Taxi Ad Fighting Antisemitism Removed For Taking Swipe At Mamdani’s Free NYC Bus Plan
Digital advertisements mounted on top of New York City yellow cabs that read “Not gonna hide my Jewish star for a free bus ride” — a pointed reference to Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposal for free buses — were abruptly removed after media coverage brought attention to them.
According to a transcript of a video meeting, Jamie Lowe, executive vice president of the ad placement company Somo, informed representatives of the Jewish advocacy group JewBelong that the ads were taken down following backlash.
“You saw the article that ran in the NY Post today, you can imagine that it created a buzz, which it did … But the ad that’s running is obviously somewhat anti- the mayor of New York City,” Lowe said during the Tuesday call.
He added, “There were complaints across the board this morning to us, to the New York City Taxi Commission, and I’ll… I’ll leave it at that.”
Lowe later clarified that he had spoken not with the Taxi and Limousine Commission, which is overseen by Mamdani, but with Ron Sherman, head of the Metropolitan Taxi Board of Trade, an organization representing roughly a quarter of the city’s taxi industry.
“Just as the New York Post article said, it’s the slap of Mandami. That’s the challenge that we have,” Lowe told JewBelong co-founder Stacy Stuart and public relations representative Jenny McIntosh during the meeting.
JewBelong, which focuses on combating antisemitism, said the removal marked the first time in its five-year history that one of its advertisements had been censored.
During the discussion, Lowe acknowledged concern about drawing the ire of City Hall.
“I personally will be careful in running advertising that is somewhat, attacking City Hall or the mayor. So, I would say, yes, the political nature of the bus comment, and the mayor reference at this point in time is the challenge,” Lowe said.
Lowe and another sales representative proposed revising the ad to eliminate the apparent criticism of Mamdani’s transportation initiative, but JewBelong declined to alter the message.
He pointed to contractual language that, according to the transcript, allows his company to “reject or cancel any ad at any time without liability.”
JewBelong representatives argued that the decision amounted to suppressing a campaign intended to confront antisemitism.
“Why are Jewish voices being silenced in New York City at the very moment antisemitism is surging? Our taxi campaign was created to garner attention and start a conversation about the compromises many Jews feel pressured to make about visibility and identity amid rising antisemitism,” said JewBelong co-founder Archie Gottesman.
“Pulling it sends a chilling message that speaking out against hate is acceptable, until it makes someone uncomfortable. We refuse to be silent.”
The Anti-Defamation League also criticized the removal of the ads.
“If acknowledging that Jewish New Yorkers sometimes feel compelled to hide visible symbols of their identity is considered controversial, that should alarm all of us,” said ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt.
“Suppressing awareness does not reduce antisemitism, especially at a time when we are seeing an alarming amount of antisemitic incidents,” he said.
The Taxi and Limousine Commission denied any involvement in the decision to remove the rooftop ads.
“We’re not aware of any complaints to the TLC related to these ads and we certainly haven’t asked for them to be removed,” said TLC spokesman Jason Kersten.
“We respect free speech, and for us to take any action the ads would have to violate our rules related to rooftop advertising, which these clearly don’t.”
Under TLC regulations, rooftop advertising providers “must not display advertising that is offensive to public morals” or violate criminal law.
The dispute over the advertisements unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing tension between Mamdani and some members of the Jewish community.
{Matzav.com}
