Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral candidacy stirs Jews in New York – and beyond

 https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/10/25/mamdani-israel-newyork-jews

But it is his stance on Israel — including its right to any kind of Jewish identity — and his positions on Palestinian rights that have proved the most emotional issues of the race. And in the closing days of the New York mayor’s race, sharp debates over antisemitism and Islamophobia, present from the moment of Mamdani’s upset primary win, have reached a crescendo.

“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, in the words of New York Board of Rabbis president Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, ‘Delegitimize the Jewish community and encourage and exacerbate hostility toward Judaism and Jews,’” the petition said.

“This is something starting to make Jewish people very, very nervous,” he said. “Throughout the country, Jews have a wide range of opinions on any action the state does. Many, many Zionist Jews are highly critical of Israel, just like there are American patriots critical of our government. That doesn’t mean our government shouldn’t exist.”

At the same time, Mamdani has been embraced by Jewish progressives dedicated to the cause of Palestinian rights. Mamdani declined to be interviewed for this piece.