With NYC mayoral elections drawing near, Jewish leaders continue to warn about Mamdani

Jewish leaders in New York are continuing to sound warnings over Democratic New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as the election campaign moves into the final weeks. 

The Democratic Socialists of America party member is seen as the favorite to win the mayoral race, leading fellow Democrat and former New York State governor Andrew Cuomo, and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa. 

New York Jewish leaders have cited Mamdani’s apparent support for Hamas during the two-year Gaza War, along with his refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, as evidence of an attitude of hostility towards Jews and Judaism. 

The nonpartisan American Jewish Committee (AJC) issued a statement last week, warning of “Mamdani’s continued use of problematic rhetoric as it relates to Israel and Jews,” urging Mamdani to “change course.” 

Noting that it is a registered non-profit, AJC said it does not “endorse or oppose candidates for elected office,” but feels “compelled to speak out when public figures use rhetoric or endorse policies that harm Jews.” 

AJC said that Mamdani is prioritizing anti-Zionist Jewish groups to the neglect of the broader Jewish community in NYC. 

“By continuing to prioritize anti-Zionist synagogues and groups, Mamdani ignores the perspectives and concerns of the vast majority of Jewish New Yorkers.” 

The organization pointed out the candidate’s repeated use of the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s military action in the Gaza Strip, saying the charge is “unequivocally false and dangerous, has not been proven in any international court, and gives fodder to those who continue to use Israel’s self-defensive actions as an excuse to threaten and attack Jews.” 

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of the Upper East Side’s Conservative Park Avenue Synagogue, in a Shabbat sermon, stated that Mamdani “poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community,” the Times of Israel reported. 

Rabbi Cosgrove, who is a leading figure in the Conservative Judaism movement, also said, “Zionism, Israel, Jewish self-determination, these are not political preferences or partisan talking points.” 

“We feel our connection to Israel and its people,” Cosgrove explained. “It is the invisible string that has tugged at our hearts since the very beginnings of our people.” 

In a statement released to social media, Rabbi Ammi Hirsch, a leader in the Reform Judaism movement and the senior rabbi at Manhattan’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue, called on Mamdani to change his statements regarding Israel’s right to exist. 

.@ZohranKMamdani I do not speak for all Jews, but I do represent the views of the large majority of the NY Jewish community, which is increasingly concerned about your statements about Israel and the Jewish people. I urge you to reconsider your long-held rejection of Israel’s… pic.twitter.com/jYNnBvlX3C

— Ammi Hirsch (@AmmiHirsch) October 16, 2025

Regarding the candidate’s refusal to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, and the false charges of genocide, Hirsch said, “Rather than bringing New Yorkers together, you are fanning the flames of intolerance. I urge you to reconsider your long-held views of Israel’s right to exist. These views are profoundly immoral.” 

The AJC noted in its statement that Mamdani repeatedly criticizes Israel, the Middle East’s only democracy, and the world’s only Jewish state, yet he does not criticize its neighbors, who offer fewer rights to minorities than Israel does. 

Noting that Mamdani has previously stated he “would not recognize any state's right to exist with a system of hierarchy on the basis of race or religion,” the AJC says his criticism of Israel is “is an unacceptable double standard. Israel is surrounded by Muslim countries, yet Mamdani does not continuously suggest that any of those nations should not exist as they are.” 

Mamdani has increased outreach efforts to the Jewish community of New York City in recent weeks, meeting with various rabbis and Jewish community leaders in an attempt to assuage fears within the community. 

However, even that effort was not without controversy, as his appearance at a Sukkot celebration by the anti-Zionist Satmar Hasidic community drew backlash from other Jewish groups, who have noted that he appears to target outreach to Jewish groups opposed to Israel.