I expect that my fellow columnists will dissect the Nakba Day video, a propaganda piece put out by Zohran Mamdani right before Shabbos, using taxpayer funds. I could also join in showing the falsities and distortions, but I want to address other issues. I would hope that this finally puts to rest the belief of Jews who voted for Mamdani that he would be more moderate once he became mayor. They were not the first, and unfortunately, may not be the last Jews to believe that those whose hatred of Jews is spelled out before they obtain power will change once they obtain power. Kudos to the many Jewish organizations, including UJA and JCRC, for not attending the annual Jewish Heritage event at Gracie Mansion in response to Mamdani’s video.
If there is any silver lining in Mamdani’s video and the Nakba protest in Manhattan last week, it is that it proves the fight is not against the Netanyahu government. It is a fight by those who want to eliminate the State of Israel as a Jewish state and kick us out of our eternal homeland. Unfortunately, many progressive Jews are in denial as to the true intentions of those who talk about intifada and “Palestine from the river to the sea.”
To those who say that Mamdani is not antisemitic since he condemns it, I would like to give an analogy as to why his condemnations ring hollow. Mamdani is like the person who puts wood out, puts gasoline on the wood, and leaves matches to use to start the fire, and then condemns those who start the fire.
The bottom line is that Mamdani will not change. We need to deal with him and others like him. Our goal is to ensure that he is a one-term mayor. One way to do that is to make sure for the next election that there are qualified candidates to run against him without the baggage of the last election. Although there are qualified Jewish candidates, it does not have to be someone who is Jewish.
We need to push back against any candidate that he supports, no matter what position it is for. No one likes a loser, and if his candidates lose, it weakens his position.
We have been fortunate to have had elected officials, including Congresswoman Grace Meng, who have been great supporters of Israel and the Jewish community. This year, these elected officials are getting primaried. Congressman Dan Goldman in the 10th Congressional District, which covers part of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, has the toughest race since his opponent is an anti-Israel progressive in a district which is very progressive. Others who are running against incumbent supporters of Israel may not be as anti-Israel as the Democratic Socialists of America and Mamdani, but they are not as supportive as the existing members of Congress.
It is bad enough that the city with the highest Jewish population outside of Israel helped vote in Mamdani; we cannot have a district with a sizeable Jewish population be represented by a member of Congress who does not strongly support Israel. With the anti-Israel fever in today’s Democratic Party, it is no longer a shoo-in for an incumbent to win a primary. Therefore, we need to vote in the primary and show our support for Grace Meng and others who support our community and Israel. By electing those who are strong supporters of Israel, we are also sending a message to Mamdani.
There were hundreds at the Nakba rally. Mamdani was not at the rally, but his video clearly showed support. He is not coming to the Israel Day parade to march, which has been a tradition for NYC mayors. We need to have a large crowd at the Israel Day parade to send a message that we are not intimidated by the mayor and those who marched in the Nakba rally. We still have the numbers in supporting Israel, and we are not going away. This year, the area for viewing the parade may be smaller than in the past; however, the number of marchers seems not to have been reduced. If you can march, that would be helpful, especially because that is what is seen on TV.
When possible, we should go to other events supporting Israel, especially if they are high-profile. In prior columns, I have mentioned rallies, but there are other events which are important even if not explicitly political. For example, on Sunday, May 17, at UBS Arena, there was a hockey game between two Israeli hockey teams: the Jerusalem Capitals and HC Tel Aviv.
For the first time in many years—and maybe since the creation of the State of Israel—New York does not have a mayor who is supportive of Israel and the Jewish community. Instead of moping, it is time to make sure that he will be the last to fit that definition. It is never too early to start.
