New poll reveals American Jews’ views on Mamdani

Vast majority of Jews are alarmed by election of Mamdani, express growing anxiety over both right-wing and left-wing antisemitism.

By World Israel News Staff

Nearly two-thirds of American Jews believe that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is not only anti-Israel but also antisemitic, according to a new poll which highlights concerns over rising antisemitism in the US.

On Thursday, the Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) released the results for this month’s Jewish People Index, based on a survey conducted from Nov. 14 to 15 among 745 American Jews.

The survey found that virtually all American Jews (99%) are concerned by antisemitism in the US, with most (62%) equally worried about right-wing and left-wing antisemitism. Twenty percent said they are primarily concerned by left-wing antisemitism, while 17% are more worried by right-wing antisemitism.

The election of Mamdani earlier this month has heightened concerns over antisemitism, with the most common response to the election being “concern,” which was the primary emotion felt by 56% of respondents.

Two-thirds (67%) say Mamdani’s election will likely harm the security of New York’s Jews. Only 6% think that the security of the Jewish community is likely to improve.

A whopping 64% of American Jews believe Mamdani is both anti-Israel and antisemitic, while 19% say he is anti-Israel but not antisemitic. Fewer than one-in-10 (9%) of American Jews believe Mamdani is neither anti-Israel nor antisemitic.

Even among liberal-leaning Jews, more than half (56%) believe Mamdani is antisemitic.

The poll also surveyed American Jews for their feelings regarding Israel and the Zionist movement, and how Zionism relates to their Jewish identity.

A total of 70% said they identify as Zionists, while another 12% said they support Zionism without describing themselves as “Zionist.” Just 3% said they identified as “anti-Zionist.”

Nearly three-quarters (72%) of American Jews believe that anti-Zionism is inherently antisemitic, while 17% said it is sometimes antisemitic and just 11% said the two were unrelated.