“New York City unequivocally stands with the State of Israel in the face of this direct attack and escalation by Iran,” Adams said. “I’ve been briefed on the situation unfolding abroad and we pray for the safety of all in the region.” 

 

 

He added, “As mayor of the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel, the significance of this attack for Jewish New Yorkers, many of whom have family in Israel right now, is not lost on me, especially less than 10 days before Passover begins.”

 

The mayor continued, “While there is no direct or imminent threat to New York City at this time, we have directed the NYPD to deploy additional resources to Jewish communities and houses of worship citywide out of abundance of caution to ensure that our communities have the resources they need to feel safe.” 

Adams concluded, “Our administration has also begun outreach to both Jewish leaders and elected officials across the five boroughs to keep them apprised of the situation. Our intelligence and counterterrorism teams will continue to closely monitor the situation.”

 

The NYPD also released a statement on Saturday, reiterating that no credible threats to New York City were imminent to their knowledge.

 

As reported, the mayor also released a security-related statement on Dec. 7, 2023, following reports of shots fired near Temple Israel in Albany. The Bronx is home to both a substantial Jewish community and Muslim community.

 

Also on Saturday, City Councilman Eric Dinowitz (C.D. 11), who is Jewish, and who represents much of the northwest Bronx poked fun at the mayor’s latest policy requirement to complete a specific form before City Council members can interact with Adams’ administration officials, by releasing a video on social media in which he said no form filling was needed by his constituents in order to meet with him as a councilmember. “Walk-ins are welcome at my office! (no forms necessary),” he wrote with the accompanying post.

The move, as reported by AM New York, was in response to the mayor’s earlier statement this week that, “You don’t just walk into a council person’s office, there’s a process that they have in place to meet with them.” City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams has reportedly advised her colleagues to ignore the new policy while some other councilmembers also said no such form-filling process exists in order to meet with them.

 

On the same day as Dinowitz, who recently attended the launch of a photo exhibit that’s part of a CUNY Anti-Hate Initiative at Hostos Community College in Mott Haven, posted his social media message poking fun at the mayor, the councilman also reacted to a social media post by U.S. President Joe Biden in which the president affirmed U.S. support for Israel in the wake of the lranian drone attacks. The councilman wrote in response, “Thank you @POTUS.”

 

According to reporting by Al Jazeera, the latest death toll stands at 34,094 Palestinians and 1,139 people killed in Israel since Oct. 7, 2023. Journalists are currently precluded from entering the region to report on the war.

 

CNN reported on April 14 that according to U.S. officials familiar with the matter, Biden and senior members of his national security team, seeking to contain the risk of a wider regional war following the drone attacks, have told their counterparts the U.S. will not participate in any offensive action against Iran.

 

Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the most recent comments by the Biden administration following the Iranian drone attacks on Israel on April 13.