New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has formally designated Sept. 11 as an official "day of remembrance and service" while announcing new measures he claims will bolster the citys emergency readiness ahead of the 25th anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks.
According to Just The News, Mamdani, the citys first Muslim mayor, signed an executive order that establishes an annual day of service requiring a citywide moment of silence, memorial ceremonies, and organized community service activities. He also issued a separate order that he said will update and modernize the Citys Continuity of Operations planning for the first time since 2007, a move he argues will help ensure New York can continue providing essential services and protecting residents during crises.
The mayor framed the new commemoration as both a moral duty and a civic obligation, saying the "day of remembrance" directive urges New Yorkers to honor the dead through service and deep reflection. In a statement, Mamdani added, "We must also recognize that remembrance carries a responsibility to strengthen our city, protect New Yorkers and ensure that government is prepared to deliver for people no matter the circumstances."
Mamdani further insisted that the citys pledge to remember the attacks must translate into concrete action rather than symbolic rhetoric. "'Never Forget' is not a slogan. It is a commitment that we must carry forward through action," he declared, tying his policy orders to the broader national promise made in the aftermath of the attacks.
Nearly 3,000 people were murdered on Sept. 11, 2001, when Islamic terrorists hijacked commercial airliners and crashed them into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field in southwest Pennsylvania. More than 2,700 of those victims died in the collapse of the World Trade Centers twin towers, a trauma that reshaped American security policy and remains a defining moment for New Yorkers.
The mayors new directives arrive amid mounting criticism from 9/11 families, survivors, and other groups who argue that his past rhetoric disqualifies him from taking part in this years Ground Zero ceremonies. These critics contend that the solemn remembrance at the 25-year mark should not be overshadowed by a political figure whose previous statements they view as incompatible with the gravity and unity the day demands.
On Thursday, former Republican Gov. George Pataki who led New York during and after the attacks joined the growing chorus urging Mamdani to stay away from the 9/11 memorial. "Anyone who has refused to reject the phrase globalize the intifada, which unequivocally calls for violence against Jews, not just in Israel but anywhere in the world, should not be at that site," Pataki told the outlet City & State, underscoring the deep concern many conservatives and Jewish groups have expressed.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman, the Nassau County Executive challenging Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, has gone further by calling for a visible protest if Mamdani appears at the ceremony. Blakeman has said attendees should turn their backs on the mayor at the memorial, a symbolic rebuke aimed at signaling that support for radical slogans and movements has no place at a site consecrated by American blood.
Mamdani, for his part, has dismissed calls for him to stay away and has made clear he intends to attend the commemoration. He argued that the orders he signed Friday "honor the victims, first responders, survivors, city workers and families whose lives were forever changed by the tragedy while strengthening city governments ability to protect New Yorkers and maintain essential services during emergencies."
New York City Fire Department Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore publicly backed the mayors decision to formalize Sept. 11 as a day of service, emphasizing the continuity between the heroism of 2001 and civic engagement today. She said that by designating Sept. 11 as a day of service "we remember those we lost and carry forward the spirit that defined our city in its darkest hours."
Bonsignore stressed that the ethic of service is central to honoring those who ran toward danger when others fled. "Service was the legacy of those who answered the call on September 11, 2001, and those who have died since," she said in a statement. "The greatest tribute we can pay them is to continue serving one another with compassion, courage and a shared commitment to building a stronger New York."
As the 25th anniversary approaches, the clash over Mamdanis presence at Ground Zero highlights a broader tension between remembrance and contemporary politics, particularly around issues of terrorism, antisemitism, and national security. For many families and conservatives, the promise to Never Forget is not merely about ritual observance but about moral clarity regarding the nature of the 9/11 attackers, the ideology that drove them, and the need for leaders who unequivocally reject any rhetoric that glorifies violence against Jews or undermines Americas fight against terrorism.
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