Unfounded rumors of Mayor Eric Adams dropping out of his bid for re-election to take a job in the Trump administration gave the sane community of New York City and the surrounding areas some hope. Unfortunately, Adams’ much-ballyhooed presser was merely a commitment to stay in the race, thus splitting the opposition to socialist/certified lunatic Zohran Mamdani and all but ensuring his victory.
So begins the stages of grief over the reality that a communist will be elected to run the greatest financial sector in the world. The first stage is denial.
This denial is not that Mamdani will be mayor, but rather what he will and will not be able to accomplish as mayor. Many NYC residents are coping with the idea that the institutions of the city are so strong that Mamdani will not be able to destroy them merely through the mayoral office. This is a false notion. Even if Mamdani’s more radical proposals never come to fruition, the basic ones themselves can destroy the city.
We need to remember that Mamdani is not alone in his radicalism. The 51-seat City Council is filled with radical Leftists who share Mamdani’s ideology. A third of the council endorsed Mamdani, and at least four members are avowed socialists. This means that Mamdani’s policy agenda requiring legislative approval has enough allies in the council to be accomplished.
For the Orthodox Jewish communities of Brooklyn and Queens, this is nothing short of a calamity. Mamdani’s education policies, particularly his push to end mayoral control of schools and replace it with “co-governance” involving unions and activists, are a direct assault on the yeshiva system that anchors neighborhoods like Borough Park, Crown Heights, and Kew Gardens Hills.
Handing decision-making to progressive ideologues could force yeshivas to adopt secular curricula regarding gender ideology or face consequences. While dismantling mayoral control requires Albany’s legislature and Governor Hochul’s approval, Mamdani could still weaponize the Department of Education to ramp up inspections and choke funding — moves he can make unilaterally and which his City Council allies would cheer.
Zionist nonprofits, schools, and synagogues face an equally grim fate under Mamdani’s anti-Zionist crusade. His “Not On Our Dime” Act, which targeted tax-exempt status for groups supporting Israeli settlements or the IDF, shows his playbook: starve pro-Israel organizations of resources. As mayor, he could audit or defund local Zionist groups like One Israel Fund or the Zionist Organization of America, using city agencies to harass them into submission, even if state-level tax changes need Albany’s nod. Synagogues in Flatbush or Forest Hills hosting IDF fundraisers could lose security grants at a time when antisemitic attacks — up 18% citywide last year — are spiking, especially after Mamdani’s refusal to denounce “globalize the intifada” chants.
Mamdani’s broader agenda is a wrecking ball for Orthodox life. His plan for city-run grocery stores, which he could pilot through the Economic Development Corporation, threatens kosher markets in Brooklyn, undercutting small businesses already struggling under inflation. His anti-business agenda, like tax hikes and exploding the minimum wage, will drive companies out of the city and state. When his agenda doesn’t have the proper funding because he expelled all the taxpayers, taxes on all middle-income earners will rise.
Mamdani will double down on failing sanctuary city policies that have flooded NYC with illegal migrants for years. The city spent billions per year on this during Adams’ administration, and he was working to reverse it. Mamdani will expand the policies, welcoming anti-capitalist and anti-Zionist people from around the world who have no interest in American values and instead want to bring their failing societies to our shores.
Mamdani’s public safety overhaul, creating a Department of Community Safety focused on mental health over policing, could leave Orthodox Jews vulnerable. He could establish this department unilaterally, but expanded funding needs Council approval — likely a formality with his allies. This means that at a time when antisemitic assaults have surged, replacing cops with social workers risks emboldening thugs, especially given Mamdani’s soft stance on crime and his DSA ties, which have been condemned for defending the October 7, 2023, Hamas attacks.
The math is terrifying: polls show Mamdani in the low 40s, with the rest of the candidates splitting the remaining vote. “A fractured field is Mamdani’s golden ticket,” said political strategist David Greenfield, who warns that Brooklyn’s Syrian Jews and Queens’ Bukharian communities are registering voters at record rates but lack a unified champion. Cuomo’s scandals and Adams’ legal troubles muddy the waters, leaving no clear alternative to rally behind.
Orthodox leaders are mobilizing, holding emergency meetings in synagogues from Midwood to Flushing. “Mamdani’s not just a mayor — he’s a zealot who’ll remake NYC in his image,” said Rabbi Avi Shafran of Agudath Israel. His family’s anti-Zionist legacy — his father likened Israelis to Nazis — only fuels fears of targeted persecution. If challengers don’t consolidate, Mamdani’s coalition of young progressives and City Council radicals will steamroll the opposition, leaving Orthodox Jews to face a mayor who sees their values as obstacles to his revolution.
The denial stage must end. Mamdani’s policies aren’t just pipe dreams — they’re a blueprint to dismantle the religious and cultural fabric of New York’s Jewish heartland. Without a single challenger, the greatest city in the world risks becoming a socialist dystopia where yeshivas close, synagogues are targeted, and Zionism becomes a dirty word.
Moshe Hill is a political analyst and columnist. His work can be found at www.aHillwithaView.com and on X at @HillWithView.
