Mayor-Elect Mamdani Prays at the Rebbe’s Ohel

By COLlive reporter

New York City Mayor elect Zohran Mamdani paid a visit to the Rebbe’s Ohel in the Old Montefiore Cemetery in Queens, New York, on Monday.

Mamdani, who was recently welcomed by Satmar Chassidim, was seen wearing a black velvet yarmulka as he stood in the Ohel, the most visited holy Jewish site in North America.

Mamdani is known for his pro-Palestinian activities and anti Israel rhetoric. Since being elected, he has been meeting key Jewish leaders, promising them that he will stand by the Jewish community.

His visit was first reported by Jacob Kornbluh of the Forward website. Seen alongside Mamdani was Crown Heights community activist Yaacov Behrman.

“Mamdani visited the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Queens this evening to pay his respects to the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack,” Kornbluh reported. “Mamdani also made a private prayer at the grave.”

The terror attack in Bondi Beach hit the Chanukah celebration organized by the Chabad Shluchim in Sydney, Australia on Sunday. 16 people were murdered, including Chabad Rabbis Eli Schlanger and Yaakov Levitan.

Following the attack, Mamdani wrote the following statement:

“The attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney today was a vile act of antisemitic terror. I mourn those who were murdered and will be keeping their families, the Jewish community, and the Chabad movement in my prayers. May the memories of all those killed be a blessing.

“While we are still waiting for all the facts to emerge, what we already know is devastating. At least 11 dead, including Rabbi Eli Schlanger, who held deep ties to Crown Heights. At least 29 injured. Another Jewish community plunged into mourning and loss, a holiday of light so painfully reduced to a day of darkness. This attack is merely the latest, most horrifying iteration in a growing pattern of violence targeted at Jewish people across the world. Too many no longer feel safe to be themselves, to express their faith publicly, to worship in their synagogues without armed security stationed outside. What happened at Bondi is what many Jewish people fear will happen in their communities too.

“On Bondi Beach today, as men with long guns targeted innocents, another man ran towards the gunfire and disarmed a shooter. Tonight, as Jewish New Yorkers light menorahs and usher in a first night of Hanukkah clouded by grief, let us look to his example and confront hatred with the urgency and action it demands. When I am Mayor, I will work every day to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe—on our streets, our subways, at shul, in every moment of every day. Let this be a purpose shared by every New Yorker, and let us banish this horrific violence to the past.”