The Admor defending Mamdani: "It is a provocation — they are labeling him an antisemite"

The Satmar Admor of Williamsburg, Rabbi Yekutiel Yehuda (Zalman Leib) Teitelbaum, launched a sharp attack yesterday (Sunday) against the criticism of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani, defining it as a "provocation against the nations."

He delivered the remarks at the central tish he held in Kiryas Joel in Monroe, New York, on the occasion of the anniversary of the death of the sect's founder in the USA, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum.

"Recently, we see here in New York a terrible provocation against the nations by ultra-Orthodox Jews, a provocation against the Mayor of New York," the Admor said in his remarks. He added: "We know that we are in exile, as the prophet Jeremiah told the Children of Israel, 'And seek the peace of the city whither I have caused you to be carried away captives.' Jews who observe the Torah and commandments must behave according to the ways of the Torah and accept the decree of exile."

Later, the Admor explicitly addressed the accusations against Mamdani:

"By attacking the mayor and labeling him an antisemite, they are intensifying the real provocation against the nations. As if the provocation against the non-Jews occurring in Eretz Yisrael was not enough, now they are bringing it to the USA as well."

Satmar Hasidism, the largest in the Hasidic world, was founded in Transylvania and moved after the Holocaust to Williamsburg in Brooklyn. It is considered the standard-bearer of anti-Zionism in the ultra-Orthodox world, which it views, among other things, as a "provocation against the nations," an expression that recurred in the Admor's words.

Since the death of Admor Moshe Teitelbaum, the sect has been split between his two sons, Aaron, based in Kiryas Joel, and Yekutiel Yehuda, based in Williamsburg. In New York, the sect is considered one of the largest and most organized voting blocs in the city.

Satmar's attitude toward Mamdani was different from that of most of the city's Jewish establishment even during the campaign. The Williamsburg Admor's faction announced days before the election that it would not support any candidate, and in the same statement, it condemned what it called a fear campaign against Mamdani. In December, after he was elected, Mamdani attended the Rescue Day events of both factions, which mark the escape of Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum from occupied Hungary in 1944 as part of the Kastner train, and met with both Admors.