When you stand with an antisemite . . .
Menachem Rosensaft’s third essay focusing on Zohran Mamdani, tipped to be elected mayor of New York next week.
Menachem Rosensaft
Politicians, by definition, tend to make strategic decisions they deem to be in their self-interest. The more high-minded, not to say ethical, ones among them draw the line when it comes to issues of principle. More likely, or perhaps, more frequently, they will balance competing considerations and opt for what they consider to be their most advantageous pragmatic option.
What they often don’t put into their decision-making calculations are the future implications and consequences of their actions.
Zohran Mamdani, who may well be elected mayor of New York City next Tuesday, is a virulent anti-Zionist who engages in antisemitic conspiracy theories. One glaring example that surfaced recently: in 2023, he told one far-left group that alleged violence on the part of New York police officers is somehow masterminded by the Israeli armed forces. I’m not exaggerating. “We have to make clear that when the boot of the NYPD [New York City Police Department] is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF.”
If ever there was a clear incitement to antisemitic violence, violence against Jews, this is it. There can be no other explanation. And yet, Mamdani’s supporters — who purport to be appalled by the surging antisemitism around them — steadfastly stand by their candidate.
Mamdani claims not to be antisemitic, only pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel, and his supporters assist him in threading this particular noxious needle.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, NY Attorney General Letitia James, US House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Representative Jerrold Nadler, NY State Senator Liz Krueger fall squarely into this category.
“Mamdani’s distinction between accepting Jews and denying a Jewish state is not merely a rhetorical sleight of hand or political naivety — though it is, to be clear, both of these,” warned Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove in his courageous sermon. “he is doing so to traffic in the most dangerous of tropes, an anti-Zionist rhetoric.”
While Nadler, who announced that he will not seek reelection in 2026, is a lame duck, many of Mamdani’s other acolytes appear to want a political future beyond Nov. 4. Good luck to them.
Hochul’s early endorsement of Mamdani’s candidacy is certain to be an albatross around her neck next year when she seeks reelection. The same goes for Mamdani’s other cheerleaders.
I am not suggesting that criticism of Israeli government policies and actions is not legitimate or permissible. On the contrary. But, to be clear, Mamdani is not just critical of Israel or supportive of the Palestinian cause — he does not want the State of Israel to continue existing as a Jewish homeland. The list of his other extremist anti-Israel and anti-Zionist positions and statements is too well known and does not need to be restated here.
By supporting Mamdani, by calling on New Yorkers to vote for him, Hochul et al. are legitimising, validating his antisemitic loathing of Israel, a loathing that is likely to inspire his followers to engage in increased anti-Jewish rhetoric and potential violence.
As a lifelong Democrat, I do not see how I can ever vote for Hochul again. And yes, that means that I am open to supporting a Republican nominee for New York State governor.
The same holds for the rest of Mamdani’s fan club. Rabbi Cosgrove has correctly identified Mamdani as “a danger to the New York Jewish community.” Which means that Hochul, Jeffries, Nadler, et al. are aiding and abetting such a clear and present danger. In light of Mamdani’s record, this is a knowing decision on their part, a decision that, I repeat, is replete with consequences.
I am writing in advance of the election, which I hope may yet turn out to be a surprise, come-from-behind win for Andrew Cuomo. I am also doing so in advance of the inevitable attempts at fence-mending that will follow, regardless of the result.
The reality is that while Mamdani’s mainstream allies may not have consciously written off the New York Jewish community, they are hoping for collective short memories. This is not a quality that New Yorkers, or New York Jews, for that matter, are known for.
Menachem Z. Rosensaft is adjunct professor of law at Cornell Law School, lecturer-in- law at Columbia Law School. He is the author, most recently, of Burning Psalms: Confronting Adonai after Auschwitz (Ben Yehuda Press, 2025)
