The Gaza War and accusations of anti-Semitism were repeatedly mentioned at the Democratic mayoral primary debate on Wednesday, June 4, with frontrunner Andrew Cuomo wearing a yellow lapel pin as a reminder of the hostages held by Hamas.
“Given the hostility and the anti-Semitism that has been shown in New York, I would go to Israel,” Cuomo said, in response to whether he would visit Israel as mayor. His answer stood in contrast to Astoria Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani, who accuses Israel of genocide and sponsored bills to strip some pro-Israel charities of tax-exempt status.
On the crowded stage, each frontrunner tried to land a memorable soundbite to score momentum and defend the city’s policies against President Trump’s harsh immigration crackdown.
“I am Donald Trump’s worst nightmare, as a progressive Muslim immigrant who actually fights for the things that I believe in,” Mamdani said. “The difference between myself and Andrew Cuomo is that my campaign is not funded by the very billionaires who put Donald Trump in DC.”
Cuomo rebutted that he opposed Trump during his first term in the White House. “I know how to deal with Donald Trump because I’ve dealt with him before. Many times. We’ve had many encounters. We fought on a daily basis through COVID. And I won many of those battles.”
The former governor then compared his lengthy experience in government to Mamdani’s age. “Donald Trump would go through Mr. Mamdani like a hot knife through butter. He’s been in government for 27 minutes; he’s passed three bills. That’s all he’s done.”
For Orthodox Jewish voters, opposition to Trump is not a priority issue as it is to most Democratic city voters. They are concerned with the uptick in anti-Semitic incidents, the war against Hamas, quality of life, and ensuring that as the only primary candidate ahead of Mamdani in the polls, Cuomo not only seeks their vote but also makes amends for his seemingly heavy-handed pandemic lockdowns and forcing unprepared nursing homes to accept patients carrying the virus.
In a race against an inexperienced and hostile progressive, Orthodox groups that hesitated to endorse Cuomo earlier in the race now tell their constituents of the urgency in their decision.
“That wound lingers, a reminder of how quickly our freedoms can be curtailed,” the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance wrote. “Yet, despite this pain, we must look forward and consider our future as Jews in New York City, where new threats loom larger than past grievances.”
Their statement noted that “Cuomo is no tzadik, and no one claims that he is,” focusing their message entirely on defeating Mamdani as a matter of the community’s future in the city.
Like his father Mario Cuomo, who also served as governor, Andrew Cuomo maintained communication with Orthodox organizations even during moments of harsh disagreements and opposition.
“Cuomo expressed deep regret for the distress caused, acknowledging past mistakes,” the Bobov chasidic leadership noted. “He pledged to maintain an open line of communication with community leaders and to appoint Orthodox Jewish advisors to ensure culturally sensitive decision-making.”
Over the weekend, Crown Jewish United and Crown Heights PAC offered their support to Cuomo, its members representing the Chabad community in Brooklyn.
“I have a deep and longstanding relationship with this tight-knit community that goes back decades, and I know it will continue for years to come as we partner to make New York City safer and stronger,” Cuomo responded.
The Satmar community of Williamsburg appears to be the holdout at this moment, as its experience with Cuomo during the pandemic included the wedding of Rebbe Zalman Teitelbaum’s grandson Yoel in October 2020, with unmasked crowds gathered in defiance of the lockdown. At the time, Cuomo ordered state health officials to prevent the gathering and asked the city to investigate it, with a potential fine of $15,000 against Congregation Yetev Lev.
With early voting starting on Saturday and continuing until Sunday, June 22, the Queens Jewish community is perhaps the least hesitant to cast its vote for the borough’s native son. Assemblyman Sam Berger offered his support for Cuomo back in March, before incumbent mayor Eric Adams withdrew from the Democratic primary and Mamdani amassed a sizable campaign war chest with public matching funds.
In the weeks since then, Main Street was visited by Scott Stringer and Zellnor Myrie, who are trailing far behind Cuomo and Mamdani. The other candidates, including Whitney Tilson, Michael Blake, and Adrienne Adams, visited other Jewish communities across the city and appeared at Jewish forums to answer questions and discuss issues. Mamdani also spoke before Jewish audiences, recognizing the right of Israel to exist, but not as a “Jewish state,” and at the debate, he stood out for refusing to visit the country. Having sponsored legislation to boycott Israel and attending rallies on this matter, he noted that he probably would not be welcomed by Israeli authorities.
“I’m not even sure if I would be allowed to enter into Israel, because I think that there’s legislation that prohibits the entry of anyone who supports that legislation,” Mamdani said at a candidates’ forum on the Upper West Side on Sunday. “So, it is both a question for me, but also, were the answer to be different, I think the result would be the same.”
Having paid a surprise visit to the COJO legislative breakfast in Flatbush last month, Mamdani reiterated that he will meet with Jewish communities across the city. “What I’ve said is that one need not visit Israel to stand up for Jewish New Yorkers. I believe that to stand up for Jewish New Yorkers means that you actually meet Jewish New Yorkers wherever they may be – be it at their synagogues and temples, their homes, on the subway platform, or at a park, wherever it may be.”
Along with the Democratic mayoral primary, the ballot also has incumbent Public Advocate Jumaane Williams facing Jenifer Rajkumar. In this contest, the Queens Assemblywoman accused Williams of laziness, which he regarded as a racist trope. She compares her background as a civil rights lawyer to Williams’ multiple civil disobedience arrests as a “professional protester.”
Having visited Kew Gardens Hills in the past, Rajkumar’s supporters include Assembly Members Berger, David Weprin, and Nily Rozic; and State Senators Joe Addabbo Jr., and Toby Ann Stavisky. However, most of their Queens colleagues in elected office support Williams.
For Comptroller, incumbent Brad Lander is running in the mayoral primary, with Councilman Justin Brannan and Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine seeking to succeed him as the city’s finance watchdog. Brannan’s present district stretches from Bay Ridge to Coney Island. He’s reached out to Jewish communities in this race, but also has the support of Mamdani, the Working Families Party, and other progressives. Last week, Levine released an ad where he spoke Hebrew fluently and marched in last month’s Celebrate Israel Parade.
Voters can rank up to five candidates by preference, meaning that even by ranking Cuomo as a second or third choice, they are boosting his chances of winning while expressing support for those they feel are more aligned with their values. Conversely, by leaving out a candidate from the rankings, that individual has less chance of winning the final tally.
The winner of the Democratic mayoral primary will then face Eric Adams in November, as he is running for reelection as an independent, and presumptive Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa.
On the local level, among the few primaries making the news is among Republicans in southern Brooklyn, where incumbent Councilwoman Inna Vernikov is challenged by former Councilman Ari Kagan in a district with a sizable population of Russian-speaking and Orthodox Jewish voters. The final day for voting in this primary will be Sunday, June 22.
By Sergey Kadinsky
