The City That Never Sleeps & The People Who Never Dim!

New York City – The biggest, boldest, and most iconic city in America. The beating heart of capitalism, the backdrop of countless films, and home to the United Nations and generations of proud Jewish life.

And now, on January 1, this very city – with the largest Jewish population in the diaspora – will swear in its first Muslim mayor, Zohran Mamdani. Unashamedly anti-Zionist, proudly pro-Palestinian, far-left in socialist – and, ironically, a millionaire.

It is almost unthinkable that New York – the proud and historic centre of Jewish life – could become the American city where Jews no longer feel safe. Meetings are underway, speeches prepared, and commitments made – they will hold the Mayor to account. In President Trump’s own words: “And so it begins!”

Having grown up in New York, I felt a pit in my stomach reading the headlines. Mamdani’s victory feels bigger than one election – it reflects a broader wave spreading through the West. The same voices leading the protests and rallies that have filled our streets and campuses, fuelling antisemitism and emboldening extremism. Even ASIO’s Director-General, Mike Burgess, warned this week of that growing threat.

And yet, if you’ve ever spent time among New York’s proud, vibrant Jewish communities, you’ll know exactly what I mean when I say: they will not be broken. They have the resolve, the grit, and the chutzpah to ensure no mayor, no ideology, and no movement dims the Jewish spirit.

In recent months, the threat of a Mamdani win united New York’s Jews like few moments in history – evoking the same solidarity we felt after 9/11 or October 7. Every shule, every Jewish group, and every Jewish home became a command centre to mobilise Jews to get out and vote. An avalanche of Jewish pride swept across the city – more tefillin, more tehillim, more unity. Syrian, Moroccan, Chassidic, Ashkenazi, and Sephardic Jews put aside differences and stood shoulder to shoulder. Today, New York’s Jews are more connected and more resilient than ever.

This week’s parsha, Vayeira, teaches us that Jewish strength is not measured by votes or politics. It is measured by moral courage.

We meet Avraham standing alone against the evil of Sodom – a society steeped in corruption, cruelty, and indifference. He doesn’t stay silent. He stands up, pleads for justice, and brings light into darkness.

Hashem calls him Avraham Ha’Ivri – “the one who stands on the other side.” When the world chooses cruelty, Avraham chooses kindness. When the world celebrates darkness, Avraham ignites light.

That is our inheritance. That is the Jewish response to a world that celebrates Mamdanis, radicals, and those who preach hatred. We don’t hide. We stand proudly. Publicly.

Unapologetically. Like Avraham, we respond to hatred not with fear, but with commitment. More mitzvot, more Jewish pride, unity and light.

For four thousand years, the world has tried to extinguish that light – in Babylon, Rome, and Sodom – and failed. It won’t succeed in New York, Sydney, London, or anywhere else. Mamdani will fade into the dustbin of history, while the Jewish people will endure – stronger, prouder, and more united than ever.

And this Shabbos is proof. It’s The Shabbat Project—millions of Jews across the globe, coming together to celebrate one sacred gift. What began in 2013 as Chief Rabbi Dr Warren Goldstein’s simple idea – to rediscover the beauty of Shabbat – has become a worldwide movement of connection and light.

So this weekend, turn off your screens and turn on your Yiddishkeit.

Get ready to Eat. Pray. Walk. at Central.

Let’s come together, celebrate the spirit of Shabbat, and show the world what we’re made of. We will not cower. We will not bend. Because all the world’s Mamdanis cannot dim the eternal Jewish light that shines upon the nations.

Shabbat Shalom – Am Yisroel Chai!

With love,
Rabbi Levi & Chanie Wolff