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 Friday.

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 event was held outside Gracie Mansion Friday morning. 

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 and foster hate attacks against Jews.

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. 

"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. 

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. 

The demonstrators sang the Israeli national anthem as part of the event.

"There is a context for why we are standing right here now outside of Gracie Mansion. This summer, the mayor of New York demonized supporters of Israel," Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz said. 

"Criticism of Israel is legitimate, but something dangerous happens when the argument moves from what Israel does to whether Israel should exist at all," Rabbi David Ingber said. 

"When you use words like genocide, global intifada. Genocide, Mr. Mayor, do you know who you're talking about? You're talking about my grandchildren," Rabbi Avi Weiss said. "Not only does that put a target on the Jewish backs, but you are maligning my own children." 

The Ramaz School of the Upper East Side and SAR Academy of Riverdale sanctioned the event. 

"I hope the mayor hears this is a broad swatch of his constituency and they want to feel that love a little bit more," said Rabbi Binyamin Krauss, principal of SAR Academy. 

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. 

Hours earlier, hundreds of students, parents and alumni signed a petition pleading with administrators to relocate the vigil away from the mayor's residence. 

"I think he's actually been making outreach efforts in a pretty serious way," SAR parent Seth Schwartz said. 

Schwartz said his two kids went to class as normal and skipped the event. 

"I don't think that the mayor deserves to be rallied against politically by components of the Jewish community. I actually think that it's a mistake and the wrong way to go about things," Schwartz said. 

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.   

Friday's vigil in some respect demonstrates the political price the mayor has paid for his anti-Israel views. Political experts say Mamdani should have spoken to the students on his doorstep. 

"It was a missed opportunity not to come out and speak to them. I think now is the moment for the mayor to connect with New Yorkers," JC Polanco said. 

And what about for concerns about the mayor's safety?

"The truth is the only violence we've seen outside of Gracie Mansion has not been from Jewish students seeking visibility and protection. It has been from those that oppose the existence of Israel and oppose Jewish New Yorkers," Polanco said.

Meanwhile, the NYPD, U.S. Secret Service, Coast Guard, FBI and about a dozen agencies are preparing for multiple protests a day next week during the U.N. General Assembly. The NYPD says it has already issued 55 protest permits, including eight for next Thursday, when Netanyahu will speak.