and excessive focus on Israel, when there are so many other things going on in the city and beyond, is alienating their constituents and making Jewish New Yorkers feel that the mayor is not for them, as well as feeling unsafe?”

Or will he keep marching to the beat of his Democratic Socialist party, which is aligned with fellow haters of the Jewish State? When those of his ilk, such as Hasan Piker make statements that Hamas is better than Israel, what can be expected as an outcome? Supporters of the DSA will believe that justice is being served by harming Jews, who, in their mind, are that inseparable link of Israel.

As sad as it sounds, there is a sort of unspoken approval to vilify the Jewish homeland, which then translates into how best to hold ordinary Jews responsible. 

That’s why an appeal was made to the mayor to end his volatile rhetoric, despite the personal animus he may feel toward Israel. Now he will have a choice of extinguishing the fire or continuing to feed it?