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Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani said Tuesday that Mayor Zohran Mamdani should consider staying away from this year’s 25th anniversary commemoration of the September 11 terrorist attacks if his attendance would add to the anguish of victims’ families, arguing that the day should remain centered entirely on those affected by the tragedy.

Speaking on Newsmax’s “Bianca Across America,” Giuliani, who earned the nickname “America’s Mayor” for his leadership in the aftermath of the 2001 attacks, said the emotions of the families who lost loved ones must take precedence over everything else.

“I think Mayor Mamdani has to take into consideration that the most important thing here, to me at least in terms of the human part of it, are the feelings of these people that went through an indescribable experience,” Giuliani said.

His remarks come as some relatives of those killed on September 11 have publicly voiced opposition to Mamdani’s participation in this year’s memorial ceremony.

The president of the Catholic League has likewise urged Mamdani not to attend, pointing to concerns over the mayor’s previous remarks regarding radical Islam and the September 11 attacks.

Despite the criticism, Mamdani announced last week that he intends to be present at the ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the attacks, even as a petition circulated by some victims’ family members calls for his exclusion.

“I will proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them at this year’s 9/11 commemoration,” Mamdani said.

Giuliani suggested the controversy could be avoided if Mamdani voluntarily chose to remain away from the event as a gesture of respect toward grieving families.

“It could easily be decided that he, as a gracious act, decides, ‘I wasn’t really involved in this,'” Giuliani said. “He may say ‘they misunderstand what I say.’ I don’t think they do, but I’m sure he says that. ‘But out of deference to their feelings, I’m not going to make that day more difficult for them.'”

He emphasized that the annual observance exists to remember the victims and support the loved ones who continue to bear the pain of their loss, not to become a source of additional controversy.

“There is no point in evoking hurt on them,” Giuliani said. “This day is not about [him]. This is about these people who went through an indescribable loss.”

During the interview, Giuliani also reiterated his belief that the September 11 attacks were committed in the name of radical Islam, saying the terrorists themselves made that clear through their own words and actions.

“I know these people were killed in the name of his religion,” Giuliani said of Mamdani, a Muslim.

He acknowledged that many people interpret Islam differently but said the attackers repeatedly shouted “Allah Akbar” while carrying out the attacks.

Later in the conversation, Giuliani reflected on a recent meeting with Pope Leo XIV during the Canticle of Peace prayer gathering held in the Vatican’s Pontifical Gardens.

Describing the encounter as “very emotional,” Giuliani said the meeting carried special significance because of the renewed role his Catholic faith has taken in his life.

He explained that although he was deeply religious in his youth and even studied for the priesthood, he later drifted away from the Church. The events of September 11, personal losses, and more recent health struggles—including receiving last rites several months ago—ultimately drew him back to his faith.

“I’ve become much more spiritual,” Giuliani said. “I spend much more of my time reading about it, studying it, debating it.”

Before meeting Pope Leo, Giuliani said he made a lengthy general confession so he would be “in the proper state of grace,” explaining that he wanted to be spiritually prepared for what he viewed as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Giuliani said the pope’s humility left the strongest impression on him.

“The first thing you come away with is, what a nice, regular man he is,” he said. “He is the Vicar of Christ. He’s the successor of Saint Peter … and he talks to you like you want to talk to him.”

He concluded by saying he hopes to have the chance to spend more time with Pope Leo in the future.

“I would just really enjoy having a half hour or one hour sitting with him and asking him a lot of questions,” Giuliani said. “I think he enjoyed it, too.”

{Matzav.com}

A North Miami woman has been charged with multiple felonies after police say she targeted a Jewish man in an unprovoked antisemitic attack inside the Starbucks at a Target store in North Miami Beach, allegedly striking him with a cellphone, attempting to hit him with a metal chair, and shouting, “I hate them.”

Authorities identified the suspect as 43-year-old Chyvonne Juanita Palmer. According to North Miami Beach Police, the incident unfolded Sunday afternoon at the Target located at 14075 Biscayne Boulevard. Palmer was taken into custody at the scene before later appearing in bond court.

Investigators said the victim was seated inside the Starbucks wearing a yarmulke, or kippah, when Palmer unexpectedly got up from her seat and approached him without any apparent provocation.

According to police, Palmer began yelling at the man before allegedly hitting him twice with her cellphone. Officers said she briefly returned to where she had been sitting, but the encounter was not over.

Police allege that Palmer soon stood up again, grabbed a metal chair, lifted it as though she intended to strike the victim, and repeatedly screamed, “I hate them.”

Before the chair could allegedly be used, two bystanders stepped in to stop the confrontation, investigators said. One of the witnesses escorted the victim into the men’s restroom to keep him safe until officers arrived.

Target condemned the incident in a statement released Monday evening.

“We’re deeply saddened by this incident, as the safety of our guests and team is Target’s top priority,” the company said in a statement. “We do not tolerate this kind of behavior in our stores and we are cooperating fully with law enforcement.”

The alleged attack has heightened concerns among members of the local Jewish community.

“I would say nowadays, it’s very strange because we want to be free,” said Alex Klein, a Jewish customer who was sitting at the same Starbucks on Monday, although he did not know the victim personally.

Klein said episodes like this highlight the importance of responding with compassion and unity.

“We need to spread more light to the world and kindness,” he said.

Palmer has been charged with aggravated battery, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon with prejudice, and disorderly conduct.

At her initial court appearance, a judge ordered that Palmer be transferred into the custody of Southern Winds Hospital in Hialeah for a mental health evaluation.

Court records show that Palmer had posted bond by Monday night and was no longer being held in custody. Police said the investigation into the incident remains active.

{Matzav.com}

A federal judge has dismissed a sweeping lawsuit accusing George Washington University of allowing rampant antisemitism on campus, ruling that the complaint was far too lengthy to comply with federal court rules. While the case was thrown out on procedural grounds, the plaintiffs have been given 30 days to file a shorter version.

The decision, issued July 31 by a federal magistrate judge, rejected the lawsuit against the Washington, D.C.-based university, which alleged that school officials failed to address what the complaint described as “pervasive and severe” antisemitic conduct on campus, JNS reported.

The ruling did not address whether the allegations themselves have merit. Instead, the court found that the filing violated procedural requirements governing the format and length of civil complaints, while allowing the plaintiffs an opportunity to refile.

The lawsuit was originally filed in May 2025 by two former George Washington University students together with Compliance, Accountability, Policy, Ethics-Ed, an advocacy organization representing students, alumni, and other members of the university community. The plaintiffs argue that the university failed to protect Jewish and Israeli students from a hostile campus environment.

In his opinion for the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, Judge Trevor McFadden concluded that the nearly 200-page complaint, which contains more than 1,000 numbered paragraphs, does not comply with Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8. The rule requires plaintiffs to provide “a short and plain statement of the claim showing that the pleader is entitled to relief.”

McFadden wrote that “Much of its length stems from excessive narrative,” while also recognizing “the serious nature of the allegations at issue.” He gave the plaintiffs 30 days to submit a revised complaint that satisfies the federal court’s procedural standards.

George Washington University is one of numerous American colleges that have experienced a surge in antisemitic incidents following Hamas’ October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, including anti-Israel demonstrations and campus encampments.

Among the incidents cited during that period was an anti-Israel protest in which a demonstrator was photographed holding a sign reading “Final Solution,” the same term used by the Nazis for their plan to exterminate the Jewish people.

In another highly publicized episode, anti-Israel protesters staged a mock tribunal at the university and called for a “guillotine” to be used against university President Ellen Granberg and other school administrators.

{Matzav.com}