Herzog to fly Sunday to NYC, will address ‘significant concern’ over Mamdani’s election

President Isaac Herzog will take off on Sunday for a two-day trip to New York, where he will address concerns over the election of Zohran Mamdani as the city’s incoming mayor, his office says.

“Against a background of the deeply concerning rise in antisemitic incidents from both the right and the left in the United States,” says the President’s Residence, “and amidst significant concern voiced by the Jewish community following the mayoral election results in New York City, the president will address the challenges facing American Jewry in his public appearances.”

On Sunday night, Herzog will deliver the keynote address at Yeshiva University’s 101 Annual Hanukkah dinner, where he will receive an honorary doctorate.

He will also be guest of honor at the American Zionist Movement Biennial National Assembly.

Herzog will hold meetings with US lawmakers and presidents of leading American universities. There is no mention of a visit or call with US President Donald Trump.

The visit comes after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formally asked for a pardon from Herzog, something that Trump is pushing Herzog to grant.

It also comes after the election of Mamdani, a far-left candidate and longtime anti-Israel activist, as mayor of New York. He takes office on January 1.

The 34-year-old Mamdani has raised alarm among many of the city’s Jews for his anti-Israel rhetoric. During the campaign this year, he declined to voice support for Israel’s existence as a Jewish state, and initially declined to condemn the slogan “Globalize the Intifada,” though he later said he would discourage its use following significant backlash. He has also said he would arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city, acting on a warrant from the International Criminal Court, though US law likely prevents Mamdani from doing so.