There was a well-known, well-funded, and well-endorsed member of Congress who was in line for an important position in the Democratic Party leadership in the House of Representatives. He was a moderate and a strong supporter of Israel. He was running against an unknown thirty-something who had no experience in government and was much further to the left.
The conventional wisdom was for the congressman to ignore his challenger—including avoiding a debate—because by mentioning her, he would be raising her profile. Instead, they went with the “Rose Garden strategy,” laying low. He let Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez define herself for the electorate. The congressman was Joe Crowley, and as you know, that did not work out too well.
Now there is a new AOC running for mayor: Zohran K. Mamdani, whose first major endorsement was from AOC herself. Like AOC, he is a member of the NYC-DSA (Democratic Socialists of America) and is only a few years older (33 years old) than she was when she first ran. He has limited experience, especially compared to his challengers. The front-runner, former Governor Andrew Cuomo, has decided to follow the same strategy as Crowley. Meanwhile, Mamdani has been able to define himself as a young, energetic progressive who represents a generational shift from Cuomo and the other politicians running against him. His bio in the voter guide hides his more sinister ideas.
We in the Jewish community have generally been asleep while this has been going on. AOC’s endorsement and Mamdani’s rise in the polls as the main challenger to Cuomo should be a wake-up call.
For many New Yorkers, Mamdani is problematic for his extreme positions, such as defunding the police. However, for Jewish New Yorkers, it is personal.
Mamdani has threatened to arrest Netanyahu if he comes to New York City, based on the UN International Criminal Court order. He supports BDS (Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions) against Israel. He has called for the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute on Roosevelt Island to be boycotted because of its partnership with an Israeli-based school. He has accused Israel of genocide in Gaza. He refuses to acknowledge that Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. He co-founded the Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College when he attended the school. He also refuses to equate anti-Zionism with antisemitism.
What do you think his position will be when it comes to funding and dealing with Jewish organizations—especially those that support Israel—and in handling those who hate Israel and support Hamas? If you think the anti-Israel protests are bad now, wait until they have a friend as mayor.
Ranked-choice voting has its pluses and minuses. The plus is that if Cuomo is not your first choice, your vote is not wasted if you pick him as a second or later choice instead of Mamdani. The downside is that progressives who support a few different candidates may rank Mamdani as their alternative to Cuomo, which could put him over the top. Ranked-choice voting also gives other candidates a slight chance as consensus picks, but I doubt that will happen.
We frequently hear that “This is the most important election of our lifetime.” For Jewish New Yorkers, this one truly is. Unlike the presidential election, our votes matter. This is a test of how much our community is willing to stand up for Israel and for ourselves. If we fail, we have no one to blame but ourselves. For those under the delusion that Mamdani winning the Democratic primary would help Republican Curtis Sliwa win, they are simply fooling themselves.
We need a united front—from Jewish progressives, moderates, and Jewish Trumpians who are Democrats in name only. Mamdani is not well-known, so we need to educate our community to understand the danger he represents and to go vote.
In 2021, Jewish voters made up 26% of those who voted in the mayoral primary. I expect a higher turnout from the community supporting Mamdani and other young progressives, so the Jewish community needs to increase its numbers.
Early voting starts on June 14 and runs through June 22, with Election Day on June 24. I call on all rabbis and community leaders to make this a top priority and to bring out the Jewish vote to defeat Mamdani.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
