For two days in late November, a basic informational event inside a Manhattan synagogue became the center of a strange political storm. The claim circulating online and echoed by New York City’s mayor-elect was that a session about Jews immigrating to Israel was somehow “illegal” and “promoting violations of international law.” The facts tell a very different story. Immigrating to another country is legal. Harassing Jews outside a synagogue is not.
When the Mayor-Elect Pointed at the Victims Instead of the Mob
On November 19, Park East Synagogue hosted a routine session run by Nefesh B’Nefesh, an organization that assists North American Jews who want to immigrate to Israel. The event covered paperwork, healthcare enrollment, school registration, and other everyday logistics. There was nothing political or territorial about it.
The next night, anti-Israel protesters surrounded the synagogue. They shouted “make them scared,” “globalize the intifada,” and “take another settler out,” targeting Jews who were simply seeking basic information about moving abroad. City Journal reported the chants, which were clearly directed at attendees trying to enter a house of worship.
Instead of unequivocally condemning the menacing crowd, Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani focused his criticism on the Jews inside the synagogue. His spokesperson accused the event of “promoting activities in violation of international law.” The Jerusalem Post documented the statement and the backlash that followed. To his credit, Mamdani’s office said he “discouraged the language” used by protesters, but his only specific accusation targeted the victims, not the aggressors.
Why the Accusation Collapsed
The claim that attending an aliyah information session violates international law has no legal basis. City Journal noted that the idea a New York City mayor should enforce the edicts of the United Nations is “a bizarre theory unfamiliar to city politics.” Even the UN, often critical of Israeli policy, has never claimed that Jewish immigration to Israel is unlawful. The UN’s 2024 Commission of Inquiry statement concerns state actions like diplomatic recognition and military aid. It says nothing about individuals immigrating or NGOs providing logistical support.
International law has long recognized the legality of Jewish immigration. The 1922 League of Nations Mandate required the Mandatory power to facilitate it. Article 80 of the UN Charter preserved these rights. No later UN action nullified them.
Nefesh B’Nefesh is a civilian support organization. It does not buy or sell land, does not engage in real estate, and does not promote any political program. Hen Mazzig put it bluntly: “Paperwork has now become a war crime. He didn’t condemn the mob outside—he blamed the Jews inside.”
Why This Matters
At its core, this controversy is about whether Jews in New York can safely explore a legal, deeply personal choice about where to live. As one joint statement from major Jewish organizations warned, “We call on Mayor-elect Mamdani to think deeply and do better in meeting his responsibility to keep Jews and Jewish institutions safe in this time of elevated danger.”
Criminalizing Jewish immigration is not the issue here. Criminalizing Jewish presence in their own synagogues is.
The harassment outside Park East was the wrongdoing. The mayor-elect should have said so clearly.
