NEW YORKDemocrats in America’s largest Jewish metropolis have chosen an openly anti-Israeli candidate in Zohran Mamdanias for mayor, which has alarmed certain members of the Jewish community in New York and marked a radical shift in the party’s most devoted supporters’ objectives.
It is evident from the 33-year-old Democratic socialist’s surprise impressive performance against former Governor Andrew Cuomo that opposing Israel is no longer a reason to be disqualified from a Democratic primary. The member of the state assembly has failed to condemn the term “global intifada,” has not backed Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, and is in favor of a concerted attempt to exert economic pressure on Israel through boycotts and other means.
With the backing of many Jewish voters, he succeeded in the city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
Mamdani’s accomplishment is indicative of the ideological shift that many American Jews have undergone following Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Many Democratic voters, especially Jews, are extremely critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and have been disillusioned with Israel’s actions during the war. Younger, more liberal voters, many of whom have rejected the long widely held belief that anti-Israel sentiment is essentially antisemitic, are particularly affected by this.
Others say Mamdani’s performance has sparked fresh concerns about security and the declining power of Jewish voters in a city where hate crimes against Jews have increased. More over half of the city’s hate crimes last year targeted Jews.
“There is no doubt that people are worried,” Rabbi Shimon Hecht of Brooklyn’s Congregation B nai Jacob said, adding that he has received messages from members in recent days expressing the hope that Mamdani will lose the general election in November, where he will face Republican Curtis Sliwa, Mayor Eric Adams, who is running as an independent, and possibly Cuomo if he continues to run.
Hecht added, “I think it’s a wake-up call for people, like every upsetting election.” It will take a lot of unity among Jews and others who care about these issues, but I firmly believe that he will not be chosen as our next mayor. We must come together.
More plainly, veteran New York Democratic political analyst Hank Sheinkopf predicted a decrease in long-standing Jewish dominance that would be mirrored elsewhere and a rapid flight of observant Jews from the city.
He added that New York is a test tube for national Democratic politics and that it is the end of Jewish New York as we know it. And what transpired here is probably going to occur in cities all throughout the nation.”
One of the main campaign issues was Israel.
The former governor, Mamdani’s main Democratic opponent, had referred to antisemitism and pro-Israel sentiment as “the most important issue of the campaign.”
Supporters of Mamdani accused Cuomo of attempting to turn the problem into a weapon on several occasions. Republican President Donald Trump has characterized any criticism of Israel’s activities as antisemitic, saying that Jews who vote for Democrats “hate Israel” and their own religion. Many have drawn comparisons to this.
According to some Mamdani supporters, the election results showed that voters rejected one of Cuomo’s claims: that the Jewish community in New York was in danger from a new socialist who had pro-Palestinian beliefs.
Many were either vehemently opposed to Cuomo, who was forced to resign in disgrace due to sexual harassment claims, or focused on topics like affordability in a city known for its high cost.
Aiyana Leong Knauer, a 35-year-old Jewish bartender from Brooklyn who supported Mamdani, claimed that the vote reflected New Yorkers, many of whom are Jewish, and that creating divide is less important to us than having an inexpensive city.
According to her, many of us are deeply offended by the way our past has been used against us. Although there are legitimate concerns about Jewish safety around the world, Jews in New York are generally protected.
Others shared Mamdani’s opinions about Israel.
According to Beth Miller, political director of Jewish Voice for Peace Action, a progressive, anti-Zionist organization that supported Mamdani, Mamdani was in fact rather well-liked by many Jewish voters.
Despite his support for Palestinian rights, such is not the case. She said that was as a result of his advocacy for Palestinian rights. She claimed that there has been a significant split in the Jewish community and that an increasing number of Jews from all generations, but particularly the younger ones, are refusing to be associated with what they see to be a renegade government that is carrying out crimes against people.
Since the start of the war, support for Israel has decreased, according to polls. According to a MarchPew Research Center poll, the percentage of Americans who say they have a somewhat or very negative impression of Israel has decreased from 42% in 2022 to a small majority now. Compared to fewer than 40% of Republicans, approximately 70% of Democrats have especially negative opinions.
Beyond the election for mayor
Voters were thinking about Israel in races other than Mamdani’s.
Shahana Hanif, a Brooklyn city councilwoman representing Park Slope and the adjacent neighborhoods, came under fire for her support of Palestine. Some said that she had not reacted aggressively enough to episodes of antisemitism in the district.
However, despite a flood of funding from affluent, pro-Israel organizations and donors, Hanif, the first Muslim woman elected to the City Council, comfortably defeated her leading opponent, Maya Kornberg, who is Jewish.
Developer Ramon Maislen, who founded Brooklyn BridgeBuilders to challenge Hanif’s reelection, expressed his disappointment with the result, stating that antisemitism did not appear to appeal to voters.
The way our neighbors responded left us feeling really let down,” he said.
He claimed that when running a campaign against Hanif, locals frequently yelled against him and accused him of condoning genocide.
“I believe that those of us in the Jewish community who are sensitive to that are aware that a cultural shift of some sort is taking place,” he said. In contrast to other liberal or progressive spaces, we are witnessing the legitimization of hatred.
The record and rhetoric of Mamdani
Throughout his interview on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, where he was questioned about his position, Mamdani reaffirmed his commitment to combating antisemitism. The city’s top Jewish official, Brad Lander, a fellow contender and city comptroller, joined him on the show after cross-endorsing him. Additionally, he has advocated for an 800% increase in financing for anti-hate crime programming.
However, a number of his remarks have infuriated Jewish organizations and authorities, chief among them his insistence on using the slogan “globalize the intifada,” which has been used in previous demonstrations. It is interpreted by many Jews as an incitement to violence against Israeli civilians. “The phrase encapsulated a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights,” Mamdani said in a podcast interview.
Mamdani also backs the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign, which calls on governments, educational institutions, and other organizations to apply sanctions, divest from businesses that support Israel, and boycott Israeli goods. It is antisemitic and a part of a larger effort to “delegitimize and isolate the State of Israel,” according to the Anti-Defamation League.
In addition, Mamdani stated that if Netanyahu attempted to enter the city, he would be arrested in his capacity as mayor.
In a statement released on Thursday, the ADL cautioned candidates and their backers against using “words that play into dangerous antisemitic stereotypes that have repeatedly been used to incite hatred and violence against Jews.”
Mamdani made reference to the criticism he had received in his victory speech and declared that he would not compromise his convictions. He did, however, add that he would “go farther to comprehend the viewpoints of those with whom I disagree and to wrestle deeply with those disagreements.”
___ This report was written by Jake Offenhartz of the Associated Press.
