(JNS) New York City Mayor Eric Adams hosted this year’s annual Jewish Heritage Month reception at Gracie Mansion on Tuesday, celebrating centuries of Jewish history, achievement and community-building in New York City.

Joining the list of dignitaries and speakers was Ambassador Asaf Zamir, the Consul General of Israel in New York, the largest Jewish community in the world outside of Israel.

He spoke of the singular connection between Israel and New York City, emphasizing ties in all kinds of matters. “Jewish Heritage Month should always be a uniquely Jewish event,” said Zamir, “because you can’t tell the story of American Jewish heritage without New York City taking a starring role.”

At the same time, he discussed the recent four-fold spike in anti-Semitic incidents in the region and the obligation to respond strongly to it.

“This is a challenging time with anti-Semitic incidents quadrupling in this city,” he noted. “But we’ve been through worse, and we will win over this challenge together.”