Search

Democratic governor blasts antisemitism among Mamdani supporters

Shapiro: “You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic …. You’ve got to condemn that.”

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

Jewish Democratic Governor of Pennsylvania Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania decried the antisemitic language used by many supporters of New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.

In an interview with The Jewish Insider, the governor—who was shortlisted as Kamala Harris’ vice presidential pick for her 2024 campaign and is considered a possible 2028 presidential candidate—told the publication, “Across the board, I want to see more support for Israel, for a Jewish state. That doesn’t mean that one can’t be critical of Israeli policy.”

However, he added that this criticism shouldn’t cross the line and explained that, as a leader, “You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can’t leave room for that to just sit there. You’ve got to condemn that.”

In addition to his open support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement against Israel, Mamdani has declined to criticize the slogan popular among anti-Israel protesters, “Globalize the intifada.”

“Intifada,” a term used by terrorist groups to describe their campaign of deadly attacks against Israelis in the 1980s and early 2000s, has been co-opted by those who claim it is symbolic of a struggle or revolution.

Read  Netanyahu says Mamdani uses arrest threat to distract from NYC failures

During his mayoral campaign, Mamdani angered the Jewish community by claiming that the term “intifada” had been used in translations by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to describe a Jewish uprising against the Nazis in Warsaw in 1943.

In interviews, he distanced himself from the slogan, saying that it’s “not language that I use,” and more recently, he told business leaders that he won’t use the term.

When called on to criticize the use of the slogan by followers, Mamdani said, “I don’t believe that the role of the mayor is to police speech.”

Shortly after Passover, an anti-Israel activist set fire to Shapiro’s home; there were no injuries.

New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, a Jewish progressive who endorsed Mamdani, criticized Shapiro’s remarks regarding the antisemitic language used by Mamdani supporters.

Lander said, “Josh Shapiro won’t help keep Jews safe in NYC or Pennsylvania by feeding Trump’s narrative about our Democratic nominee for mayor.”