The potential impact of a Mamdani mayoral stint on Jewish safety was one of the main concerns expressed to The Jerusalem Post.
The president of the Zionist Organization of America, Morton Klein, said, “As an American Jew and as a human, I am truly frightened that an antisemitic communist, Mamdani, has actually promoted murdering Jews by supporting and legitimizing the antisemitic rally cry to ‘Globalize the intifada.’”
By Mathilda Heller
(June 25, 2025 / J Post) A myriad of Jewish figures and groups have reacted with horror after “Globalize the intifada” supporter Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic primaries for New York City mayor on Tuesday.
The potential impact of a Mamdani mayoral stint on Jewish safety was one of the main concerns expressed to The Jerusalem Post. Additionally, several expressed fear that Mamdani’s vehemently left-wing, pro-Palestinian, and anti-Israel stance would lead to the proliferation and normalization of antisemitism in the city.
Rabbi Moshe Hauer, the executive vice president of the Orthodox Union, told the Post that “the safety of all New Yorkers, including Jewish New Yorkers, is the single greatest responsibility of the mayor of New York.”
“That safety has been deeply impacted by the rhetoric and actions of those whose opposition to Zionism has driven them to work to instill fear and intimidation in Jews who support Israel,” Hauer said.
The rabbi asked that Mamdani “unambiguously reject and rein in these actors with whom he has been strongly associated.”
“He needs to prioritize the safety and security of New Yorkers over his ‘strong feelings about what happens overseas,’” Hauer added.
The president of the Zionist Organization of America, Morton Klein, said, “As an American Jew and as a human, I am truly frightened that an antisemitic communist, Mamdani, has actually promoted murdering Jews by supporting and legitimizing the antisemitic rally cry to ‘Globalize the intifada.’”
Mamdani “refuses to accept the Jewish State of Israel, states that he will arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he comes to NYC, and is friendly with Israel-bashing Jew haters,” Klein said.
“Yet, [Mamdani] has been mainstreamed in the most important Jewish city in America,” he continued. “Is it time to make Aliyah to Israel?”
Klein’s remarks come in light of Mamdani saying in a TV interview that, “as mayor of New York City, I would arrest Netanyahu.”
‘It is pathetic, it is sick, it is painful’
Former NY State Assembly member Dov Hikind responded vociferously to Mamdani’s win: “It is pathetic, it is sick, it is painful for people who care about the future of New York and in particular the Jewish community.”
Hikind had asked both now-outgoing New York Mayor Eric Adams and former mayor Andrew Cuomo not to run in the election as it would split the vote, potentially leading to Mamdani’s win.
“NYC must unite to defeat the dangerous antisemite Mamdani,” he had said.
The Republican Jewish Coalition called Mamdani a “raging antisemite,” as well as an “anti-America, anti-Israel, Democrat socialist.”
It blamed Sen. Chuck Schumer, Congress member Hakeem Jeffries, and NY Gov. Kathy Hochul for letting Mamdani win due to their “silence, dereliction of duty, and capitulation to this madness.”
“This is yet another data point proving that Democrats continue to nominate and acquiesce to extreme, radical candidates who are antithetical to the priorities of the Jewish community,” the organization said.
Several Jewish groups, including the Anti-Defamation League and the Jewish Federations of North America, declined to comment on the matter, preferring not to weigh in on political issues.
Alternatively, several high-profile figures, such as Schumer and NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, expressed support for Mamdani.
“[Mamdani] ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, and opportunity,” said Schumer.
Lander also congratulated Mamdani, saying, “Hope and solidarity won tonight.”
Jewish figures weigh in outside of the U.S.
Multiple public figures living outside of America expressed fear that Mamdani’s win represents an escalation in antisemitism in the U.S. or sets a precedent for a worsening treatment of Jews.
Chief Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt of the Conference of European Rabbis wrote on X/Twitter that Mamdani’s win is reminiscent of what has been happening to Europe’s Jewish community.
“We’ve seen where radical politics, especially ones cloaked in the ‘justice’ rhetoric, can lead. It starts with slogans. It ends with violence,” he wrote.
Goldschmidt added that Mamdani and others’ Israel rhetoric is not a “legitimate critique of Israeli policy; it’s about obsession.”
“Israel becomes a dog whistle – a coded target on synagogues, schools, and Jews in public life,” he said.
“European Jews have seen how this ends. To our American brothers and sisters: Don’t ignore the warning signs. Today it’s a slogan, tomorrow a firebomb. Jew-hatred, no matter how disguised, must never be normalized,” Goldschmidt warned.
Mamdani’s win prompted a mass outburst of antisemitic and anti-Israel rhetoric on social media, with many calling for an intifada. The incoming mayor drew controversy when he recently defended the use of the phrase, “Globalize the intifada,” as “a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights.”
A famous Palestinian writer, for example, tweeted: “Consider the intifada globalized.”
According to Google Trends, searches for the notion of “intifada” are up 200% in New York, and it is listed in the top 20 most searched terms.
The highest related search compared to “intifada” in the U.S. is currently “jihad,” followed by “Warsaw” and “BDS.”
This article was originally published in The Jerusalem Post and can be viewed here.