Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks at a press conference on ICE overreach at the governor’s Manhattan office on Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2026 in Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams / New York Daily News)
PUBLISHED: September 18, 2026 at 5:00 AM EDT
Yom Kippur, which is coming on Monday, is the most solemn time on the Jewish calendar, is a day of introspection, self-examination, self-evaluation, and self-reflection. At this sacred time of the year, Judaism reminds us that we have the capacity to change our actions and our behavior.
Mayor Mamdani has promised to serve all New Yorkers, yet Jewish New Yorkers remain unconvinced that “all” includes them. He does not need another reassurance. He needs contrition, confession and change.
Contrition acknowledges pain. Confession names the wrong. Change proves an apology is more than performance. Jewish tradition teaches that even Yom Kippur cannot atone for sins against another person until forgiveness has been sought. Islam likewise calls believers to sincere repentance, or tawbah. Both faiths demand repair.
As Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, approaches, I cannot make Mamdani’s apology for him. But I can tell him what an honest one would sound like:
“I apologize to Jewish New Yorkers for the pain I have caused. I have said I am the mayor of all New Yorkers, but my conduct has made you question that promise. I have neglected the fears and voices of Jewish and Israeli New Yorkers.
“I have repeatedly described Israel’s war in Gaza as genocide. I now understand that many Jewish New Yorkers regard that characterization as false and as a distortion of the Holocaust. I should have listened to the pain my words caused. I will no longer use that term and will encourage others to stop using it.
“I also allowed Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to become a political obsession, not recognizing that singling out the Jewish state’s leader and not discussing others could be perceived as antisemitic. I promised to order his arrest. This July, I said I remained in an ‘active conversation’ with city lawyers even though they had already told me I lacked that authority. I chose political theater over candor.
“I am the mayor of New York City. I do not conduct American foreign policy or decide which foreign leaders may enter the country. My responsibility is to govern this city and protect its people.
“I also apologize for failing to understand that Zionism cannot be bifurcated from Judaism. Judaism is a peoplehood rooted for thousands of years in the land of Israel. Jews may criticize an Israeli government. They cannot be expected to accept the denial of Jewish self-determination. I now understand that anti-Zionism is antisemitism.
“A mayor’s words travel through our streets, schools and social media. They can legitimize hostility and make threats or violence more likely. I cannot promise Jewish New Yorkers safety while speaking in ways that leave them isolated and endangered.
“My apology cannot end with words. I will stop using the mayoralty to single out Israel, distinguish policy criticism from delegitimization, affirm the Jewish people’s right to self-determination and listen before I speak.”
That is confession. Contrition would require Mamdani to say it without qualification. Change would require him to live by it when a political price must be paid.
Jewish tradition never closes the gate on sincere repentance. I have devoted my life to Muslim-Jewish reconciliation because hard truth and reconciliation depend upon one another.
Mamdani must recognize that he cannot promise security to Jews while attacking their peoplehood or claim to govern everyone while neglecting those wounded by his words.
Repentance begins when this political theater ends.
Schneier is the president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding and the founding senior rabbi of The Hampton Synagogue.
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