Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, sharing an AI rendering of the Statue of Liberty extinguishing her torch in New York Harbor, wrote on X: “The city that once stood as a symbol of global freedom has handed over its keys to a Hamas supporter, to someone whose positions are not far from those of the jihadist fanatics who, 25 years ago, murdered three thousand of its own,” referencing the 9/11 terrorist attack.

Chikli described the result as a pivotal moment for New York, saying the city’s decision undermines the foundations of a place that once welcomed waves of Jewish refugees in the late 19th century and became home to the largest Jewish community in the world outside Israel.

Mamdani, a far-left candidate with a history of anti-Israel rhetoric, is the first Democratic Socialist and Muslim mayor of the most populous city in the United States. He won a majority of the vote, becoming the first New York mayoral candidate in over 50 years to receive more than a million votes. He defeated former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels.

Chikli put the rapid rise of the 34-year-old state assembly backbencher from Queens’ Astoria neighborhood in context, saying it “began with the anti-Zionist atmosphere on campuses overtaken by Qatari money, continued with the violent demonstrations by Hamas supporters at CUNY, NYU, and above all at Columbia University—which became the stronghold of Hamas support in the United States—and reached its peak this morning when the last of those bullies, who back Hamas’s rapists and murderers, was elected mayor.”

“The torch of liberty in this beautiful city has been extinguished, and it’s pointless to waste words on how everything will be fine—nothing will be fine in this city,” Chikli wrote. “I invite the Jews of New York to seriously consider making their new home in the Land of Israel. The eternity of Israel will not lie.”

Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, wrote on X: “Mamdani’s inflammatory remarks will not deter us. The Jewish community in New York and across the United States deserves safety and respect. We will continue to strengthen our ties with Jewish community leaders to ensure their security and well-being.”

His predecessor at Turtle Bay, Gilad Erdan, called the election of a politician who considers Israel a genocidal and apartheid state and does not recognize it as Jewish “a HUGE warning sign” that could spread across the United States, including to Congress and the White House.

Erdan sent an urgent message to Jerusalem: “Wake up and implement a comprehensive plan to rebrand ourselves in the United States—a plan that will foster broad and deep connections with the younger generation and minority communities so they learn and understand who Israel is and what our values are.”

Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir described Mamdani as a “Hamas supporter, Israel hater and outspoken antisemite,” saying his election “will be remembered forever as a moment when antisemitism triumphed over common sense.” He also slammed Mamdani’s “false claims that we are ‘committing genocide in Gaza.’”

Mamdani has accused Israel of genocide and said he would have Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested if he came to the city.

“Like the Jews of New York, I am also concerned about the change, but at the same time, I am confident in the righteousness of our path as a country. We will continue to fight all our enemies with all our might and hold Israel-haters to account,” said Ben-Gvir.

Yisrael Beytenu opposition leader Avigdor Liberman wrote on X in English that “the Big Apple has fallen” alongside an image of Mamdani juxtaposed with the Twin Towers engulfed in flames on 9/11.

“Only three decades after the 9/11 disaster, New York has chosen an avowed racist, populist and Islamist as its mayor. Mamdani is the poster boy of the quiet jihad,” Liberman wrote in Hebrew. “Mamdani is the last thing a city struggling with crime, antisemitism and insecurity needed.”

Israel’s Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said it was unsurprising that some Jews in New York supported Mamdani, accusing them of aligning with antisemitism despite his hostility toward Israel and the Israel Defense Forces.

He likened them to past Jews who sided with their enemies, warning that “antisemitism that speaks Hebrew” is the most dangerous form. Quoting Berl Katznelson, he described such people as rootless and destined to disappear, emphasizing that Jewish self-hatred and disloyalty threaten Israel from within as much as any external enemy.

Labor Knesset member Gilad Kariv, chair of the Knesset Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee, voiced confidence that New York’s Jewish leadership would adapt to the political shift after Mamdani’s election.

He said Israel would support efforts to combat antisemitism and uphold the Jewish right to self-determination, while urging Israeli leaders to recognize that the New York vote reflected American domestic issues, not foreign policy. Kariv added that Israel must maintain strong ties with both U.S. political parties despite challenges.

Former Israeli diaspora affairs minister Nachman Shai wrote on Facebook that Mamdani’s election shows Israel is not central for many Jewish voters: “Mamdani’s choice is a global sensation, not just American or New Yorker. Israel has one lesson here: It is not necessarily the central factor in the vote of Jews of New York or the United States. Another myth busted.”

In response to Mamdani’s election, the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization issued an open letter urging Diaspora Jews to consider immigration to Israel as a central family and community priority.

“We suggest that these sweeping events serve as a necessary call to strengthen your emotional bonds with Medinat Yisrael (the State of Israel) in ways that will increasingly encourage a more widespread and public commitment to Aliyah,” the letter states.

The organization emphasized, however, that Jews should move to Israel out of love, not fear: “It is critical that we not make the mistake of saying that you need to flee in fear and move to Israel out of fright, but rather out of love of our homeland. While antisemitism is increasingly rampant and all-too-often violent, we know that the condition of Jewish communities remains overwhelmingly safe, even if the situation is far more frightening than it might have been just two years ago.”