It’s the city with the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel: New York hosted a rally of thousands in support of the Jewish state on Tuesday, just meters from the United Nations headquarters.

American Jewish organizations, at the initiative of the meeting, invited New York leaders but also representatives of the right-wing government in Jerusalem to speak. Thus, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan applauded as he made the announcement. “The Jewish People” Not in Israel and America “Undivided”. There are members of Hamas “He wanted to massacre us when he thought we were most vulnerable, but they were wrong”The Israeli ambassador insisted. “The free world is not divided. We all stand united as one, one people, one heart to fight the forces of evil.”He waved Israeli flags and shouted at the crowd.

So did New York Mayor Eric Adams, who was recently in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem“Israel has the right to defend itself”. “Your Struggle is Ours”The city councilor promised.

After Hamas’s surprise attack on Israel on October 7, New York, home to nearly two million Jews and hundreds of thousands of Muslims, has been the scene of tense demonstrations: on the one hand, support for the Palestinian cause, on the other, rallies to defend Jews and Israel.

Thanks to the Municipal Police (NYPD) and the State of New York, “We stand together to protect each and every one of you, and we will continue to protect you”Cathy Hochul, the governor of New York state, home to 20 million people, launched the gathering, including nine in New York City alone.

In 2020, in the United States, according to the Pew Research Center, there were 5.8 million Jewish adults, religious or not, of which 2.8 million claimed Jewish parentage. There are about 4.5 million Muslims in the country, including 600,000 to 750,000 in New York.