NEW YORK − New York City's fire commissioner said Nov. 26 that he is leaving the department in part over Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s criticism of Israel.

The day after Mamdani won the Nov. 4 mayoral election, FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker said he'd made an “emotional decision” to resign from the nation’s largest fire department.

Tucker is the highest-profile city leader to leave his post ahead of Mamdani taking office on Jan. 1. Tucker, who is Jewish, told CBS News on Nov. 26 that he resigned due to his faith, particularly over his support for Israel.

Mamdani doesn't support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, instead saying Israel should exist as a state with equal rights for all. The 34-year-old state assemblyman has called Israel’s devastating siege of Gaza a "genocide" following the Hamas-led 2023 attacks in southern Israel. In his recent White House meeting with President Donald Trump, Mamdani said the Israeli government was committing genocide and the American government funded it.

“Look, it’s a complicated, emotional decision to leave,” Tucker told CBS’ Tony Dokoupil. “But ideologically, there’s no doubt that the mayor(-elect) and I disagree on some very fundamental things to me.”

A spokesperson for Mamdani, who is Muslim, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

On Nov. 5, Tucker signed a brief resignation letter addressed to Mayor Eric Adams. Tucker’s last day is Dec. 19 after serving as FDNY's head since August 2024. FDNY referred questions about who will replace Tucker to City Hall.

A City Hall spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tucker's resignation comes days after Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who is also Jewish, said she would stay in her role. Mamdani has been a vocal critic of the NYPD and once called to “#defundtheNYPD,” for which he later apologized. Mamdani has expressed support for Tisch, who has been credited with reductions in crime. Tisch comes from a billionaire Manhattan family that has shown support for Israel.

An FDNY spokesperson didn’t respond to emailed questions about whether Tucker’s decision had to do with the agency’s direct roles in firefighting or emergency response. Tucker told CBS neither he nor officials in the agency had been contacted by Mamdani.

“I believe that the things that I have heard the mayor say would make it difficult for me to continue on in such a senior executive role in the administration,” Tucker said.

Manhattan synagogue protest tests Mamdani

Tucker cited the mayor-elect’s recent response to a Nov. 19 pro-Palestinian protest outside a Manhattan synagogue. The Park East Synagogue hosted an event by an organization which promotes the immigration of North American Jews to Israel and the occupied West Bank. News outlets reported chants included “death to the IDF,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces, and “globalize the intifada.”

Protesters at one point reportedly blocked the synagogue's entrance. The protest was condemned by Republican and Democratic leaders, drawing accusations of attacks on Jewish New Yorkers.

The organization Nefesh B’Nefesh, which promotes “Aliyah,” or Jewish immigration to Israel, hosted the synagogue event. The organization’s website lists settlements in the occupied West Bank among the destinations in Israel. The organization said in a statement that it condemned the "violent rhetoric and aggressive behavior" that took place outside.

While Mamdani in a statement said he discouraged the language used and said New Yorkers must be “free to enter a house of worship without intimidation,” he added that “sacred spaces should not be used to promote activities in violation of international law,” according to the New York Times. Mamdani’s spokesperson later reportedly said the mayor-elect was referring to the organization’s promotion of Israeli settlements in the majority-Palestinian West Bank, which are illegal under international law.

In New York and elsewhere, protesters have at times controversially demonstrated outside synagogues hosting events related to settlements in the West Bank, which Israel has occupied since 1967 and would be part of a Palestinian state. The West Bank has also recently seen escalating attacks by Jewish settlers against Palestinians.

At Shabbat services on Saturday, Nov. 22, Tisch said she regretted not deploying police to shield the synagogue’s entry, especially amid “heightened fear” within Jewish communities, according to the Times of Israel. Recently, Harmeet Dhillon, assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Justice Department, said on social media that an investigation is underway on the Manhattan protest.

Mamdani has sought to reassure many wary Jewish New Yorkers, who make up about one in 10 city residents and come from a diverse array of sects and backgrounds, including those staunchly supportive of Israel as a Jewish state.

In the general election, a CNN exit poll indicated less than a third of Jewish voters supported Mamdani. As mayor, Mamdani has promised to increase security at synagogues and bolster hate-crime prevention funds, including to address rising antisemitism.

Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FDNY head Robert Tucker quits over Mamdani's Israel criticism

Reporting by Eduardo Cuevas, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect