{"id":32707,"date":"2025-11-08T01:34:17","date_gmt":"2025-11-08T01:34:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/32707\/"},"modified":"2025-11-08T01:34:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-08T01:34:17","slug":"jewish-new-yorkers-react-to-a-mandate-of-change-in-nyc-under-mayor-elect-zohran-mamdanis-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/32707\/","title":{"rendered":"Jewish New Yorkers react to a \u201cmandate of change\u201d in NYC under Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani\u2019s leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"

A day after the NYC Mayor\u2019s Race was decided<\/a>, much of the Jewish community and its supporters in NYC are reacting to Zohran Mamdani\u2019s victory with disappointment and concern \u2014 but also hope that the Democratic socialist will not turn a blind eye to antisemitism that has proliferated throughout the city in recent years.<\/p>\n

From rabbis<\/a> and educators to parents and advocacy groups, Jewish New Yorkers were nervous about a Mamdani win throughout 2025. Much of their fear sprouted from his support of Palestine and criticisms of Israel throughout the war with Hamas in Gaza \u2014 a deadly conflict that began when terrorists stormed Israel, slaughtered more than 1,200 men, women and children, taking others hostage<\/a>, on Oct. 7, 2023.<\/p>\n

Antisemitism surged in New York City in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks; the NYPD reported that 54% of all hate crimes in New York City in 2024 were against Jewish New Yorkers<\/a>. The Anti-Defamation League further noted<\/a> that the state, as a whole, saw 1,437 antisemitic incidents last year, an 18% increase.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mamdani, who will be the first Muslim mayor of NYC, has been criticized for not taking a stronger stand against Hamas, a terrorist group, and for repeatedly refusing to recognize Israel\u2019s right to exist as a Jewish state. He has even been quoted as saying, \u201cI don\u2019t really have opinions\u201d<\/a> on whether Hamas should lay down their weapons, and has threatened to arrest Israel\u2019s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to visit the Big Apple.<\/p>\n

\"\"Released hostage, David Cunio, who was kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas and taken to Gaza, gestures as he arrives at Sheba Medical Center, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Ramat Gan, Israel October 13, 2025.REUTERS\/Hannah McKay<\/p>\n

Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the NYC legal thinktank, The Lawfare Project, said Mamdani\u2019s victory marks a \u201cstunning\u201d turn in local politics, signaling a breakthrough for Democratic socialists who might get a stronghold on the country\u2019s Democratic party.<\/p>\n

\u201cMamdani\u2019s victory underscores a profound shift; radical activism is no longer confined to the margins\u2014it\u2019s now occupying City Hall,\u201d Filitti said. \u201cMamdani\u2019s platform rejects the very foundations that many New Yorkers have taken for granted and have kept the city safe, vibrant, and economically viable \u2014 law enforcement, fiscal discipline, and social cohesion.\u201d<\/p>\n

What happens next in NYC will determine whether the city remains one of opportunity and order, or a \u201ctesting ground for ideological governance untethered from reality,\u201d Filitti reflected.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis election is not just about one city\u2019s direction,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a reflection of America\u2019s crossroads between stability and radical transformation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gavriel Sanders, a spokesperson for the Be a Mensch Foundation, an organization that supports a unified Israeli society, took the election results not only as a warning to Jews in NYC, but those from across the country. He reflected on violent anti-war protests that have popped up on college campuses<\/a> in America since 2023, with many of them leading to verbal or physical attacks on Jewish students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAntisemitic propaganda, which has infiltrated college and university campuses, has now embedded itself into candidates to which voters find acceptable,\u201d Sanders said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Groups say Mamdani\u2019s beliefs \u2018at odds\u2019 with Jewish community<\/p>\n

Jewish organization encompassing the UJA-Federation of New York, JCRC-NY, ADL New York\/New Jersey, AJC New York and New York Board of Rabbis, issued its own joint statement that addresses the Mamdani mayoral win.<\/p>\n

They acknowledged that New Yorkers voted and headed to the polls with a range of issues on their minds. However, they collectively stated that the mayor-elect holds beliefs that are \u201cfundamentally at odds\u201d with their community\u2019s convictions and values.<\/p>\n

Even so, they pledged to work to protect Jewish New Yorkers and urged Mamdani to \u201cgovern with humility, inclusivity and deep respect.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\u201cAs we have done for over a century, we will continue to work across every level of government to ensure that our city remains a place where our Jewish community, and all communities, feel safe and respected,\u201d the statement read. \u201cWe call on Mayor-elect Mamdani and all elected officials to govern with humility, inclusivity, and a deep respect for the diversity of views and experiences that define our city.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The statement continued that the group will \u201chold all elected officials, including Mayor-elect Mamdani, fully accountable for ensuring that New York remains a place where Jewish life and support for Israel are protected and can thrive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, executive vice president and COO at the Orthodox Union, an umbrella organization for Orthodox Jews in the United States, echoed similar sentiments.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe invite the mayor-elect to embrace the responsibility of governing for all, protecting the vulnerable, rejecting divisive rhetoric, and ensuring that safety, dignity, and respect are guaranteed to every New Yorker, including Jewish New Yorkers,\u201d he said. \u201cWe should aspire to much more than basic civility, and with the Almighty\u2019s help and New Yorkers holding each other accountable, we will.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"NYU students erected an encampment outside the college in April 2024 amid the protests over the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza.Photo by Dean Moses<\/p>\n

During an interview on Good Morning America on Wednesday morning, the mayor-elect was asked how he would assure Jewish New Yorkers that his vision for the city includes them. Mamdani said\u00a0he is looking forward to \u201cbeing the mayor for every single New Yorker\u201d who lives in the city.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked what he would do to address the mistrust among voters about his ability to protect and defend Jewish New Yorkers, Mamdani \u2014 without directly addressing Jewish New Yorkers \u2014 said he hoped his actions as mayor would ultimately win over skeptics.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think there are a lot of voters for whom trust comes from the actions that you actually take,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cMany have understandably been disappointed by politics and the promises that have been made by many before me. Now, my opportunity is to actually deliver as the next mayor of NYC.\u201d<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, based in Washington, D.C., issued its own statement congratulating Mamdani on his historic win.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThe election of New York City\u2019s first Muslim mayor represents a historic turning point for American Muslim political engagement,\u201d the statement read. \u201cMayor-elect Mamdani\u2019s ability to win while openly advocating for Palestinian human rights and experiencing a barrage of anti-Muslim hate also marks a historic rebuke of both Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism in politics.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A day after the NYC Mayor\u2019s Race was decided, much of the Jewish community and its supporters in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":32708,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[18625,314,19659,9,24,63,9694,87,122,124,123,19660],"class_list":{"0":"post-32707","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-adl","9":"tag-assembly-member-zohran-mamdani","10":"tag-mayor-elect-zohran-mamdani","11":"tag-new-york","12":"tag-new-york-city","13":"tag-nyc","14":"tag-nyc-2025-mayoral-election","15":"tag-politics","16":"tag-queens","17":"tag-queens-headlines","18":"tag-queens-news","19":"tag-the-lawfare-project"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/32708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}