September 15, 2026

The schools appear to have been careful not to refer to the event as a “protest,” describing it in their communications as a “communal prayer” and a “student-led communal Shacharit.” Their messaging about the reason for the demonstration, too, has been vague. The emails viewed by Jewish Currents do not mention Mamdani’s criticism of Israel or his condemnation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the two major points of tension between the mayor and the Jewish establishment.

Despite the cautious tone, it is hard to read this mustering of day-school students outside Gracie Mansion as anything other than an act of protest against Mamdani, and an implicit charge that he poses a particular threat to observant Jews in the city. “It is time for us to stand up and be heard,” the email to Ramaz parents read. “It is time to show up proudly as Jews, as New Yorkers, and as Zionists.”

  • Cethin@lemmy.zip
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    13 hours ago

    This could backfire horribly for them. If Mamdani actually goes out and greets them, talks with them, and is just a nice person, this is going to make him look so good while making them look silly. From everything I know about him, this isn’t unlikely either. The only concern is about making this acceptable, but since the children didn’t play a role in this it seems fine to me.

  • Cheese_man@lemmy.world
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    23 hours ago

    It’s not really student-led if the schools are making them go, is it.

    Poor kids. They don’t deserve to be used as a means to an end like this.

    • fartographer@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      Student-led as in “put the children first so that people can’t take a swing at us when we start praising genocide”

  • hoppeduponcoffee@lemmy.zip
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    20 hours ago

    “It is time to show up proudly as Jews, as New Yorkers, and as Zionists.”

    It’s time for us to show up as AIPAC stooges for genocide, apartheid and western imperialism.

  • cattywampas@lemmy.world
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    22 hours ago

    And Mamdani will probably smile and tell them it’s their first amendment right to organize in such a way.

    • mcv@lemmy.zip
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      21 hours ago

      I can totally see him going outside to talk to them and successfully convincing the students that genocide is actually bad.

      • GreyEyedGhost@piefed.ca
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        18 hours ago

        It would be really awesome if he went out there, took the time to pray with them, and shared his happiness in the peace and harmony of many cultures living together like in New York City.

  • Tm12@lemmy.ca
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    23 hours ago

    Show up as a Jew, show up as a New Yorker. Love how they snuck Zionist in there. Jews and New Yorkers should not be held responsible for the actions of Israel.

    • Auli@lemmy.ca
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      2 hours ago

      Except it seems a lot of people are Zionist both of the Jewish faith and what ever that bullshit thing they call Christianity I in America.

    • wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works
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      14 hours ago

      Jews and New Yorkers should not be held responsible for the actions of Israel

      … Unless they are actively and publicly using their speech and funds by their own choice to support a genocide, in which case they should be held responsible for such support for genocide.

      FTFY.

      • LePoisson@lemmy.world
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        2 hours ago

        Honestly, this is hella anecdotal, but all the Jews I’ve met in the USA (including myself though technically I’m not Jewish just have ancestry and grew up with some traditions) actually do not actively support Israel.

        All of them have said what’s happening to the Palestinians is fucked up and a genocide. I’m not friends with Zionists though.

        I loathe that Israel has tried, and in many cases succeeded, to tie Judaism together with Zionism. It just leads to antisemitism because what Israel is doing is so wrong but the state seems to have a vested interest in people thinking of it as Jews doing it which is a messed up way to frame it.

        Anyways yeah let’s hold people accountable but you can’t blame Jews as a whole for what Israel is doing.

  • unexposedhazard@discuss.tchncs.de
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    22 hours ago

    Its not news that lots of jewish schools and clubs are Israeli aligned indoctrination machines. There are a few good documentaries out there just about this topic. This is on the low end of the outrage bar actually, they do way worse stuff like trying to recruit kids straight from US schools into the IDF.

    • quill7513@anarchist.nexus
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      21 hours ago

      birthright trips are exactly this. they reframe the zionist occupation as:

      1. fun
      2. a moral obligation
      3. an opportunity to meet hot singles to make soldiers for the future

      israel uses sex and sexuality to both glorify a patriarchy and to pinkwash genocide both at the same time. it’s extremely gross

      • JenitalJouster@lemmy.zip
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        15 hours ago

        grew up as an anti zionist jew in nyc my whole life, everyone i know is like so disgusted and shocked i never went to birthright it’s like a glitch in the matrix for them. it’s one of the best brainwashing tools among so many more israel has

        • quill7513@anarchist.nexus
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          13 hours ago

          100%! I’ve seen so many people treat it as a travel opportunity and then go without any consideration for that you will only see what Israel wants you to see, and that it is only so cheap to go because they are paying to brainwash you.

          Also the notion that a birthright trip is the defining aspect of Jewish life is INSANE! The whole thing with Jewishness is that our experiences with the experience are varied and diverse, yet there is a sense of community that ties us all together. To ignore that and focus on a state sponsored act of violence when for so many of us the point of our existence is to defy state violence is disgusting, vile, and infuriating.

          The most horrifying to me has been how many former friends have come back from their trip and no longer eat unleavened bread for passover because “the exodus is over” like that was ever the fucking point

    • 🍉 DrRedOctopus 🐙🍉@lemmy.world
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      20 hours ago

      Israel has been a cancer on Judaism.

      And although the destruction it did to Judaism is nothing compared to what it did to Palestinians, it’s still killing Judaism.

    • stoly@lemmy.world
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      16 hours ago

      Legit 10 years ago I would have thought that a statement like that was racist. In light of what is going on today, I have a very different perspective.

      • BabyVi@lemmy.world
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        12 hours ago

        Part of the zionist project is to make their ideology inseparable from Judaism and ethnic Jewish identity. To me it seems dangerous to conflate zionism with Jewishness as you’re basically playing into their hands.

  • givesomefucks@lemmy.world
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    22 hours ago

    It is time to show up proudly as Jews, as New Yorkers, and as Zionists.”

    The KKK proudly showed up as Christians, Southerners, and violent racists…

    A couple things like religion and location don’t cancel out the whole “kill people for being different” thing

  • BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today
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    22 hours ago

    “It is time to show up proudly as Jews Germans, as New Yorkers Berliners, and as Zionists Nazis.”

    That’s okay, they still get to enjoy the improvements in NYC anyway, even if they don’t appreciate them.

  • TenTonTruck@piefed.ca
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    22 hours ago

    Unfortunately Palestinian children won’t be there to counter protest as they will be too busy being wiped from the earth by the IDF and Zionist policy.

  • Madison420@lemmy.world
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    21 hours ago

    I mean it would be a protest but the fact that it’s religion based and narrowly targeted makes it criminal harassment with a hate crime enhancement.