‘Deeply distressing’ — Zohran Mamdani wins NYC mayoral race

Jewish advocacy groups warn that Zohran Mamdani’s win could embolden antisemitism.

By World Israel News Staff

Far-left progressive Democrat Zohran Mamdani was declared the winner of the New York City mayoral election late Tuesday evening, with media reporting that he achieved a landslide victory.

Ugandan-born Mamdani, 34, said during his campaign that he plans to enact sweeping changes in line with his socialist ideology, including raising taxes on businesses, limiting the power of police and prosecutors, and instituting rent freezes. Those policy proposals triggered President Donald Trump to refer to Mamdani as a “communist.”

Mamdani has a long history of anti-Israel rhetoric. He has said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would be arrested if he visited New York, has repeatedly refused to condemn the Hamas terror group, and has promoted claims that Israel is committing war crimes and genocide in Gaza.

His victory comes during a spike in antisemitic violence throughout the city. Jewish residents and national advocacy organizations have expressed fear that Mamdani’s win will embolden antisemites.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a media statement saying it plans to hold Mamdani accountable for spreading antisemitic rhetoric, citing his “disturbing record on issues of deep concern to the Jewish community.” The ADL emphasized that it “will neither compromise nor relent in our pursuit of our core purpose, to protect the Jewish people.”

In a press release, the Republican Jewish Coalition said that “Democrats have shamefully endorsed and elected an antisemite to run the largest city in America with the largest number of Jews in the country,” calling Mamdani’s win “a deeply distressing result for New Yorkers, particularly Jewish New Yorkers.”

Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who ran against Mamdani as an independent, told supporters after conceding that “we will not tolerate any behavior that fans the flames of antisemitism.”

Residents expressed similar fears. Ariel Kohane, a Jewish resident of New York, told The Times of Israel he expects things to become even more dire for the Jewish community in the city.

“Even wearing a yarmulke in the street now is probably going to get a lot more dangerous. It’s not something that I ever thought would happen anywhere in the United States of America, let alone New York,” he said.

Moshe Spern, a Jewish education professional, echoed Kohane’s concerns to the outlet.

“I’m worried about the indoctrination of kids hating Israel, thinking that Israel is a pariah, thinking that Israel commits genocide — something that Zohran has gone around saying for two years,” Spern said.