BS BULLETIN:
- Pro-Israel activist Stefanie Benshimol confronted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani during his visit to a Judaica store in Borough Park, blaming the mayor for the climate surrounding rising antisemitism in the city.
- NYPD figures released last month show hate crimes were up 9.4% citywide, with 56.9% of reported hate-crime incidents targeting Jewish New Yorkers, who comprise roughly 10% of the city’s population.
- Mamdani has condemned antisemitism and increased funding for hate-crime prevention, but some Jewish leaders have directly warned him that they believe his increasingly hostile rhetoric toward Israel is contributing to an atmosphere in which Jewish New Yorkers feel less safe.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani went to a Jewish neighborhood in Brooklyn ahead of Rosh Hashanah. He received something considerably less welcoming than a shofar blast.
Pro-Israel activist Stephanie Benshimol confronted Mamdani Wednesday while the mayor visited Eichler’s, a Judaica store in heavily Jewish Borough Park.
And she didn’t ease into it.
“It’s all because of you we have so much antisemitism,” Benshimol shouted at the mayor while recording the encounter.
“Shame on you for coming to Borough Park where my Bubbie came after the Holocaust!” she continued. “My Bubbie and Zaidy came to Borough Park! You have such chutzpah coming here! Shame on you!”
Jewish Woman Screams at Mamdani at Boro Park Store:
A woman was very upset that NYC Mayor Mamdani was in Boro Park visiting Eichlers, a Judaica store.
“It’s all because of you we have so much antisemitism…You have such Chuzpah for coming here.” pic.twitter.com/KxqDCtShYU
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) September 2, 2026
Benshimol describes herself as an American-Israeli Zionist and is the founder of United Zionists. She is also the granddaughter of Holocaust survivors.
Mamdani did not engage with her during the confrontation. Store employees eventually ushered Benshimol outside as the encounter became increasingly heated. She then turned her anger on the store itself, accusing Eichler’s of welcoming a mayor she views as hostile to Israel and the Jewish community.
At one point, Benshimol used the highly charged term “kapo” toward a store worker — a reference to concentration-camp prisoners forced by Nazis to supervise other prisoners.
Strip away the shouting, however, and there is a serious issue behind the confrontation. NYPD statistics released last month show hate crimes in New York City increased 9.4% through July compared with the same period last year. More strikingly, 56.9% of the city’s hate-crime incidents targeted Jewish New Yorkers, despite Jews representing roughly 10% of New York City’s population.
Mamdani himself acknowledges the problem.
“We’ve seen antisemitism rise in this city,” he told ABC’s “This Week” in June.
The mayor noted that Jewish New Yorkers represent a minority of the population while continuing to constitute a majority of hate-crime victims.
“That’s something that’s unacceptable,” Mamdani said. “It’s something that has to be fought and rooted out of every one of the five boroughs.”
“The Orthodox Jewish men were amazed by Zohran Mamdani, and nobody stood up for me, a Jewish woman.”
An update from Stephanie Benshimol, the viral woman who screamed at Mayor Mamdani today in Boro Park. https://t.co/KZlNrYbxxA pic.twitter.com/IFOPeXuB7l
— Frum TikTok (@FrumTikTok) September 2, 2026
Where the argument gets considerably more contentious is over Mamdani’s own role. The mayor has been an outspoken critic of Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whom he has called a “war criminal.” He has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza.
Some prominent Jewish leaders have told Mamdani directly that they believe his rhetoric is making an already dangerous climate worse. A group of rabbis met with the mayor last month specifically to discuss the issue. Rabbi Rick Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism, said participants told Mamdani that his rhetoric can sound less like criticism of Israeli policy and more like vilification of Israel — and that Jewish New Yorkers consequently feel more vulnerable.
“This is not going well,” was the message delivered to the mayor, according to the New York Jewish Week.
Mamdani’s administration disputes the suggestion that he is indifferent to antisemitism. His administration has substantially increased funding for hate-crime prevention, and Mamdani has repeatedly promised to protect Jewish New Yorkers.
That leaves New York with two realities existing at the same time. The mayor says antisemitism is unacceptable and promises to fight it. And a substantial number of Jewish New Yorkers are telling him that they believe some of his own rhetoric is helping make the problem worse.
On Wednesday, one of them decided not to wait for a town hall meeting to tell him.
MY QUICK TAKE
The screaming match is colorful. The numbers aren’t.
When a group representing roughly one-tenth of New York City’s population is the target of more than half its hate-crime incidents, something has gone terribly wrong. Mamdani can point to increased funding and his condemnations of antisemitism. His critics can point to rhetoric they believe pours gasoline on an already burning fire.
But here’s the uncomfortable part: when rabbis are sitting across the table telling the mayor, essentially, “This is not going well,” dismissing the criticism as partisan noise isn’t an answer.
Benshimol delivered that message without the diplomatic packaging.
DBS WIRE SOURCES
- New York Post — Pro-Israel activist confronts Mamdani over NYC antisemitism
- NYC — Official city information and hate-crime resources
- JTA/New York Jewish Week — Jewish community coverage and reaction
- Jerusalem Post — Jewish leaders raise concerns about New York antisemitism
- ABC News — Mamdani discusses antisemitism in New York City
