New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli speaks during the New York State Financial Control Board Annual Meeting, Aug. 13, 2025. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

A version of this piece first ran as part of the New York Jewish Week’s daily newsletter, rounding up the latest on politics, culture, food and what’s new with Jews in the city. Sign up here to get it in your inbox.

What you need to know today

• Israel bonds are here to stay, NY state comptroller’s office says. New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli’s office said Israel bonds “continue to be a part of our fixed income portfolio,” in a statement to the New York Jewish Week today. DiNapoli’s statement came after NYC Comptroller Mark Levine said he will not be reinvesting city pension funds in Israel bonds for financial reasons.The fund “makes investment decisions in the best interests of our members,” DiNapoli’s office said. Democratic socialist State Sen. Julia Salazar called on the state to follow suit after Levine’s announcement.
• NY-17 Democratic congressional candidate condemns Mamdani’s Oct. 7 statement. Cait Conley, the Democratic nominee in NY-17 just north of New York City, denounced Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s Oct. 7 third anniversary statement, which critics said gave more wordage to criticizing Israel than memorializing the victims. “Yes, I do denounce Mamdani’s statement on Oct. 7, a day that we should be honoring and mourning the loss of life, the greatest loss of life to our Jewish community since the Holocaust,” Conley said, after Republican incumbent Rep. Mike Lawler challenged her to do so during last night’s debate.
• Are NY Jews shifting away from the Dems? Polling conducted by Siena is showing “historically strong numbers for Republicans among Jewish voters” this year in New York state, according to CNN’s chief data analyst Harry Enten during the segment “The Odds.” “It definitely seems to me that the developments over the past few years, at least in New York, at least in this polling, has had a huge impact on how Jewish voters are saying they are going to vote — not just for governor, but for Congress.”
• And many more! A group of 34 Holocaust survivors celebrated their birthdays yesterday at the kosher restaurant Tiberias in midtown Manhattan, joined by City Council Speaker Julie Menin and Comptroller Mark Levine, who are both Jewish. The event, which included makeovers, food and cake for the survivors, was put together by the Blue Card, a national organization that aids Holocaust survivors.