We come from two faiths often cast as opposites and from two different immigrant journeys to this country. We write together because New York is being torn apart — not by its people, but by politics.
Too many today mistake division for strength and outrage for leadership, and in the process, they profit off our pain — not in dollars, but in influence. They carve power from the city’s wounds.
You can’t fix the city by tearing its people apart.
We are proof that Muslims and Jews do not have to be enemies. We are neighbors, colleagues, partners and friends. We raise our voices not only in defense of our own communities, but in defense of each other. Too many in power treat our communities as chess pieces, claiming to speak for us while misrepresenting our beliefs and our faith to advance their own political platforms.
New York is strongest when every culture, every faith, and every perspective has the space and safety to be fully itself. Here, difference isn’t a threat, it’s your passport to the city. That’s what makes New York the cultural capital of the world: not uniformity, but the radical beauty of coexistence.
From 9/11 to Hurricane Sandy to COVID-19, New York has faced multiple adversities and rebuilt itself stronger each time. Our best leaders prioritized recovery over rhetoric. They marshaled resources, not resentment, and brought us together to work toward a collective goal.
Today, we face a different kind of crisis. Unlike natural disasters, this one is deliberate, sowing division and pitting New Yorkers against one another with the goal of pushing through a radical reordering of society. Promises to lower the cost-of-living ring hollow when those same leaders stoke hate, rage during rallies on our streets, and shape our children’s minds toward romanticizing and justifying violence.
New Yorkers are savvy. They know that when someone offers you something for free, it’s usually to benefit them, not you. Policies that promise free access to everything come at the cost of autonomy and accountability. Calls to defund critical institutions like the police only deepen instability and fear.
Division may make headlines, but it weakens our economy, our governance, and our shared quality of life. We don’t need leaders who promise progress by taking us backwards, or who tell us freedom means handing our lives over to them. There is nothing modern about government-run grocery stores, or streets where crime victims have nowhere to turn. That is not progress, it is regression — you don’t need an economics degree to see it.
Every living creature understands ownership. Birds build nests, beavers construct dams, even fish claim and defend their territory. Ownership is not an invention of capitalism — it’s a law of nature. The right to create, to build, and to protect what is yours is as natural as life itself. No politician and no movement can redefine that truth. When the government tells us to give up ownership, it is not leading us forward.
Politicians and social media influencers often lure you with images of Scandinavia, strong schools, generous social programs, and thriving economies. But that is social democracy, not democratic socialism. Social democracies balance robust welfare and strong unions with capitalism, private enterprise, and law enforcement. People build, own, and trade freely.
Democratic socialism, by contrast, can place basic necessities — housing, jobs, essential services — under government control, reducing individual autonomy and accountability. Limiting or removing critical institutions like the police has real consequences. When those protections are diminished or absent, the most vulnerable pay the price.
We want a city where we fight for — not against — each other. New York is the greatest city in the world because we invested in every community, culture and faith. The only thing we should unanimously divest from is division and hate.
Our warning is simple: whether in New York or any other city, beware of leaders who speak in absolutes and claim to represent “the people,” but serve only some of them.
We will not surrender our city to those who exploit fear, faith, or our children — the next generation. We are mothers and we came here to raise families, not fists. We demand a city where difference is respected, dignity is upheld, and every community can stand with pride.
Gillette and Deen are co-founders of Demonstrate Hope Not Hate national movement and education initiative.
