Jacob N. Kornbluh, senior political reporter at The Forward, reported Monday night, “Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani visited the Ohel of the Lubavitcher Rebbe in Queens this evening to pay his respects to the victims of the Bondi Beach terror attack.” He added, “Mamdani also made a private prayer at the grave.”

A photo from the visit shows Mamdani, wearing a black velvet yarmulke, quietly reading a note at the Ohel. Some sites reported seeing Crown Heights community activist Yaacov Behrman at the Ohel alongside Mamdani.

Although the Rebbe’s Ohel is, of course, open to all, regardless of background or beliefs, the report nonetheless comes as a surprise to many in the Jewish community, given Mamdani’s past support of the BDS movement, his presence at rallies with signs reading “The only solution is intifada,” and his delayed condemnation of the atrocities of October 7th.

Kornbluh followed up Tuesday morning, posting a Siena Research poll claiming that favorability for Mandani had a 17-point increase this past month, rising from 18% to 38% who “think he’ll be good for New York City.”

Mayor-Elect of New York City, Zohran Kwame Mamdani, in a post following the attack, strongly condemned the attack. “The attack at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney today was a vile act of antisemitic terror. I mourn those who were murdered and will be keeping their families, the Jewish community, and the Chabad movement in my prayers. May the memories of all those killed be a blessing.”

Concluding his lengthy post, he vowed to protect Jewish New Yorkers as Mayor: “When I am Mayor,” he said, “I will work every day to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe—on our streets, our subways, at shul, in every moment of every day. Let this be a purpose shared by every New Yorker, and let us banish this horrific violence to the past.”

The visit is understood to reassure Jewish New Yorkers that he will protect them, following the Sydney massacre, and amid a global rise of anti-Semitism. It is hoped that the visit to the Rebbe’s Ohel will indeed have an impact on the visitor in a clear and open way.