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Rabbi affiliated with JVP activist reportedly chosen to serve as a ‘faith liaison’ to Mamdani

JL;DR SUMMARY In a climate of heightened antisemitic threats, an Iraqi man has been charged with plotting attacks against multiple Jewish targets, including in Manhattan. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish CommunityNew York CityIranJewish Voice For PeaceViolencePro Palestinian AdvocacyZohran MamdaniNakba Day

Places mentioned

New York City, New York, United States
"A version of this piece first ran as part of the New York Jewish Weeks daily newsletter, rounding up the latest on politics, culture, food and whats new with Jews in the city."
Turkey
"An Iraqi man who was recently arrested in Turkey has been charged with plotting attacks on a prominent Manhattan synagogue and other Jewish targets around the world in response to the U.S.-Israel war with Iran."
Manhattan, New York, United States
"Mohammad Baqer Saad Dawood al-Saadi, who is alleged to be a commander in the Iraq-based Kataib Hezbollah that functions as a proxy for Iran, appeared in federal court in Manhattan on Friday."
London, United Kingdom
"Al-Saadi was also involved in organizing 18 attacks in Europe and the stabbing of two Jews in London last month, according to the criminal complaint."
Brooklyn, New York, United States
"New York Assembly member Claire Valdez, a democratic socialist who is running to represent parts of Brooklyn and Queens in Congress, did an interview on Friday with a Twitch streamer who was suspended from the platform last year for calling Jews a demonic ethnicity, according to Jewish Insider."
Queens, New York, United States
"New York Assembly member Claire Valdez, a democratic socialist who is running to represent parts of Brooklyn and Queens in Congress, did an interview on Friday with a Twitch streamer who was suspended from the platform last year for calling Jews a demonic ethnicity, according to Jewish Insider."
Bronx, New York, United States
"Bronx Rabbi Avi Weiss urged Jewish organizations to boycott Mamdani and refuse to meet with him."

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Cairo Item ID 82523
Cairo Source ID 42
Retrieved 2026-05-19 05:31:08 UTC
Curated 2026-05-19 08:30:40 UTC