Deputy Mayor Levy: Thank you, everybody. Again, my name is Fabien Levy. I'm deputy mayor for Communications for the City of New York. But I am also here today as the son of Jewish parents who immigrated here from the Middle East almost 50 years ago.
As the son of a mother who was forced to flee Iraq as a young child and whose family sought refuge in Israel, as a brother, nephew, cousin and friend who have loved ones in Israel right now, some struggling to get home to New York, some putting on their uniform to serve their country in a time of war, and others who are just praying for their safety and their lives frightened in a bomb shelter.
Like all of you, I'm here standing in solidarity with the Jewish community and grieving for the innocent lives lost in Israel on Saturday in what was the single deadliest day for the Jewish people since the Holocaust.
This administration is proud to reflect the rich diversity of our city, and we are all here today to condemn this senseless violence and remember the innocent lives lost. The mayor often says that it's moments like this where we have to take the opportunity to turn our pain into purpose. I hope we can channel what we are all feeling here today and turn it into purposeful, thoughtful action so we can see an end to this violence and return to peace.
Before we begin, I'd like to introduce the broad coalition of allies we have here standing in strong support of Israel. From our administration, Maria Torres‑Springer, deputy mayor for Housing, Economic Development and Workforce; chief adviser to the mayor, Ingrid Lewis‑Martin; deputy chief of staff and senior advisor, Menashe Shapiro, senior adviser to the mayor, Joel Eisdorfer; Intergovernment Affairs Director Tiffany Raspberry; senior adviser to the mayor, Diane Savino; Community Affairs Commissioner Fred Kreizman; International Affairs Commissioner Ed Mermelstein; Sanitation Commissioner Jessica Tisch; Pastor Gil Monrose.
And then, from our advocates and elected officials, Itay Milner from the Israel Consulate here in New York; Yael Hashavit is also from the Israeli Consulate. U.S. Representative Gregory Meeks, U.S. Representative Dan Goldman; Public Advocate Jumaane Williams; Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso; Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson; Staten Island Borough President, Vito Fossella; Assemblymember Bobby Carroll; Assemblymember Taylor Darling; Assemblymember Yudelka Tapia; Assemblymember Sam Berger; Assemblymember Tony Simone; Assemblymember Michaelle Solages; Assemblymember Manny De Los Santos; Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte. Councilmember Gale Brewer; Councilmember Julie Menin; Councilmember Mercedes Narcisse; Councilmember Keith Powers; Councilmember Marjorie Velázquez.
We also have representatives from the New York Attorney General's office. We have a Rabbi David Goldwasser, Rabbi Joseph Potasnik, Rabbi Chanina Sperlin; Hindy Poupko, from UJA; Jonathan Greenblatt from the Anti‑Defamation League; Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove; Abigail Katzap from NYU.
I'd also like to thank the NYPD for keeping our city safe in this time.
And now I'd like to introduce New York City mayor, Eric Adams.
[Lighting of candles.]
Deputy Mayor Levy: I just want to add, Fire Commissioner Laura Kavanaugh, David Greenfield from the Met Council and Assemblymember Alex Bores also joined us but now, New York City mayor Eric Adams.
Mayor Eric Adams: And we also have Assemblywoman Tapia has also joined us. And really want to thank our federal lawmakers, both Congressman Goldman and Congressman Meeks. And I don't know if we have any other congressional delegations.
Can we just have a moment of silence and just really a moment of reflection of the lives lost and the family members who are still going through the uncertainty and the trauma that we are experiencing as a city. So, I just want to take a moment to just reflect on our humanity and just silence.
[Moment of silence.]
I am...I am devastated, and I am angry. And I am going to really refrain from allowing that anger to really display the human part of me. But I am in so much pain from what I saw and what I witnessed. Nothing can justify pulling innocent children from their homes, murdering them, dragging them through the streets, laying your feet across their bodies. Nothing can justify what we witnessed. Nothing can justify what we witnessed.
And my friends and associates that have been side by side with me for years, of different religious communities— the Sikh community, the Muslim community, the Christian community, the Jewish community— all the different communities have reached out to me and stated that what we witnessed was reprehensible and disgusting.
To state that that terrorist act that we saw cannot be defended anywhere on this globe. It is not acceptable what we witnessed in Israel— not acceptable.
And you cannot rationalize it. You cannot state that how it was done and why it was done. It was clear that it was anger, antisemitism at the highest level, and a total mindset of inflicting pain at one of the most holiest days of the year in a premeditated, barbaric action that is unacceptable and it will go down in the history as one of the most draconian disgusting acts you can ever witness.
And no one should be celebrating this— no one. Humanity should be angry. Yes, I stand with Israel. Yes, I stand with the Jewish community.
But most importantly, I stand with humanity. I stand with human behavior that should never reach this depth. This is what we fought for so long so many years. This is what we stood for. This city has the largest population of so many groups, from Muslims to Indians to Africans to South Americans, Central Americans; and, we also are the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
This is who we are, and I'm watching what is playing out across the country. I'm watching protests where people are carrying swastikas not understanding does it...and how it impacts not only the heart of the Jewish community but those same swastika symbols were used when African Americans were attempted to fight for their freedom and their right to exist. This cuts across all lines ‑‑ all lines.
And so, I stand here today, my heart is broken. I stand here today in pain. But I wanted to stand by those candles as one at a time we light them, because we have to light our path for the future. We cannot allow the darkness of the actions we witnessed to turn us into who they are. That is what their goal is. But I'm clear: Israel has a right to defend itself. Israel has a right to protect itself.
And we need every one of those hostages to be returned home. We need them to be returned home.
And it is crucial that we do not allow anything to take us off of our pursuit of peace. All I can say to you as New Yorker, as the mayor of this city in all of its diversity, in all of its wonders, this is a painful day for our city and our country, and it's a painful day for humanity. Let's continue to lift each other up in prayer, and let's pray for the family members who lost their loved ones.
Let's pray for those family members are still wondering of the destiny of their family members. And I thank God our congressman was able to make his way back home. He was in Israel at the time, and he was able to come back safely.
Let's hope all are able to return safely to their families, to their loved ones, to their country. This is such a dark period, and we must find light and turn this painful moment into a purposeful moment. May God be with us all. Thank you very much.
