New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani attends a press conference at the Unisphere in the Queens borough of New York City, US, Nov. 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani began a weeklong family vacation in upstate New York on Sunday as his administration faced mounting scrutiny over the city’s response to an antisemitic attack at a Manhattan synagogue and controversy surrounding a former campaign staffer’s comment about the incident.

Mamdani left New York as Jewish leaders and critics continued to debate the political climate surrounding antisemitism in the city following Friday night’s attack at Central Synagogue in Midtown Manhattan. City Hall said First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan would oversee the city’s day-to-day operations during the mayor’s absence.

The attack occurred during Shabbat services at the synagogue on Lexington Avenue, where police say 46-year-old Bronx resident Larry Montes disrupted the service before allegedly assaulting a 63-year-old congregant. Montes also allegedly spat on and headbutted a security guard as he was being removed from the building. He faces multiple hate-crime charges, including two counts of assault and criminal mischief.

The incident was captured during the synagogue’s livestream and prompted increased police presence around the building. Congregants returned for services Saturday despite the attack.

Mamdani condemned the assault, saying New Yorkers must be able to worship without fear. But his response has drawn criticism from opponents who argue that his previous rhetoric about Israel and Jewish issues has contributed to an environment in which antisemitism can flourish.

The controversy intensified after Debbie Saslaw, a former senior producer for Mamdani’s mayoral campaign, initially claimed on social media that the attack was not antisemitic and suggested the assailant was an Orthodox Jew.

“Apparently this guy was an orthodox jew who was lashing out at jews. I wouldn’t call that an ‘antisemitic attack,'” she posted on social media.

The claim was false. Saslaw subsequently deleted the post and acknowledged that she had been mistaken. Montes has been charged with aggravated harassment and one count of criminal mischief as hate crimes.

According to prosecutors, the suspect admitted animosity toward Jews, referring to those attending the synagogue services as “swine” and “fake Jews.”

Assistant District Attorney Ali Fazal said in a court hearing that the suspect “intentionally struck a 63-year-old worshipper’s face, causing her to sustain the laceration on her lip and fall to the ground,” and “grabbed and threw two religious candles and candle holders, causing them to break.”

The episode has provided fresh ammunition to critics who have questioned whether Mamdani’s condemnation of antisemitism is consistent with the rhetoric and political alliances surrounding his administration.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist, has made anti-Israel activism a cornerstone of his political career. He has accused Israel of “genocide” on numerous occasions, even posting on social media just six days after the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, that “we are on the brink of a genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.” Many Jewish leaders argue that Mamdani’s singular focus on Israel has intensified hatred of Jews in New York City.

The Israeli consul general in New York also criticized Mamdani’s rhetoric following the attack, while the rabbi of Central Synagogue had previously warned that political rhetoric could contribute to threats and violence against Jewish New Yorkers, according to i24NEWS.

Last week, during a closed-door meeting with local rabbis, Mamdani was reportedly pressed on his repeated condemnations of Israel and was asked to give more nuanced and balanced assessments of the Jewish state in his public statements. Although the rabbis conceded they do not see eye-to-eye with Mamdani on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, they urged him to be more judicious in his language regarding the Jewish state and attempt to understand the complications undergirding the conflict.

“He’s really reduced that to a very uncomplicated and one-sided voice, and I think he heard that,” Rabbi Felicia Sol told NBC 4 New York.