Thinking for Ourselves

by Nina Fondiller Woldin

Two weeks ago, I joined a large rally outside Gracie Mansion, the official residence of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Nearly 1,000 New Yorkers attended, including Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Iranian community leaders.

The demonstration was organized by the Jewish civil rights group #EndJewHatred, together with several interfaith and civil rights organizations. We gathered to protest because of the mayor’s failure to protect the Jewish community, and because he promotes divisive policies regarding Jewish people, Israel, and Zionism.

The speakers represented a broad range of backgrounds and perspectives. They included social media influencers, a hip-hop group, Bill Donohue, President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, and Anila Ali, President of the American Muslim and Multifaith Women’s Empowerment Council. That’s just the short list—many others spoke, representing diverse ethnic, religious, and professional communities.

As in every Jewish event I have ever attended, the crowd was super friendly, so I know how at least the twenty people around me had heard about the rally and why they chose to attend. Although the event was promoted primarily through social media, the crowd was far from exclusively young. Social media reaches people of all ages, and the attendees reflected that reality. The gathering was incredibly diverse—people of every age, race, and background, carrying both Israeli and American flags. I found it interesting that many of the journalists covering the event also came from nontraditional media outlets.

At one point, Lizzy Savetsky, a popular young social media activist, said,
“Between all of the speakers here, we have over one million followers!” And everyone cheered.

Since October 7, antisemitism has spread to alarming levels across social media platforms, and many of the efforts to combat it are taking place there as well. Whenever I post Chai Mitzvah’s messages about events or holiday greetings, I get lost for a moment in the intense conversations—and often conflicts—unfolding every day on Instagram and Facebook.

That is why I would like to ask for your help. Please follow Chai Mitzvah on social media. Help us strengthen our community, deepen our connections, and amplify our collective voice. Together, we can help one another feel more connected, supported, and empowered.