As Zohran Mamdani gets ready to be New York's mayor, many Jews are concerned & divided

As Zohran Mamdani gets ready to be New York’s mayor, many American Jews are concerned and divided about his stance on matters related to the community.

Mamdani won the Democratic Party’s New York mayoral primaries at a time when antisemitism has been on the rise in the aftermath of the October 7 terrorist attack. At the same time, Israel has faced unprecedented isolation globally and criticism in the United States over its war in the Gaza Strip that has killed tens of thousands of people and devasted the Palestinian enclave.

Mamdani’s standing among the Jews goes both ways. While his views on anti-Israel, Palestinian movements and the refusal to acknowledge the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state concerns some, others find in him an ally in their criticism of Israel.

Despite fears, Mamdani finds support among Jews

Mamdani has found support among some notable Jewish leaders and reports suggests a broad section of younger Jews also support him.

Brad Lander, New York’s comptroller who is a Jew, has endorsed Mamdani. Representative Jerrold Nadler, one of the city’s most prominent Jewish leaders, has also endorsed Mamdani. Nadler said he and Mamdani would work together “to fight against all bigotry and hate”.

Some surveys have found that Mamdani won the support of nearly 20 per cent of Jewish Democrats, according to The New York Times.

In recent years, more and more younger Jews have turned critics of Israel over continued occupation of Palestinian territories and actions that lead to Palestinians deaths’ and displacement — including in the ongoing war.

But Mamdani’s problematic positions worry many

Despite such support, Mamdani’s problematic takes on the two-state solution and violent Palestinian movements worry many.

Mamdani has refused to condemn intifadas, which are violent, anti-Israel Palestinian movements that have killed thousands of people over many years. Instead, he has justified such movements as “a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights”.

Such justification of a movement that has targeted Israelis and Jews for years has led to concerns that Mamdani’s tenure would empower antisemitic hate and violence. Mamdani’s stance on the Oct. 7 attack and the right of Israel to exist as a Jewish state has also led to such concerns.

In the immediate aftermath of the Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, Mamdani condemned Israeli response to the attack and slammed calls for retaliation within Israel but did not mention Hamas and had no word to offer for the victims of the Hamas’ attacks.

Mamdani has also refused to answer whether he supports the two-state solution, which envisions a Jewish State of Israel and an Arab State of Palestine side-by-side to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The failure to recognise the two-state solution and prefer just one state —either a single Jewish state or a single Arab state— implies a denial of the other’s right to exist.