Jewish students gather outside Gracie Mansion to protest antisemitism
Hundreds of Jewish students gathered outside New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's residence on the Upper East Side to protest antisemitism.
The event was held outside Gracie Mansion Friday morning. There were no arrests, and many of the students involved went right back to school after they made their voices heard on safety concerns and antisemitism.
NYPD data shows anti-Jewish hate crimes account for more than half of the confirmed hate crimes in New York City so far this year, despite Jewish New Yorkers making up 10% of the city's population.
Hundreds of students, grades seven through 12, arrived on yellow school buses for the rally. Many who attended the rally said Mamdani's rhetoric against Israel has helped fan the flames of antisemitism in the city.
There was also a group of parents and students from the schools that called on the protesters to relocate from the mayor's residence to a more neutral location.
"Everywhere you go, people try to diminish what you believe and who you are. And we stand here because we want to show we're unafraid and the campaign to diminish our love for Israel will not work," one speaker said.
"I am here to ask our mayor to make the safety of Jewish New Yorkers a priority and to respectfully listen to the concerns of the people who listen to him," an eighth grader said.
CBS News New York asked City Hall for comment on Friday's protest, and a spokesperson referred us to remarks Mamdani made Wednesday.
"I welcome them. They can have a vigil, or I've heard some describe it even as a protest. Whatever it is intended to be, they have the room and space to do so outside of Gracie Mansion. I think that at the time that they are there, I will probably be somewhere else across the city," Mamdani said.
The protest comes just before the United Nations General Assembly begins, and less than a week before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to speak on Thursday. The NYPD, U.S. Secret Service, Coast Guard, FBI and about a dozen agencies are preparing for multiple protests a day next week.
