By Halie Soifer
NEW YORK — There’s an election on Tuesday that has captured the attention of nearly every American Jew – the mayoral race in New York City. Since New York Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s overwhelming victory in the primary, I have echoed the deeply held concerns of many Jewish Americans about Mamdani’s positions on a range of issues, and recently reiterated these concerns in the New York Times.
Zohran Mamdani is not a Zionist. He does not support Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. He’s repeatedly accused Israel of “genocide,” and failed to unequivocally condemn Hamas for its horrific campaign of terror on October 7. He has threatened to arrest the Israeli Prime Minister should he visit New York, and he supports the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, including divestment of New York pension funds from Israel. These are not new ideas for Mamdani, but rather, his deeply-held beliefs related to Israel, which differentiate him from JDCA, a majority of American Jews, and nearly all Democrats in Congress.
Mamdani has also previously defended the dangerous phrase “globalize the intifada.” He now discourages the use of this phrase, but he’s declined to condemn it, despite the fact that “globalize the intifada” can be seen as a rallying call for antisemitic violence driven by anti-Israel sentiment. This is a position he’s taken despite the recent antisemitic violence targeting Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence and Jews on the streets of D.C. and Boulder.
Given Mamdani’s intention to serve as mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel, JDCA has conveyed deep concerns about these issues publicly and privately, including with Mamdani himself. We believe that it’s critical to engage with Democrats, even those with whom we disagree, and in this exchange, we raised the fact that if elected mayor, Mamdani would not have the legal authority to do much of what he said regarding Israel. Foreign policy is not determined at the municipal level, and he would not, if elected, have the ability to determine any aspect of U.S. policy pertaining to Israel. For example, the authority to make an arrest of a foreign leader would not be vested in the mayor of New York, and the allocation of pension funds is determined by the New York comptroller, not the mayor.
Regardless of our disagreements on Israel, Mamdani has repeatedly indicated a commitment to ensuring Jewish security and safety in New York, including in recent meetings with Jewish groups and leaders. He has proposed an 800% increase in hate crime prevention funding through a proposed Department of Community Safety, which would help to protect Jewish New Yorkers, institutions, synagogues, and other religious spaces against attack. He also repeatedly committed to support an existing public school curriculum that teaches about Zionism and recognizes that “an important aspect of Jewish American identity is a connection to Israel.”
The New York mayoral race has national implications for American Jews and Democrats, given the very real concerns that exist about Mamdani’s views. Difficult questions about the relationship between anti-Zionism and antisemitism have emerged. For example, can one be an anti-Zionist but not necessarily an antisemite? I would say yes. Could one’s anti-Zionist views, coupled with a refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” possibly fuel antisemitism, including antisemitic violence? Also yes.
Is it possible that Mamdani, whose views on Israel are not aligned with those of many Jewish New Yorkers, wishes no harm on those same New Yorkers and will take measures to protect and defend them against antisemitism? That’s what he’s claiming. Is it possible that Mamdani supports teaching about Zionism in public schools even if he doesn’t support Zionism himself? That’s what he’s said, including at the recent mayoral debate and on ABC. If he wins, will he include Zionists in his administration? He has pledged he will. Ultimately, answers to these difficult questions – which may feel like irreconcilable contradictions and ideological perversions to some – must be decided by each Jewish voter themselves.
Jewish New Yorkers, just like Jewish voters in general, are not a monolith. In fact, nearly 40% of New York Jews recently indicated their support of Mamdani, according to a recent Fox News poll. While another poll showed his support among Jewish voters to be far lower, it’s still clear that Jewish New Yorkers are sharply divided in their views. Even some who may disagree with Mamdani on Israel or distrust him on antisemitism are supporting him because of his aspirational affordability agenda, which is especially appealing to younger voters.
The stakes of this election go beyond American Jews. Donald Trump wants Mamdani to win so he can falsely and dangerously portray all Democrats as “woke socialists” and target the people of his hometown with punitive federal spending cuts and a possible military takeover. Trump and Republicans have unlawfully and unconscionably threatened Mamdani with arrest, deportation, and denaturalization, demonstrating the Islamophobia, xenophobia, and hatred that’s driving their agenda. Donald Trump is weaponizing the U.S. government to attack those who disagree with him, including the ADL, creating a five-alarm fire on our doorstep fueled by fear and hate, and Mamdani is just one of their many targets. Whether Zohran Mamdani wins on Tuesday or not, that fire will continue to spread, and – make no mistake – it’s the largest and most direct threat to American Jews.
We must continue to direct our collective outrage and action at defeating those who have enabled our fast-moving slide toward authoritarianism, while making clear the values we stand for as Jews, even if it means disagreeing with some Democrats on select issues. Mamdani is one such Democrat with whom we disagree, and he’s not the only one. A range of views – some repugnant – have emerged among select Democrats regarding Israel. Despite the Democratic Party as a whole maintaining a pro-Israel consensus, we will continue to speak out against those with whom we disagree.
None of this changes the fact that the greatest threat we face as American Jews is emanating from this White House, not New York City, which is why we’re invested in ensuring Democrats who share our values win their statewide races on Tuesday. No matter the outcome of next week’s elections, we must stand together to continue to give voice to our values and defend our democracy at the ballot box in the midterms.
Halie Soifer is CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America. This article is republished from San Diego Jewish World which, along with The Moderate Voice, is a member of the San Diego Online News Association.