New York is one of the most influential cities in the world, and it has just elected its first Muslim mayor, who is anti-Israel to the core. This week, Jews were targeted in their synagogue, and the Mayor’s response was to accuse the Jews for misusing the space for illegal activities.

On Wednesday, a group of radical anti-Israel activists targeted the Park East Synagogue in New York. This marks an escalation in protests.

A masked demonstrator stood above the crowd and urged attendees to intimidate Jews.

“It is our duty to make them think twice before holding these events,” he said, referring to a gathering held inside the synagogue by Nefesh B’Nefesh, a group that helps Jews immigrate to Israel.

“We need to make them scared! We need to make them scared! We need to make them scared,” he shouted, with the roughly 200 protesters in the crowd repeating each sentence in unison, a tactic the activists use to amplify their speeches without the use of a loudspeaker, which requires an additional permit.

According to the Times of Israel, chants at the protest included:

  • “Death, death to the IDF”
  • “From New York to Gaza, globalise the intifada”
  • “Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want no Zionists here”
  • “Resistance, you make us proud, take another settler out”
  • “We don’t want no two states, we want ’48”
  • “Resistance is justified”
  • “No peace on stolen land”
  • “Settlers, settlers, go back home, Palestine is ours alone”

This protest marks a dangerous escalation, and it might not be surprising that the anti-Israel hate mobs have been galvanised following the election of an anti-Israel mayor, Zohran Mamdani.

Sadly, it seems the Jewish community cannot rely on him when he finally takes office, after his pitiful response to these blatant threats against Jews.

The Mayor-elect blamed both sides. While he discouraged the antisemitic language used at the protest, he still defended the protest itself and claimed the Jewish congregants activities were illegal.

His press secretary said, “He believes every New Yorker should be free to enter a house of worship without intimidation, and that these sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law.”

What an outrageous statement. Yes, a synagogue is a sacred space. Zionism is a core part of Judaism. He’s blaming the Jews and saying they misused the space and promoted illegal activities.

To clarify, the event taking place in the synagogue was organised by Nefesh B’Nefesh, a nonprofit that facilitates immigration to Israel for North American Jews. The organisation bills its open house events as a chance to “get your questions answered, learn about the process, and discover what life in Israel could look like for you and your family.”

How telling it is that the new mayor sees Israel and Jewish immigration to Israel as a “violation of international law”. We keep saying that when these radical anti-Israel activists chant, “from the river to the sea”, they literally mean they want to wipe Israel off the map so that Israel doesn’t exist any longer. They see any Jewish presence in Israel as “illegal” and don’t want Jews living in their ancient homeland.

Jewish beliefs are based in Jerusalem. Their entire world view is centred on Jews living in Israel and returning to the land. And we Christians have the same Scriptures that speak of this same belief, which is why we support Israel. The land of Israel was given to the Jewish people as an eternal inheritance. To deny Jews this is antisemitism of the highest order.

This hatred is nothing new. For thousands of years, the enemies of God have been trying to wipe out the Jewish people and Israel.

“Come,” they say, “let us destroy them as a nation, so that Israel’s name is remembered no more.” (Psalm 83:4)

They have failed before, and they will fail now, but that doesn’t change the fact that Jews are being targeted by hatred and the most senior person in the city is betraying the Jewish people’s safety and undermining their sacred beliefs.

No place of worship should be targeted by protesters.

Sadly, the UK knows all too well the cost of synagogues being targeted. The recent attack in Manchester on a synagogue proved deadly, with two Jews murdered by a radical Islamist Jihadist. Jewish places of worship must be protected and should never be the target of protest, especially not by those threatening violence against Jews. The fact the New York police did not shut down the protest is shameful.

This is a troubling development in the United States. Mamdani is mayor-elect and will be the first Muslim mayor of a major city in America. In the UK, we’ve been experiencing what it is like to have mayors who align with the anti-Israel agenda, and it always means bad news for Jews.

New York is home to over a million Jews. It’s the second largest population of Jews outside of Israel. To put this into perspective, there are almost four times more Jews in New York City than there is in the entirety of the United Kingdom. And FBI and NYPD statistics show that Jews are the most targeted minority in America.

It is clear that the Jewish people are less safe with Mamdani as mayor, because he does not have understanding or respect for the Jewish faith. In fact, it would be fair to say that Mamdani hates Israel, as has been shown by his past comments on Israel. That hatred for Israel is driven by an antisemitic, and frankly, anti-God spirit that is dangerous.

The Jewish people serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of Israel. He gave them their land and He promised to gather them from the nations and to replant them in the land, never to remove them again.

“I will bring back the captives of My people Israel… I will plant them in their land, and no longer shall they be pulled up from the land I have given them.” (Amos 9:14–15)

Many Christians too believe the Scriptures of Israel’s restoration and the Jewish people’s return to the land. In fact, a key smear against us Christian Zionists is that we’re trying to bring the Jews back to Israel in order to “force” the return of Jesus. This is not true. We are just excited to witness Bible prophecy being fulfilled just as the Bible said it would be.

We support Jews returning to Israel. It is the land God gave them. However, we want Jews to return because they have revelation about Israel and they want to live in the land God gave them because it’s a desire of their hearts. It’s a shame that instead the Jews are oftentimes returning to Israel because of the dangers around them. The Western world is becoming increasingly hostile to Israel and the Jewish people, especially as we abandon the Judeo-Christian roots of our nations.

We pray for the protection of the Jewish people in New York and throughout America. The political landscape is showing that the Left wing and Right wing both have their problems with antisemitic hatred. Both of these ungodly forces must be confronted. Christians must use the Word of God as their weapon of warfare to educate the Church and defend against this rising hatred.

God has not abandoned His people. God is the defender of Israel and the Church, and we must be united together for God’s plans and purposes.

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