American Jews have long been considered one of the country’s most politically liberal groups, with over 70% identifying as Democrats according to the Pew Research Center from 2020.
But this relationship may have just become more complicated. On Nov. 4, Zohran Mamdani — a candidate with a history of anti-Israel activism who continues to espouse deeply hurtful comments about Israel and the Jewish community — won New York City’s mayoral election.
The list of concerns about Mamdani’s rhetoric is long. Despite pressure, he has still refused to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which many perceive as a call to violence against Jewish and Israeli civilians. He has not accepted Israel’s right to exist as the world’s singular Jewish state. He supports the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement, which has been widely accused of applying double standards to Israel and fostering antisemitism. He has repeatedly called Israel’s actions in Gaza a genocide, a legally fraught buzzword in relation to this conflict that diminishes the magnitude of the term.
Meanwhile, Mamdani has failed to call on Hamas — the terrorist organization that murdered 1,200 innocent civilians and took around 250 hostages on Oct. 7 — to lay down their arms. As an undergraduate, he founded Bowdoin College’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, a group that has been suspended at Tufts for repeatedly breaking the university’s code of conduct. Many SJP chapters routinely promote violence and categorically reject the two-state framework for peace. During his time as a SoundCloud rapper, Mamdani also released lyrics praising the Holy Land Five, a group that has funneled millions of dollars into the hands of Hamas.
These comments go far beyond criticism of Israeli policy. They do not resemble a call for Palestinian human rights, nor do they represent a genuine hope for peace and justice for Israelis and Palestinians alike. Rather, his comments come off as supportive of terrorism and aimed at delegitimizing the very idea of Jewish self-determination. This kind of inflammatory rhetoric should be disqualifying for any serious leadership role — let alone the leadership of the city with the world’s largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
Supporters of Mamdani point to his recent meetings with prominent New York Jewish leaders and his pledge to increase hate-crime prevention funding as evidence of his commitment to the Jewish community’s safety. However, these gestures do not seem to reassure the major population of New York Jews who feel deeply connected to and involved in Israel’s success as a Jewish state.
After participating in a meeting with the mayor-elect over the summer, Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch of New York’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue stated in a sermon this past Friday that “Mamdani does not believe in coexistence. He does not believe in two states for two peoples. His opposition to Israel is existential. … [This] is the ideology of Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and their supporters in the West. … Anti-Zionism is an illiberal philosophy at its very core and it offends me, both as a liberal and as a Jew.”
In late October, over 1,000 rabbis and cantors across the U.S. signed a letter opposing Mamdani, writing that his rhetoric continues to “encourage and exacerbate hostility toward Judaism and Jews.” This concerted action on behalf of so many Jewish faith leaders reflects a deep-rooted fear about the impact that Mamdani’s messaging could have, especially during a volatile time of increasing antisemitism nationwide and globally.
Others brush off these fears, arguing that rhetoric does not always translate into action. But the day after Mamdani’s victory, a swastika was painted on the facade of a Jewish school in Brooklyn — yet another example of just how pervasive antisemitism has become.
Some may claim that the actions of a municipal leader over 5,000 miles away from Israel will have little, if any, tangible impact. Why then, has Mamdani said that the Palestinian cause is “central to [his] identity” and “consistent with the core of [his] politics”? Despite the issue being distant from the lives of many everyday New Yorkers who do not have a direct connection to the conflict in the Middle East, the mayor-elect has placed it front and center to his persona and his rise to power.
Local consequences could be far-reaching. It is the mayor of New York City who ultimately decides whether to send the police to intervene when students on college campuses are breaking city laws. Will Columbia University’s chapter of SJP now see an ally in Mamdani, feeling re-energized and emboldened to disrupt classes, damage property and violently take over university buildings, as they have done previously? Who, now, will keep Jewish students on New York’s many college campuses safe from this kind of unproductive and destructive violence?
The role of the mayor of New York City has long been one that uplifts New York’s Jewish community, supports the global fight against terror and combats antisemitism with strength and clarity within the five boroughs. It now seems evident that these priorities, cherished by the American Jewish community for centuries, will be put on the back-burner.
Until recently, the left was seen by many American Jews as an ideology that consisted of a wide tent of ideas, encouraged respectful policy disagreement, welcomed anyone and everyone regardless of identity and prioritized inclusivity, both in rhetoric and action. This might still be the case. But, when Jews are under attack both at home and abroad, Mamdani seems to be the face of a growing movement that is hostile to the causes and values that American Jews hold dear.
These unfortunate changes beg the question: where can American Jews find an ideological home in today’s increasingly polarized and hate-filled political climate?
