Letter by rabbis warning Mamdani ‘threatens Jewish safety’ surges to 1,000 signatures as early voting opens

According to the Board of Elections, more than 79,000 voters cast ballots on opening day, with Manhattan and Brooklyn leading the turnout.

By Jewish Breaking News

More than a thousand rabbis from across the United States have now signed an open letter warning that New York City mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani poses a threat to Jewish safety.

Titled “A Rabbinic Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future,” the letter came to light during Wednesday’s mayoral debate, where Mamdani vowed to serve the interests of “all Jewish New Yorkers.”

His opponent, former governor Andrew Cuomo, shot back by noting that “hundreds of rabbis” had condemned Mamdani’s record.

“It was not several rabbis, Zohran,” Cuomo said. “It was 650 rabbis.”

By Saturday, that number had topped 1,000. The signatories accuse the New York assemblyman of undermining Israel’s legitimacy and previously defending the slogan “Globalize the Intifada.”

While Mamdani has since distanced himself, the letter insists his positions “threaten the safety and dignity of Jews in every city.”

“We will not accept a culture that treats Jewish self-determination as a negotiable ideal,” the statement reads, urging voters to back candidates who “affirm Israel’s right to exist in peace and security.”

Seeking to reassure critics, Mamdani has met with synagogue leaders and vowed to strengthen city funding for hate-crime initiatives.

Still, polling shows Jewish voters remain split, with 42% backing Cuomo, 38% supporting Mamdani, and 13% favoring Republican Curtis Sliwa.

On Friday, Cuomo met with Orthodox leaders in Flatbush and received the endorsement of the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition, the same group that former Mayor Eric Adams said was key to his 2021 win.

Meanwhile, early voting is already underway across New York City.

According to the Board of Elections, more than 79,000 voters cast ballots on opening day, with Manhattan and Brooklyn leading turnout.

“I’m going to be voting on Election Day. And my message to early voters, of which I’ve already met a number, is that this is our opportunity—it continues to be one—to make the most expensive city in the United States of America affordable,” Mamdani told CBS News.

“It’s been so exciting to meet so many New Yorkers who have already done so, casting their vote for the only campaign that actually has a vision for the future of what this city can be, not just redirecting ourselves to thinking only of the past.”

Early voting will continue through Nov. 2, ahead of Election Day on Nov. 4.