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[Video below.] A remarkable display of humility unfolded today in Yerushalayim when the Dushinsky Rebbe chose to walk down eight flights of stairs rather than inconvenience a group of workers riding in an elevator.

The Rebbe had been visiting a chassid who resides in a luxury penthouse on the eighth floor of a building. When the visit concluded, the Rebbe and those accompanying him waited for the elevator.

When the doors opened, they found the elevator filled with Arab workers. Recognizing the Rebbe, the workers immediately began stepping out to make room for him.

The Rebbe refused to allow them to leave on his account. He warmly instructed the workers to remain inside and even directed one worker who had already exited the elevator to get back in.

One of the workers, astonished that the Rebbe would give up the elevator and walk down eight floors rather than inconvenience them, pleaded with him, “B’Chayat Rabbeinu!—Please, Rebbe!”

The Rebbe remained firm. The workers continued their ride, while he made his way down all eight flights of stairs on foot.

The moving incident, documented by photographer Shlomi Cohen, is an extraordinary example of the Rebbe’s humility and consideration for others.

Another episode illustrating the Rebbe’s sensitivity occurred during a separate visit that day. As he made his way to a shivah home located on the third floor of a building without an elevator, he noticed a man struggling to carry cases of soda and water.

The Rebbe asked where the delivery was headed. Upon learning that the drinks were intended for the very shivah home he was visiting, he took a six-pack of water from the man and began carrying it himself. He then instructed those accompanying him to help bring up the remaining packages.

{Matzav.com}

Rav Shalom Ber Sorotzkin, rosh yeshivah of Yeshivas Ateres Shlomo, left open the possibility of returning to Uman next Rosh Hashanah after telling a major donor that another visit would depend on his continued financial support for the yeshivah.

Rav Sorotzkin’s historic Rosh Hashanah visit to Uman generated considerable discussion throughout the Torah world. His trip to Ukraine was described as an unprecedented step prompted by an extraordinary donation to the yeshivah from a prominent benefactor. Additional donors subsequently joined the initiative, resulting in an enormous contribution that reportedly led Rav Sorotzkin to make the trip.

During the Yom Tov, one of the major donors approached Rav Sorotzkin and asked whether he would return to Uman the following year.

Rav Sorotzkin answered without hesitation: “Look in the mirror and answer the question yourself. That depends entirely on you.”

His response indicated that he was not ruling out another visit if it would generate further support for the bochurim and avreichim of Ateres Shlomo.

Those close to Rav Sorotzkin emphasized that he is prepared to do whatever is necessary for the institution’s bochurim and avreichim—including spending another Rosh Hashanah in Uman if such a trip would help strengthen and sustain the Torah world.

Israel’s Real Estate Enforcement Authority is launching a nationwide crackdown ahead of Sukkos on illegally constructed balconies, platforms and structural additions that could endanger the public. Violators may face administrative fines reaching hundreds of thousands of shekels.

Officials stressed that the enforcement campaign is not directed at ordinary temporary sukkahs erected for the holiday. It will instead target more substantial structures that require building permits and engineering approval.

As part of its preparations, the authority sent warning letters to suppliers, metalworking businesses and contractors, reminding them that all work must comply with the law and that structures may not be erected without the necessary permits and approvals.

Authority inspectors are also expected to conduct proactive operations throughout the country in an effort to identify unauthorized construction during its earliest stages. Enforcement proceedings will be opened against those involved when balconies or other structures are found to have been built without permits.

As a preventive measure, the Bnei Brak municipality and the Real Estate Enforcement Authority issued a special public notice on behalf of the city’s rabbanim. The announcement warned residents against constructing unauthorized balconies and building additions and highlighted the safety hazards they can create.

The authority said that construction performed without a permit—or in violation of a permit’s conditions—is illegal and can result in enforcement orders and administrative fines amounting to hundreds of thousands of shekels. Depending on the circumstances, both the property owner and the contractor who carried out the work may be held responsible.

“A balcony built without a permit and without the approval of a structural engineer is not a temporary solution for the chag, but could pose a danger to life,” the Real Estate Enforcement Authority said. “We are working with property owners, contractors and local authorities to stop this phenomenon before construction takes place. Anyone who chooses to build in violation of the law should know that the authority will be in the field and will use every enforcement tool at its disposal.”

{Matzav.com}

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu lavished praise on Argentine President Javier Milei during a meeting in New York on Thursday, calling him “one of the great leaders of our time” and thanking him for his outspoken and consistent support of Israel.

The two leaders met at United Nations headquarters on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly, capping Milei’s visit to New York and continuing an increasingly close relationship between Israel and Argentina under the Milei government. Argentina’s presidency confirmed the meeting and said it followed Milei’s address to the General Assembly.

Netanyahu thanked Milei for what his office described as his steadfast support for Israel and congratulated him on receiving an award from Yeshiva Darchei Torah in New York recognizing his leadership in support of the Jewish people and his fight against antisemitism. Argentina’s presidential office described the honor as the “Ohev Yisrael” award.

The meeting also focused on expanding cooperation between Israel and Argentina and building stronger ties between Israel and other Latin American countries. A central topic was the “Isaac Accords,” an initiative launched by Milei and Netanyahu earlier this year to deepen security, diplomatic and economic cooperation between Israel, Argentina and other like-minded countries in the Western Hemisphere.

The Isaac Accords were formally launched in Yerushalayim in April as a framework for cooperation against terrorism, antisemitism and drug trafficking, while also expanding collaboration in technology, innovation and trade. The agreement specifically cited efforts to counter Iranian terrorist networks and activity in the Western Hemisphere. The initiative was modeled in part on President Donald Trump’s Abraham Accords.

Netanyahu used particularly effusive language in praising Milei and his economic program in Argentina.

“President Milei is one of the great leaders of our time. What you have done for the economy of Argentina is masterful, very hard to do, with a lot of political resistance. But you’ve broken out of the cage, and you are giving freedom to people. It may take time for them to understand it, but I want to tell you: Anybody who understands anything in economics knows that there has never been such a transformation. And as someone who’s made a transformation myself, know that’s a compliment made from the heart and from the mind,” Netanyahu told Milei.

Netanyahu then turned to Milei’s support for Israel, praising the Argentine leader for speaking publicly in Israel’s defense.

“And second, you stand up for the truth. You don’t care. You just speak up for the truth. That’s why you support Israel because we share this common heritage of justice and speaking the truth, and no one speaks it better than you,” he added.

Milei responded with equally warm praise for the Israeli prime minister.

“Thank you very much my friend. For me an honor to receive your words, being you one of the greatest leaders of all history of the world.”

The meeting came one day after Milei delivered a sharply critical address to the UN General Assembly in which he accused the international organization of failing in some of its most basic responsibilities and singled out its treatment of Israel. Milei called the UN “useless” and accused its bureaucracy of sustaining what he termed “fatally arrogant parasites.”

“Those who were supposed to guarantee collective security and human rights failed in their task. They allowed chaos, violence and international terrorism to flourish,” Milei said.

“The alleged defenders of human rights have sheltered bloodthirsty dictatorships and regimes that stone women in the streets; they have systematically voted against Israel while remaining silent in the face of Islamic terrorism and the genocide of Christians in Africa.”

Milei also accused the UN of applying its stated principles selectively, arguing that authoritarian governments have been allowed to participate in UN human-rights institutions despite their own records.

“We have simultaneously shown a total inability to respond to the scourge of terrorism,” he said.

“In this same house, that purports to defend human rights, we have also included bloody dictatorships in the Human Rights Council, including Cuba and Venezuela without reproach,” Milei said.

Milei has made support for Israel a prominent feature of Argentina’s foreign policy since taking office. Earlier this year, while promoting the Isaac Accords, he said Latin American countries had a responsibility to align themselves in defense of “life, liberty and democracy,” and described the initiative as a coalition against antisemitism, terrorism and drug trafficking.

Thursday’s Netanyahu-Milei meeting was part of a broader series of meetings Netanyahu held with Latin American leaders while in New York. The prime minister also met leaders from Paraguay, Panama and Bolivia as Israel sought to expand its diplomatic relationships in the region.

For Netanyahu and Milei, however, the meeting was marked by an unusually personal exchange of praise, with the Israeli leader portraying Milei as both a major economic reformer and one of Israel’s most forceful international allies.

{Matzav.com}

After years of pandemic disruptions, war, canceled flights, and security concerns, wealthy American chareidi families are returning to Yerushalayim in large numbers for Sukkos, filling available flights and fueling extraordinary demand for luxury apartments, hotels, transportation, catering, and private entertainment.

A senior figure in the tourism industry who works annually with American chassidishe and Litvishe visitors said the current influx represents a significant recovery for Israel’s tourism sector, although the number of visitors remains below its full potential because of reduced airline service and exceptionally high fares.

“Every plane leaving New York for Israel is packed to the last seat,” the industry official said.

The shortage of flights continues to limit the market. Major airlines including American Airlines, Delta, and Turkish Airlines are still absent from the route, while several European carriers only recently began restoring service. Turkish Airlines had previously provided one of the most popular connecting options for travelers flying between the United States and Israel.

Airfare has also risen dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic, with tickets reportedly costing between $3,000 and $10,000. As a result, this year’s visitors largely consist of wealthy families capable of absorbing the unusually high travel costs.

Industry figures believe broader mass tourism will return only when fares fall to approximately $1,000, making the trip affordable for hundreds of additional families.

Despite the conspicuous wealth and extravagant accommodations surrounding many of the visitors, the tourism executive rejected the assumption that the phenomenon is simply an exercise in ostentation.

“It is not merely showmanship, as people tend to think,” he said.

The official described hundreds and thousands of American chareidim who have worked hard throughout their lives, earned their money honestly, and remained punctilious in their religious observance. The visitors include both self-made businesspeople and families possessing generations of inherited wealth.

“There are very good people here, and I would even describe some of them as modest,” he said.

According to the official, many of the millionaires and billionaires arriving for the holiday maintain deeply traditional lives, attending three daily prayer services with a minyan and participating in regular Torah shiurim despite their financial success.

The influx includes some of the wealthiest members of the overseas chareidi community, ranging from Satmar circles to prominent families bearing names such as Wolfson and Ziskind, along with well-known businessmen including Yoeli Landau and Moishy Rubin.

Both chassidishe and Litvishe families are arriving in substantial numbers, although their preferred destinations reflect the cultures and institutions of their respective communities.

In Yerushalayim, many chassidishe visitors gravitate toward the Schneller area and neighborhoods near their respective chassidishe courts. Litvishe families are more likely to stay in luxury hotels and residences near the Waldorf Astoria, the David Citadel, and Mamilla, providing easy access to the city’s leading Torah centers and the Kosel.

One of the primary destinations for the wealthiest visitors is Jerusalem Estates, an exclusive residential development that has been described as the “Waldorf” of Israel’s luxury-apartment market.

Nearly 400 high-end residences in the development have attracted dozens of overseas families. Renting one of the apartments for the Yom Tov period alone reportedly costs between 30,000 and 100,000 shekels.

Many families arrive with newly equipped Mercedes vehicles and receive an extensive package of private services. Personal chefs prepare meals throughout the day, while security personnel, production teams, and support staff handle the practical details so that parents can concentrate on the holiday and their families.

The demand extends to the Waldorf Astoria, the David Citadel Hotel, and other luxury properties across central Yerushalayim. Some residences are decorated with elaborate floral arrangements imported directly from the Netherlands.

During Chol Hamoed, families arrange private excursions tailored to their preferences, including jeep and all-terrain vehicle trips and even helicopter flights.

On the second day of Yom Tov, American families also bring in leading Jewish singers from Israel and abroad, along with musical ensembles hired specifically to provide entertainment and create a festive atmosphere.

The return of affluent visitors is injecting substantial foreign spending into Israel’s economy, benefiting airlines, hotels, property owners, caterers, drivers, entertainers, security companies, and tourism operators.

“We are certainly experiencing an encouraging period as this traffic returns, and it is also bringing a great deal of foreign money into the State of Israel,” the tourism official said. “But in my opinion, the peak is still ahead of us. Once regular flight service resumes, we will see thousands of families coming here.”

The entire membership of the Chabad Rabbinical Court in Eretz Yisrael issued an extraordinary public letter Thursday opposing the inclusion of a Chabad chassid on Otzma Yehudit’s slate for the upcoming Knesset election.

The rabbinical court, regarded as Chabad’s highest religious authority in Eretz Yisrael, declared that the decision was made without its approval and conflicts with Chabad’s longstanding approach toward political parties.

“We hereby clarify that the inclusion of a Chabad chassid on the Otzma Yehudit slate for the Knesset was not undertaken with our consent and is contrary to the path of Chabad chassidus regarding these matters,” the rabbonim wrote.

They warned that placing an identifiable Chabad representative on a party’s electoral slate inevitably creates the impression that the movement is aligned with that political organization.

“The entry of a Chabad chassid onto a political slate is intended to connect Chabad with the party,” the letter stated. “A declaration, from one party or another, that the candidate is not acting on behalf of Chabad is insufficient. This causes a desecration of Chabad’s name and misleads and deceives the public.”

The rabbonim emphasized that Chabad does not officially identify with any political movement and rejects efforts to associate the chassidus with partisan endorsements.

“Chabad chassidus does not identify with any political movement and disassociates itself from all party support,” they wrote, adding that this position does not diminish the responsibility and obligation to vote.

Concluding their letter, the rabbonim said that the Rebbe’s approach was centered upon bringing Torah and chassidus to every segment of the Jewish people, without binding Chabad to a particular political camp.

“The path of the Rebbe, who established the direction of Chabad chassidus, is to spread Judaism and chassidus to every part of the nation, with love for and unity among the Jewish people,” they wrote.

The members of the rabbinical court signed the letter “with sorrow and pain.”

{Matzav.com}

Two senior roshei yeshiva of Ponevezh Yeshiva issued unusually forceful letters Thursday condemning a series of violent disruptions and attacks targeting Rav Eliyahu Meir Feivelson, rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Pischei Olam.

Rav Chaim Peretz Berman and Rav Dovid Miller expressed their support for Rav Feivelson following repeated incidents in which extremists interfered with his shiurim and activities, including a disturbance during Tisha B’Av prayers.

Rav Berman described Rav Feivelson as “a distinguished person, wise and understanding, righteous and G-d-fearing, one who brings merit to the public and has turned many away from sin.”

Quoting Chazal, Rav Berman wrote, “Those who are insulted but do not insult others, who hear themselves disgraced but do not respond—regarding them, the posuk says, ‘Those who love Him shall be like the sun emerging in its strength.’”

He expressed deep anguish over the Tisha B’Av incident, writing that “young boys came out and mocked you with violence, brazenness, and degradation of the Torah.”

Rav Berman explained the description “young boys” through the words of Chazal in Maseches Sotah, referring to people “shorn of the mitzvos” and “small in emunah.”

He added that the assailants “continued their actions with appalling cruelty of a kind that should not be found among the Jewish people.”

Rav Berman offered Rav Feivelson a brachah that “only goodness and kindness should pursue you all your days, and may the schemes of all those plotting evil against you quickly be frustrated and their plans ruined.”

He also prayed that “the accusations against talmidei chachomim should cease, and the actions of violent men should come to an end.”

Rav Dovid Miller added a handwritten message to Rav Berman’s letter, condemning the growing belief that ideological and religious disputes may be settled through intimidation or physical force.

“The words above require neither reinforcement nor elaboration,” Rav Miller wrote. “How great is the anguish that the notion has taken root among part of the public that debates—whether concerning halachah, aggadah, or communal leadership—should be settled with a wicked fist and the hands of Eisav whenever they lack arguments capable of persuading others, thereby silencing the voice of Yaakov.”

The letters from the Ponevezh roshei yeshiva join a series of public expressions of support Rav Feivelson has received from leading gedolei Yisrael.

Rav Moshe Hillel Hirsch previously issued a strongly worded letter supporting Rav Feivelson, describing the violence against him as “false kana’us” that “causes a chillul Hashem.” He urged Rav Feivelson to continue his educational work despite the intimidation.

Rav Feivelson has faced repeated attempts in recent months to disrupt his shiurim and communal activities. On Tisha B’Av, extremists entered a bais medrash during the recitation of kinnos and interfered with his shiur, an incident that caused widespread outrage in the Torah community.

Rav Feivelson is among the prominent talmidim of Rav Moshe Shapira and is also one of the leaders of Chelki B’Kehillati.

{Matzav.com}

Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s visit to a popular cholent restaurant in Bnei Brak descended into confrontation Thursday night as protesters shouted at him, a right-wing activist clashed with his security detail, and an object was thrown in his direction.

The incident occurred while Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu was addressing the United Nations General Assembly in New York. Bennett, who now heads the Beyachad movement, arrived at the Bnei Brak restaurant and sat down to speak with dozens of yeshiva students.

Videos from the scene showed Bennett surrounded by young men, with many more crowding around the gathering and recording the encounter on their phones. Singing and assorted chants could be heard as police officers and security personnel remained close to Bennett.

Right-wing activist Mordechai David arrived at the restaurant and attempted to approach the former prime minister but was blocked by Bennett’s security guards.

During the heated exchange, Bennett told him, “I suggest that you enlist quickly, because from the moment I become prime minister, you will not receive a single shekel from the state.”

The remark reflected Bennett’s increasingly forceful position on chareidi military enlistment. Last month, he declared his support for “zero exemptions” and said that anyone who does not serve in the Israeli military should not receive government funding.

Hezki Dortman, an activist affiliated with the Yerushalmi faction, was also present. Footage from the scene showed Dortman repeatedly shouting, “Bennett is an anti-Semite,” toward the former prime minister.

At a later point, an object was thrown in Bennett’s direction. It did not strike him, and he was not injured.

Officers from the Bnei Brak-Ramat Gan police station who were already at the scene immediately apprehended a suspect and took him for questioning.

“During a public figure’s visit to a restaurant in Bnei Brak, a passerby threw an object that did not strike the public figure,” police said. “Officers from the Bnei Brak-Ramat Gan police station who were present immediately arrested the suspect, and he is now being brought to the police station for questioning.”

{Matzav.com}

Yonatan Karlinsky, the 49-year-old Breslover chassid from Beitar Illit who was detained after returning from Uman and forcibly conscripted into the Ukrainian military, is expected to be assigned as a medic at a rear military base near Kharkiv. Jewish organizations say there is currently no prospect of securing his release.

Karlinsky has been held at a military detention facility near Odesa since Ukrainian authorities arrested him approximately ten days ago at the border with Romania.

A native of Ukraine who also holds Israeli citizenship, Karlinsky traveled to Uman for Rosh Hashanah. During a document inspection at the border, authorities determined that he remained subject to Ukraine’s military conscription laws. Ukrainian military police detained him, and his family initially lost all contact with him.

His worried relatives appealed to numerous officials and organizations in an effort to secure his release. They were subsequently informed that because Karlinsky was born in Ukraine and is legally obligated to serve, obtaining an exemption would be extremely difficult.

Reports claiming that Karlinsky has six children and therefore qualifies for an exemption available under Ukrainian law to fathers of three or more children were found to be inaccurate. Karlinsky has one daughter.

Approximately a week ago, military authorities informed the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine that Karlinsky was being held at a detention center for alleged deserters in Odesa. Working with Rav Shneur Vigler, Chabad representatives in Odesa and the city’s chief rabbi, Rav Avraham Wolff, the federation arranged for Karlinsky to receive kosher food and began examining his legal rights.

The organization has since informed attorney Shlomo Haddad, who is representing Karlinsky’s family, that his basic needs are being met. It also said he will soon be assigned as a medic to a military unit stationed near Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine.

Karlinsky is not currently expected to be sent to a front-line combat position. Instead, he will reportedly serve at a rear base located several dozen kilometers from the active fighting.

Officials with the Federation of Jewish Communities said efforts to free him had been unsuccessful.

“We tried to secure his release, but it was not possible,” federation officials said. “The fact that he has medical knowledge, together with the Ukrainian military’s growing shortage of personnel in that field, means that the army needs him now and cannot release him. In addition, he previously served in the Ukrainian military before becoming religious and moving to Israel, so from their perspective, he belongs to them.”

The federation said it has provided Karlinsky with kosher food for weekdays, the previous Shabbos, the seudah hamafsekes before Yom Kippur and the meal following the fast. He also received a machzor and a set of arbaah minim for Sukkos.

The supplies were delivered by federation representative Yaakov Siniakov, who works with Jewish soldiers serving near the front.

During the past month alone, Siniakov and a team of volunteers distributed more than 1,000 holiday packages at military bases and camps across Ukraine for Jewish soldiers serving in the country’s armed forces.

Tens of thousands of Jewish families throughout Ukraine also received similar packages through a joint effort involving the federation and Chabad shluchim. Each box contained a Hebrew-Ukrainian calendar, a booklet explaining the Tishrei holidays, a jar of honey, grape juice, a special-edition liqueur, a yarmulke, a refrigerator magnet listing Shabbos and Yom Tov candle-lighting times, a desk calendar and Shabbos and Yom Tov candles.

For the first time, this year’s packages also included toy shofars for children to help involve them in the holiday preparations. Organizers added personal sports water bottles at the last minute because renewed Russian attacks have increasingly targeted Ukraine’s water infrastructure.

Jewish aid workers said the expanded range of Russian FPV drones created a severe challenge in delivering the packages this year.

“The significant challenge this year was the increased range of the Russian FPV drones,” organizers said. “The Russian military has increased production to tens of thousands of drones each month, and their destructive activity is clearly evident. The Russian drones do not attack only along the front but also civilian targets deep inside Ukraine.”

The drones can now strike targets as far as 70 kilometers from the front, according to the organization. Russian forces have also targeted trucks traveling within that area based on claims that they may be transporting military supplies.

Deliveries to Jewish communities in the Kherson, Chernihiv, Dnipro, Sumy and Zaporizhzhia regions consequently became exceptionally dangerous. Drivers transporting packages to Nikopol and Marhanets in southern Dnipro Oblast and to Pavlohrad in the eastern part of the region were forced to turn around after seeing Russian drones strike vehicles traveling ahead of them.

Aid organizers ultimately arranged for Jewish residents of those cities to travel to Dnipro, where the federation maintains its offices and warehouses, and personally collect the packages for their families and local communities.

“In the end, we sent the packages to these cities through Jews who live there,” said Alina Teplitskaya, who helped oversee the distribution for the Jewish umbrella organization. “They came to the large city of Dnipro, where our offices and aid warehouses are located, and took the packages themselves—for their own families and for the Jews of their cities.”

Teplitskaya said the alternative distribution system required the use of smaller vehicles, making the operation considerably more complicated. Ukraine is experiencing a severe shortage of both drivers and vehicles, she explained, because many drivers previously employed by the organization were drafted into the military during the past year.

Many of those who remain are reluctant to enter dangerous areas even when offered substantial compensation. Organizers began searching for drivers immediately after Tisha B’Av, and negotiations continued for two weeks before enough drivers were secured.

As a result, the distribution operation took longer than in previous years—even longer than during the first year of the war, when aid organizations were still learning how to operate under wartime conditions.

Rav Meir Stambler, chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Ukraine, said the country’s desperate need for personnel makes a military exemption for Karlinsky highly unlikely.

“Ukraine is fighting a very difficult war against an aggressive enemy that for nearly five years has been striking people, buildings, schools, hospitals and more,” Rav Stambler said. “People are killed every day, and there is therefore a severe shortage of manpower. Every Ukrainian citizen is needed here, and it is consequently impossible to obtain exemptions.”

“Compared to Israel, it would be as if Hamas and Hezbollah invaded the country and Israel remained unable to drive them out even after five years,” he continued. “This is truly a war for survival. At the same time, Ukraine is doing everything it can, and we are very grateful for its consideration of the religious needs of every faith and every soldier.”

Rav Stambler said Karlinsky informed the authorities that he did not wish to carry a weapon because of his religious convictions. The military accommodated that request by assigning him to serve as a medic.

“Perhaps in the future, we will be able to arrange for him to serve in the Ukrainian military rabbinate,” Rav Stambler added.

{Matzav.com}

Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani unleashed a blistering attack on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Thursday, denouncing his hostility toward Israel, questioning his loyalty to the United States, and accusing his administration of worsening conditions across the city.

The former New York City mayor spoke on Newsmax shortly before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United Nations General Assembly, where Netanyahu was expected to discuss Mamdani and his anti-Israel record.

“You don’t have to be Jewish to be disgusted with him,” Giuliani said during an appearance on Newsmax’s “Bianca Across the Nation.”

Giuliani said his objections to Mamdani extended beyond the mayor’s rhetoric about Israel.

“I’m disgusted with him because I’m a supporter of Israel,” he added. “I’m also a supporter of my country, and he gives me a tremendous sense that he hates my country. I don’t particularly like people that hate my country.”

Mamdani has previously described Netanyahu as a “war criminal.” He also once said that he would have the Israeli leader arrested if Netanyahu visited New York City, although he later retreated from that position.

Giuliani predicted that Netanyahu would use his UN address to answer Mamdani directly, pointing to the mayor’s statements and his ties to far-left political commentator Hasan Piker.

“I think he’s going to use illustrations of [Mamdani’s] virulent, hateful statements and his association with Hasan Piker,” Giuliani said, arguing that Netanyahu would likely present specific examples instead of limiting himself to broad criticism.

Giuliani portrayed Mamdani’s attacks on Israel as one element of a wider ideological campaign aimed at undermining Western society.

“The calumny against Israel has been orchestrated, and I think very, very, very much a part of the Communist plan, as well as the Islamic extremist plan to take over Western civilization,” he said.

Asked how Mamdani could win office in a city with one of the world’s largest Jewish populations, Giuliani compared the situation to the resistance he encountered when prosecuting organized crime figures decades ago.

“I view this a little bit like when I dealt with the Mafia 30, 40 years ago,” he said. “There were some Italian Americans who used to defend them, and some were members, and some were just overly, almost in a sick way, defensive. But most Italian Americans didn’t. And most Jewish people, I think, are disgusted with Mamdani.”

Giuliani, who led New York City from 1994 through 2001 and was mayor during the September 11 terrorist attacks, also criticized Mamdani’s performance at City Hall. He called the mayor “pathetic” and branded his administration’s policies “vicious, mean, and horrible.”

“I also, as a former mayor, think he’s a pathetic mayor,” Giuliani said. “What he’s doing with homelessness is vicious, mean, and horrible to the homeless people. He just took the police out of helping the homeless people.”

Giuliani maintained that homelessness was only one manifestation of a broader collapse in municipal leadership under Mamdani.

“We could go on all day about all of the problems that are occurring in New York City as a result of our poor leadership,” he said.

Rudy Giuliani denied that his administration concealed information about the dangerous contaminants that filled Lower Manhattan following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, maintaining that City Hall disclosed what it knew and relied on federal environmental guidance.

The former New York City mayor addressed the accusations as the city Department of Investigation begins examining what municipal officials knew about Ground Zero’s contaminated air, when they learned it and how they responded.

“My administration posted everything,” Giuliani insisted, saying his City Hall followed guidance from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency as large sections of downtown Manhattan reopened following the destruction of the World Trade Center.

“EPA initially said everything was safe,” he said.

“I was at the end of my administration when 9/11 happened. I was told approximately 10 months after I left office that more information was known.”

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration recently agreed to release approximately 170,000 records involving concerns about air quality near Ground Zero. Mamdani has alleged that “people got sick because the leaders they trusted lied and told them they were safe to breathe in toxic air.”

Giuliani, who has frequently criticized his socialist successor, raised doubts about whether an investigation conducted under Mamdani’s administration could remain impartial. He nevertheless said he would reserve judgment if the inquiry genuinely focuses on establishing the facts.

“DOI can question me — fine,” said Giuliani, who became widely known as “America’s Mayor” for his leadership following the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people.

“I’ll give it a chance.”

Giuliani’s tenure concluded at the end of December 2001. Michael Bloomberg succeeded him and presided over the rebuilding of Lower Manhattan below Canal Street, including the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site.

A prominent advocate for people suffering from 9/11-related illnesses contended that city officials were more focused at the time on protecting New York from potential lawsuits than on establishing whether the air was actually safe for residents, students and emergency workers.

“There was not a concern for the safety of the people in the neighborhood, the schools and the first responders,” said Benjamin Chevat, executive director of 9/11 Health Watch, which sued the city to obtain the previously undisclosed health records.

Chevat said, “I’m not going to fault people for making mistakes” during the deadliest terrorist attack in American history.

However, he added, “It’s a little early for Mayor Giuliani to say he knew nothing.”

The Department of Investigation has retained outside attorneys to assist in determining what successive mayoral administrations knew about the toxic dust at Ground Zero and whether they took any action in response.

Because the agency does not have enough personnel to conduct the labor-intensive review of the enormous collection of documents on its own, it is arranging a contract with the national law firm Epstein Becker & Green.

“Services will include conducting an investigation to ascertain the knowledge possessed by mayoral administrations on environmental toxins produced by the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and to submit a report to the Council thereon,” the DOI stated in a procurement notice.

The inquiry was mandated by a City Council resolution approved in July 2025. The DOI was also allocated $3.8 million over two years to conduct the fact-finding investigation.

Environmental advocates have argued for years that New York City officials gave the public misleading assurances about the health hazards posed by contaminated air after the attacks.

Mamdani agreed to release the long-withheld collection of records as part of a settlement with 9/11 Health Watch.

“For 25 years, four different mayoral administrations kept from the public, the US Congress, and the City Council documents showing what the city actually knew about the danger of the toxic chemicals in Lower Manhattan and Western Brooklyn after the World Trade Center collapse — even as city officials continued messaging to the public that the air was ‘safe and acceptable,’” Chevat said.