Email from Zionist Organization of America   ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA IN THE MEDIA     JTA: Israeli Consul General Ofir Akunis’ Rosh Hashanah Message: ‘Wake Up’ — ZOA’s Morton Klein Quoted *Note: Truth is not a political position. ZOA, a rational centrist pro-Israel organization, takes stances on policies, not political parties. By Joseph Strauss (SEPTEMBER 11, 2026 / JTA) “Who boycotted Jews? The Third Reich!” Ofir Akunis, Israel’s consul general in New York, was not being subtle. In a recent interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency at his office in Midtown East ahead of Rosh Hashanah, Akunis likened New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s support for the Israel boycott movement to tactics used by Nazi Germany, called the mayor an “antisemite,” and said Mamdani bears direct responsibility for attacks on Jews and Jewish institutions in New York. Akunis was discussing Mamdani’s Day One decision to revoke an executive order issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams, against the movement to boycott, divest and sanction Israel when he invoked the Nazis. His comments, versions of which he has deployed on various occasions in recent weeks, mark an unusually stark escalation in the Israeli government’s criticism of New York’s mayor. The consul general’s increasingly charged comments have entered unprecedented territory in a city where mayors have historically had a warm relationship with Israel and its representatives in New York. Mamdani, an avowed anti-Zionist, has himself broken that mold with harsh rhetoric about Israel. Akunis faces criticism for Mamdani comments As leaders of New York’s Jewish community navigate a tense relationship with Mamdani over Israel, critics from its progressive Zionist wing say the tenor of Akunis’ comments isn’t helping. “I think in a moment where people are already feeling anxiety about the rise of antisemitism, to compare the anxiety people are feeling and equate it with the historical reality of the Holocaust and its immediate aftermath, doesn’t help people right-size their fear,” said Margo Hughes-Robinson, executive director of the liberal advocacy group New York Jewish Agenda. ( . . . ) But Akunis also has his supporters within the Jewish community. The Zionist Organization of America, which is based in New York and supports the current Israeli government, wrote in a statement that it agrees with Akunis’ “strong condemnation of Mamdani’s relentless Jew-hatred” and agreed that the mayor is responsible for the rise in hate crimes. “Mamdani’s egregious public anti-Jewish bigotry has surely inspired and promoted the increased attacks on Jews,” said the ZOA’s national president, Morton Klein. Continue Reading   Share This Email Share This Email Share This Email   DONATE   www.zoa.org   Copyright © Zionist Organization of America 2026. All rights reserved. Zionist Organization of America | 633 Third Ave 31 B | New York, NY 10017 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice