Israeli Reactions; ADL to Launch ‘Mamdani Monitor’; The Jewish Vote
Israeli officials from across the political spectrum voiced deep concern over Tuesday’s election of Zohran Mamdani as New York City mayor, calling him a Hamas supporter and avowed Jew-hater.
Israeli Diaspora Affairs Minister Amichai Chikli, sharing an AI rendering of the Statue of Liberty extinguishing her torch in New York Harbor, wrote on X: “The city that once stood as a symbol of global freedom has handed over its keys to a Hamas supporter, to someone whose positions are not far from those of the jihadist fanatics who, 25 years ago, murdered three thousand of its own,” referencing the 9/11 terrorist attack.
Chikli described the result as a pivotal moment for New York, saying the city’s decision undermines the foundations of a place that once welcomed waves of Jewish refugees in the late 19th century and became home to the largest Jewish community in the world outside Israel.
Mamdani, a far-left candidate with a history of anti-Israel rhetoric, is the first Democratic Socialist and Muslim mayor of the most populous city in the United States. He defeated former Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and Republican Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels.
Chikli warned that the Big Apple “will never be the same again, especially not for its Jewish community. New York is walking with open eyes toward the abyss into which London has already plunged,” referring to London’s Muslim social democratic mayor, Sadiq Khan.
Israel’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Danny Danon, wrote on X: “Mamdani’s inflammatory remarks will not deter us. The Jewish community in New York and across the United States deserves safety and respect. We will continue to strengthen our ties with Jewish community leaders to ensure their security and well-being.”
His predecessor, Gilad Erdan, called the election of a politician who considers Israel a genocidal and apartheid state and does not recognize it as Jewish “a HUGE warning sign” that could spread across the United States, including to Congress and the White House.
Yisrael Beytenu opposition leader Avigdor Liberman wrote on X in English that “the Big Apple has fallen” alongside an image of Mamdani juxtaposed with the Twin Towers engulfed in flames on 9/11. “Only three decades after the 9/11 disaster, New York has chosen an avowed racist, populist and Islamist as its mayor. Mamdani is the poster boy of the quiet jihad,” Liberman wrote in Hebrew. “Mamdani is the last thing a city struggling with crime, antisemitism and insecurity needed.”
Israel’s Jerusalem Affairs and Heritage Minister Amichai Eliyahu said it was unsurprising that some Jews in New York supported Mamdani, accusing them of aligning with antisemitism despite his hostility toward Israel and the Israel Defense Forces. He likened them to past Jews who sided with their enemies, warning that “antisemitism that speaks Hebrew” is the most dangerous form.
In response to Mamdani’s election, the Tzohar Rabbinical Organization issued an open letter urging Diaspora Jews to consider immigration to Israel as a central family and community priority. “We suggest that these sweeping events serve as a necessary call to strengthen your emotional bonds with Medinat Yisrael (the State of Israel) in ways that will increasingly encourage a more widespread and public commitment to aliyah,” the letter states.
The organization emphasized, however, that Jews should move to Israel out of love, not fear: “It is critical that we not make the mistake of saying that you need to flee in fear and move to Israel out of fright, but rather out of love of our homeland.”
In the U.S., both the Orthodox Union and the Agudath Israel of America put out statements that sounded defiant, even somewhat hopeful notes.
“I invite you to join us, to channel the fear and frustration into working together toward a safe and thriving future for all,” read the OU statement signed by president Mitch Aeder and executive vice president Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph. “As the children of Avraham, we will not stop, we will not be quiet, and we will not fear, for we know that the G-d of Avraham is watching over us as we forge forward.”
Meanwhile, the Anti-Defamation League said that it is launching a tip line for city residents to report Jew-hatred and a “Mamdani monitor.” The latter will be a “public-facing tracker monitoring policies, appointments and actions by the Mamdani administration that impact Jewish community safety and security.”
The ADL also said that it will create a “hyper-focused” and “dedicated New York citywide antisemitism tipline” and will debut “new research capabilities,” including “early-warning research into policies, mayoral appointments and funding decisions coming from City Hall that could impact Jewish community interests.”
“Mayor-Elect Mamdani has promoted antisemitic narratives, associated with individuals who have a history of antisemitism and demonstrated intense animosity toward the Jewish state that is counter to the views of the overwhelming majority of Jewish New Yorkers,” stated Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO and national director of the ADL.
“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 in recent years,” he said.
The Jewish vote in New York City went heavily for Cuomo, 60-31%, according to Henry Olsen, Senior Fellow at the EPPC.
