Nearly two years ago (June 24, 2023), TTN published “A Selective Survy of Media” that included the following on a then little-known member of the NY State Assembly, who has suddenly emerged as a major contender for Mayor of the City of New York:
A New York regional public radio program and podcast, “Capitol Pressroom,” hosted a 22-minute segment with a member of the New York State Assembly, Zohran Mamdani, who represents sections of Western Queens as a Democrat. Mamdani is 31 years old and a member of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), who immigrated from Uganda as a child, with his Indian-Muslim parents.
In May, he submitted a bill to block tax-deductible donations from going to State-registered charities that support “settlement operations” to the tune of “more than $60 million a year,” causing the State of New York to “effectively subsidize war crimes.” Why “war crimes”? Because, he argues, settlements are illegal under international law, and the United States government does not allow Federal funds to aid them.
What was remarkable about this conversation was how matter of fact, uncontentious, calm and civil the tone was. First of all, the show’s host, David Lombardo, is unfailingly polite and even-toned. But so was the guest, Mamdani, and he’s remarkably articulate.
Mamdani [photo above by Kara McCurdy, with use authorized by his campaign] has gotten enormous buzz with a campaign that’s raised so much money, so early, that he’s no longer soliciting campaign funds. In a crowded field of Democratic contenders, Mamdani has consistently polled in second place to Andrew Cuomo, New York State’s scandal-ridden former governor, forced to resign in 2021 but making a strong political comeback bid.
Cuomo has countered Mamdani, accusing him of being antisemitic, and lauding himself as a champion of Israel and protector of the Jews. Cuomo is thought to be contending strongly with Mayor Eric Adams (who will run in November as an independent) for the potentially powerful primary bloc votes of Chasidim and other Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn. The Mayor has just announced the creation of a mayoral office to fight antisemitism.
There are two Jewish candidates in contention for the Democratic nomination, the current City Comptroller Brad Lander and his predecessor in that office, Scott Stringer. Lander is currently polling third, with Stringer further down in the pack. Both are liberal Jews, with Lander listed as an “Allied Elected Official” of the New York Jewish Agenda, a liberal group. Lander defines himself as a Zionist, but is not uncritical of Israel, having spoken at least once at a rally of left-Zionist groups opposed to Netanyahu’s policies.
Mamdani’s complicated record on Jewish issues is profiled in a JTA article:
In Albany, he sponsored “Not on Our Dime,” legislation that would prohibit nonprofit organizations from “engaging in unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity” … Mamdani has also expressed support for the Boycott, Divest and Sanctions movement against Israel — though he hasn’t said whether he’d seek to have New York City participate if he became mayor.
In December 2023, he participated in a five-day hunger strike outside the White House to call for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. More recently, he also spoke out against the detainment by ICE of Columbia University campus protester leader Mahmoud Khalil, and, in April, he appeared on the Twitch show of the left-wing, anti-Zionist streamer Hasan Piker …
… Politico reported that Mamdani declined to sign a state Assembly resolution recognizing Holocaust Memorial Day in New York on Jan. 27, and that he also declined to sign a resolution congratulating Israel on its 77th anniversary. (Mamdani signed Holocaust Memorial Day resolutions in 2021 and 2022, and publicly condemned the Holocaust on his social media.) …
Under pressure from The Free Press, he also sharpened his answer to the question of whether he believes Israel has a right to exist, finally landing on an unqualified “yes.”
If the primary race ends as the polls currently indicate, Cuomo will win the Democratic nomination, Mayor Adams will run as an independent, Guardian Angels’ founder Curtis Sliwa will be the Republican candidate, and Mamdani will run on the Working Families Party line. With at least one other independent candidate also in the race, any of these may win all the marbles in November, including this charismatic young socialist who is also a Muslim immigrant with a highly critical track record on Israel.
As a Jewish New Yorker…
My preference is for Lander. If Mamdani wins, however, I would not suggest panicky plans to abandon NYC. As uncomfortable as I am with someone who flirts with anti-Zionism, it wasn’t antisemitic for him to advocate a ceasefire in Gaza, and he’s right to have opposed tax advantages for American organizations that promote settlements in the West Bank.
In the event that Mamdani wins, he will do so with a substantial number of Jewish votes, especially young Jews but also older progressives attracted by a platform that includes free bus transit, a rent freeze for tenants in rent-stabilized apartments, and a plan to convert vacant subway retail spaces into homeless drop-in centers. Generally speaking, the City of New York should not have a foreign policy, and I would not expect Mamdani to govern as an antisemite.