Jewish Leaders Divided Over New York’s First Muslim Mayor

Within hours of Zohran Mamdani’s historic election as New York’s first Muslim mayor, the Anti-Defamation League launched an initiative to track policies and personnel appointments of the incoming administration, highlighting deep divisions within the city’s Jewish community.

The ADL announced Wednesday its aim to “protect Jewish residents across the five boroughs during a period of unprecedented antisemitism in New York City.” Jonathan Greenblatt, the ADL’s national director, expressed concern that Mamdani has “associated with individuals who have a history of antisemitism, and demonstrated intense animosity toward the Jewish state.”

“We are deeply concerned that those individuals and principles will influence his administration at a time when we are tracking a brazen surge of harassment, vandalism and violence targeting Jewish residents and institutions,” Greenblatt added.

According to the AP Voter Poll, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo received approximately 60% of the Jewish vote during a campaign that repeatedly highlighted Mamdani’s criticisms of Israel and raised questions about antisemitism. About three in ten Jewish voters supported Mamdani.

The Jewish Voice, a conservative pro-Israel newspaper, portrayed the city’s Jewish community—the largest in the United States—as fearfully preparing for an “exodus.” Similarly, the two top leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations described Mamdani’s election as “a grim milestone.”

However, not all Jewish organizations share this perspective. Jeremy Ben-Ami, president of the centrist pro-Israel group J Street, criticized the statements from the ADL and Conference of Presidents.

“The fearmongering we have seen from some Jewish institutions and leaders surrounding Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is harmful, overblown and risks needlessly deepening divisions in the city and in our community,” Ben-Ami said. “Our community’s responsibility now is to engage constructively with the mayor-elect, not to sow panic or to demonize him.”

Throughout his campaign, Mamdani maintained his criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza, characterizing them as genocide against Palestinians. However, he welcomed Jewish supporters to his campaign, condemned the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, and rejected Cuomo’s suggestions that he was insufficiently opposed to antisemitism.

“We will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism,” Mamdani declared at his victory celebration. At his first post-election news conference Wednesday, he reaffirmed this commitment, highlighting plans to increase funding for hate crime prevention. “I take the issue of antisemitism incredibly seriously,” he said.

Leaders of the Reform Movement, representing the largest branch of American Judaism, issued a measured statement after Mamdani won what they described as a “deeply polarizing campaign.”

“In this moment, we urge the Jewish community to help lower the temperature, listen generously, and take steps to promote healing,” the statement read. “We will hold the new mayor accountable to his commitments to protect Jewish communities and all New Yorkers, to confront antisemitism and every form of hate, and to safeguard civil rights and peaceful expression.”

Amy Spitalnick, CEO of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, encouraged both Mamdani and Jewish leaders to work toward “a strong, safe and inclusive city in which Jewish and all New Yorkers can thrive.”

“This was an election in which Jews became a political football — which did nothing to advance Jewish or any community’s safety,” Spitalnick observed. “Rather, in so many ways, this election was used to validate the worst instincts and fears on both extremes.”

Progressive Jewish groups celebrated Mamdani’s victory, including IfNotNow, which has organized protests against Israel’s Gaza campaign, and Bend The Arc: Jewish Action.

“Throughout this election, Donald Trump, Andrew Cuomo, as well as far too many out-of-touch Jewish leaders sought to weaponize antisemitism to divide Jews from our fellow New Yorkers,” IfNotNow stated. “As Zohran faced an onslaught of Islamophobia, we organized our Jewish communities and refused to succumb to that fearmongering.”

Zalman Friedman, a Hasidic Jewish civic leader and board member of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, expressed mixed feelings about Mamdani’s win.

“We are disappointed, and we are hopeful that he will make life better and not worse,” said Friedman, who is part of the prominent Chabad-Lubavitch community in Brooklyn. He voiced concerns about potential big-government approaches while hoping the new mayor would focus on public safety, housing affordability, and supporting government funding for Jewish religious schools.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, one of the nation’s most prominent Jewish politicians, acknowledged his discomfort with some of Mamdani’s comments on Israel but noted they have maintained productive private communications. “I hope, as he did last night in his victory speech, that he’ll be a mayor that protects all New Yorkers and tries to bring people together,” Shapiro said.

As Mamdani prepares to take office, the divide within New York’s Jewish community reflects broader national tensions regarding Israel, antisemitism, and political representation. His administration’s early actions will be closely watched by both supporters and critics as he attempts to bridge these deep divides.