It’s high anxiety time for Jews in New York City.
Early voting has begun, Election Day is just over a week away and the largest Jewish community outside of Israel is freaked out about a 34 year old state assemblyman who is on the cusp of becoming mayor.
Why the worry? Because Zohran Mamdani, who calls himself a Democrat-Socialist (with the emphasis on Socialist), would not only be a disaster as the mayor in the epicenter of capitalism, but he’s also proudly and resolutely anti-Israel.
The angst over Mamdani and the Jews was manifested this Saturday. A get-out-the-vote event took place in synagogues throughout New York, spearheaded by a grassroots group called Jewish Voters Unite.
The apprehension that Mamdani will be moving into Gracie Mansion was manifested last Saturday, as Elliot Cosgrove, the articulate rabbi of the Park Avenue Synagogue in Manhattan, declared from his pulpit, “To be clear, unequivocal and on the record, I believe Zohran Mamdani poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community.”
And there is now the added concern that Mamdani-ism will metastasize beyond the five boroughs of New York.
That was manifested this past week, in a typically Jewish way, with a public letter signed by more than 850 rabbis from across the nation. They described what a Mamdani mayoralty would mean, not only to Jewish New Yorkers, but also to the Jews of America.
The rabbis wrote, “When public figures like New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani refuse to condemn violent slogans, deny Israel’s legitimacy, and accuse the Jewish state of genocide, they…delegitimize the Jewish community and encourage and exacerbate hostility toward Jews and Judaism.”
OK, it’s more than anxiety, angst or apprehension. It’s a panic.
New York is the bellwether for Jewish political influence. A Mamdani victory will have repercussions for the New York Jewish community, and for Jewish communities around the United States.
If Mamdani prevails, anti-Jewish and anti-Israel candidates will be emboldened and energized even more than they already are.
The grim reality of a Mamdani mayoralty is knocking at our door and we are desperately trying to keep him from barging in. But what’s the surprise? We knew back in June, after Mamdani’s stunning win in the Democrat primary, what he thinks about Jews and the Jewish state.
He doesn’t believe Israel should exist as the homeland for the Jewish people. He says he would arrest Bibi Netanyahu for war crimes if he set foot in New York City. He has joyously aligned himself with the most radical, Israel-hating politicians in America including Rashida Tlaib, Bernie Sanders and Pramila Jayapal. And my bet is, if he’s elected mayor, he won’t be marching in the annual Salute to Israel Parade.
It has been no secret that blocking his path to City Hall would require a huge effort by a united Jewish community.
The tight-knit Syrian-Jewish community in Brooklyn made an effort in September when its largest synagogue required all congregants to show proof of voter registration before they would be admitted to High Holiday services.
Some Jewish community poobahs pooh-poohed what they did, but you know what? At least they recognized the emergency and took action.
For the past few months, there have been secret and not so secret backroom meetings with Mamdani and Jewish leaders trying to ascertain just how anti-Jewish and anti-Israel he really is. How did that turn out? Many of the rabbis who attended those meetings are now signing their names to the Beware of Mamdani letter.
Now, just before the election clock strikes twelve, there is an all-out push to defeat him. I certainly hope it’s not too little, too late.
Apart from Mamdani’s ascendence, we’re seeing other cracks in New York’s traditional Jewish political clout.
On Friday of this past week, the House Democratic minority leader and Congressman from Brooklyn Hakeem Jeffries, gave Mamdani his endorsement. You don’t get more establishment than Jeffries and yet he found it in his best political interests to back Mamdani.
Governor Kathy Hochul is up for re-election next year against, probably, Elise Stefanik whose pro-Jewish creds are strong. But Hochul apparently didn’t worry too much about New York’s Jewish vote when she made her grand Mamdani endorsement. She apparently had little or no fear of a Jewish voter backlash in next year’s election.
Yes, Hochul backed Mamdani for a bunch of her own crass political purposes, but she also had to factor in the fear, or lack of it, of New York’s Jewish voters and clearly she chose Mamdani’s supporters over her Jewish backers.
Let’s be optimistic for a moment. There is still a slim chance Andrew Cuomo will snatch victory from the jaws of defeat with the help of Jewish voters. If that happens, New York’s Jewish political chestnuts will be pulled from the fire, at least for now. There’s also a slim chance the New York Jets can still make the playoffs even though they haven’t one a single football game in seven tries. You wanna lay odds on either?
And that, my dear Friend Without Benefits subscribers, is why it is now panic time amongst the Jews of NYC.