[rktman]

Next ‘mare’ of nyc? Based on what’s been seen with nyc voters, probably.

[Liz]

The Jewish Forward
By Jacob Kornbluh
April 28, 2025

Muslim Zohran Mamdani believes he’ll win over Jewish voters,
as the Israel critic surges to second behind Cuomo in NYC mayoral race

Zohran Mamdani’s stance on Israel may seem untenable for a mayoral candidate aspiring to run the city with largest Jewish population outside of Israel, yet he is emerging as the top contender against former governor Andrew Cuomo, the frontrunner in a crowded field of candidates despite being forced to resign over sexual harassment allegations he denied. Mamdani is standing firm on his leftist position on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as he courts Jewish voters, who trend centrist on Israel but are seeking an alternative to Cuomo.

Mamdani, who is Muslim, says his forthright communications strategy will win over many Jewish Democrats in the same way it is connecting with younger voters, who say they would choose him over Cuomo in recent polls.

“It’s the unabashed nature of our policies: Whether you agree or disagree, you know exactly how I feel about something,” Mamdani said over a small bowl of chicken soup at Metro Diner, a childhood favorite on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Mamdani, 33, said he got that impression from an older Jewish voter who offered his support following a candidate forum at Congregation B’nai Jeshurun in January. “He whispered in my ear,” Mamdani recounted, “‘I disagree with you on one issue, and I’m pretty sure you know which one, but I like that you speak about it directly and I like your policies.’”

Mamdani cited a recent Siena Research survey showing that the top four priorities for Jewish voters in the mayoral race are eldercare, paid family leave, affordable housing and combating discrimination. The Siena poll, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.7 percentage points, showed Mamdani in first place among voters aged 18-49, while Cuomo held a commanding lead among older voters.

That generational divide may also reflect differing views on the U.S. role in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. During our 40-minute interview, the conversation was briefly interrupted by a Columbia student who spotted Mamdani through the window and stopped in to greet him. “We are all huge fans,” she said.

Compared to the other candidates in the race — Brad Lander and Scott Stringer, who are Jewish, and Cuomo — Mamdani is less connected to the broader Jewish community. And candidates who shared views similar to Mamdani’s were soundly defeated in races where Jewish voters and pro-Israel spending played a decisive role. With less than two months remaining until the June 24 primary, Mamdani has so far been spared pro-Israel attack money. Most of the candidates are directing their attacks at Cuomo.

Mamdani’s Israel posture has nonetheless been fodder for some of his opponents. Cuomo has repeatedly made Mamdani a target in his outreach to Jewish voters. In a speech at an Orthodox synagogue earlier this month, Cuomo accused Mamdani of “enabling the forces of antisemitism” through his affiliation with the New York City chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America. The group was widely condemned for defending the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel at a demonstration in Times Square.

Mayoral candidate Whitney Tilson, an investor who is married to a Jewish woman, charged Mamdani with stoking antisemitism by accusing Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. In 2023, Jewish elected officials accused Mamdani of antisemitism after he authored a bill to penalize charities supporting Israeli settlements.

Mamdani accused his opponents of trying to mischaracterize his “support for universal human rights” and weaponize the real fear of antisemitism for their personal benefit. He said he’s open to meeting with community leaders who are skeptical of him. “For far too long, we’ve refused to have any engagement with anyone that is seen as being disagreeable or disagreeing with them,” Mamdani said. “My commitment is that while I may disagree, I won’t be disagreeable in the course of that.”

Mamdani was born and raised in Kampala, Uganda, and moved to New York City with his family at age 7. His father, Mahmood Mamdani, a Columbia University professor who has called for Israel to be dismantled as an exclusive nation-state in order for an inclusive Jewish homeland to succeed, was among the thousands of Ugandans of Indian descent expelled and made refugees by then-ruler Idi Amin.

His mother is film director Mira Nair, who made the 2001 feature film Monsoon Wedding about an arranged marriage between a groom from the U.S. and a bride from Delhi, which she said was modeled after Fiddler on the Roof. In 2013, Nair turned down an invitation to be the guest of honor at the Haifa International Film Festival, posting on her Twitter page that she would not visit Israel until “apartheid is over.”

snip