I am writing my column on December 7, 2025, the 84th anniversary of the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, what President Roosevelt proclaimed “a day that will live in infamy.” Eighty-four years later, I doubt many Americans are commemorating the day or even know what happened on this date in 1941.
I have always looked at the Pearl Harbor attack as a colossal failure in the United States’ preparation for a possible attack. America was fortunate that there were no aircraft carriers stationed at Pearl Harbor, which limited the long-term impact of the strike. There were intelligence and logistical failures. I chalk some of it up to arrogance, the belief among military leadership that Japan would never attack the great power of the United States. This reminds me of what happened when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. Like America, Israel was so sure of its invincibility that it could not believe anyone would attack. Therefore, they were not prepared. On December 7, the sailors on the ships in Pearl Harbor were sitting ducks for the Japanese planes because of a failure by leadership. On October 7, the soldiers in Israel were left to do their best under the circumstances they found themselves in due to the failure of leadership.
Now to my main topic. If you looked at the pictures in my column in last week’s paper, you would have seen me standing in front of the Astoria Hotel. In the other pictures, I wore a hat or my hood because it was cold and windy. I deliberately made sure to have my yarmulke exposed on my head. I did not take the picture because of the name Astoria, which is located in Queens County. I took the picture and made sure my yarmulke was showing because of the history of the hotel. When I took the picture, I thought it was used as Gestapo headquarters and Eichmann’s headquarters when Germany took over Hungary in 1944. There are indications that Eichmann was only there for a few days. In any event, my message is that the Nazis tried to destroy us as they operated out of this location, but we are here and they are not.
We need to have the same type of attitude in dealing with the new Mamdani administration and the anti-Israel voices and antisemites that have been empowered by his election. On November 19, there was a program at the Park East Synagogue by Nefesh B’Nefesh, which is a nonprofit organization that supports aliyah to Israel. The enemies of Israel held a protest outside the synagogue, trying to intimidate Jews from going inside. It was reported that two hundred individuals protested. They chanted the usual phrases such as “globalize the intifada.” One of the leaders said that they need to make Jews scared and think twice about holding these events. Mamdani, showing that he has not changed a bit, blamed the synagogue for hosting a group that promotes activities in violation of international law. Trump may want to play nice with Mamdani, but the Jewish community needs to fight back.
That is why it was so important that there was a rally on December 4 outside the Park East Synagogue to show our support for Israel. It was reported that 1,100 people attended the rally, including my wife and myself. The message to Mamdani and the haters of Israel is that we will not be intimidated by your tactics and words. If the Mamdani administration tries to implement BDS or other action against Israel, there will be pushback. If the Mamdani administration decides that intimidation tactics by those who want to destroy Israel under the guise of Palestinian rights is proper and can be tolerated, we will not be silent.
I feel comforted that we have Jessica Tisch, a strong supporter of Israel, as the anticipated police commissioner. She spoke at the Park East Synagogue after the protest and received a standing ovation. She said, “You deserved an NYPD posture that recognized the sensitivity of this location, the climate we are living in, and the heightened fear within our community. Instead, you had turmoil. I say all of this as someone who understands what this moment feels like.”
It is also anticipated that the next Speaker of the City Council will be Julie Menin. She would be the first Jewish Speaker. Her parents and grandparents are Holocaust survivors. She is a strong supporter of Israel and is expected to be a check on Mamdani.
There are those who think that it is all over for the Jewish community and run as fast as they can from the city. We are not going anywhere. Mamdani and those who want to destroy Israel and intimidate the Jewish community for its support of Israel think that they will have the upper hand. The next four years may not be easy. However, if the Jewish community is united and continues to have the support of those who have been our friends for many years, we can defeat our enemies no matter how powerful they think they are.
