Why Mamdani is Bad for the Jews and Bad for New York

Cuomo, Mamdani, and Sliwa (Newsday)

I have to admit that one of the more depressing things I have ever encountered is the likelihood of a mayor in New York that will be so vehemently anti-Israel. In my wildest dreams, I could never have imagined that. And yet, it seems that unless an upset of gargantuan proportion takes place, the polls predict that this will happen.

What makes me even more depressed is that Jews may be one of the key factors in getting him elected. I never realized there were more than just a few Jews whose politics reflected strong socialist values. I had always thought these extremist progressive Jews were on the fringes of the Jewish body politic. I believed that most Jews were indeed liberal and voted Democratic, but were nevertheless very supportive of Israel. I think that is still true even though that support has waned somewhat, for reasons beyond the scope of this post.

What I didn’t realize is that there are enough Jews that are so progressive that they can swing an election in favor of someone who believes that Israel is an apartheid state that oppresses indigenous Palestinians with a brutal occupation, and that it should be boycotted  if not dismantled entirely as a Jewish state. Although they are still in the minority, they are growing in number and are increasingly found among younger Jews whose connection to Judaism is, at best, tenuous.

These progressive young Jews have joined their non-Jewish progressive counterparts in supporting a candidate who shares their values. A candidate enthusiastically endorsed by perhaps the most famous Jewish socialist in the US, Bernie Sanders. 

What these people are voting for are Mamdani’s socialist promises of better economic times once his progressive policies are implemented. After all, who doesn’t like total rent control, free transportation, and government-subsidized grocery stores? All of which promise to save voters tons of money in their everyday lives. It’s therefore not surprising that even some mainstream Democrats might vote for someone making promises like that.

Honestly, it’s hard to argue with Mamdani’s promises. Why vote for a status quo that has failed you? Give someone with fresh ideas a chance to show he can change things for the better – as promised.

This is what’s going to get Mamdani elected. His being so anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian is not really on the radar of the typical New York voter — unless they are Jewish or Muslim.

I’m not going to go into why this type of thinking is a big mistake — other than to say there is no such thing as a free lunch! And that socialism has failed every time it has been tried. 

Aside from Mamdani’s policies being doomed to failure, the biggest concern for mainstream New York Jewish voters is his anti-Israel stance and rhetoric. Although his policies will not directly affect Israel - other than perhaps divesting any municipal funds currently invested in the Jewish state - the very idea of arresting the Prime Minister of Israel is an image I never thought I’d see in a city with the largest Jewish population in the world. Calling Israel’s war against Hamas genocide - and blaming him entirely for all Palestinian deaths in Gaza without the slightest reference to Hamas’s part in that is yet another thing I never thought I would see from the mayor of New York.

His anti-Israel rhetoric will surely increase anti-Zionist activism. Which he will surely support if not join personally.  Resultant antisemitic violence that might ensue might be opposed by Mamdani and he will not tolerate it. But it will surely be his own rhetoric that will be responsible for inflaming it in the first place.

This is why so many rabbinic leaders across denominations have urged their members to vote against Mamdani in the upcoming election. As of the last count, over 1,000 heterodox rabbis as well as virtually all mainstream Orthodox rabbis and organizations have signed on to that message.

Some might say it’s a waste of time when the polls show what seems like an insurmountable lead for Mamdani. But as I’ve said, that does not free the Jewish voter in New York from doing their civic duty. Besides, polls have been wrong before. Even lopsided ones like his. You never know.

As it turns out, Mamdani’s ‘insurmountable’ lead is shrinking. Although he still leads Cuomo by a substantial margin, Mamdani is not projected to get a majority of the vote. That’s because of a third candidate — Republican Curtis Sliwa will get a small percentage of the vote. Which might otherwise go to Cuomo. If Sliwa were to drop out of the race, it might become competitive.

I believe the entire mainstream Jewish establishment — from Orthodox to Reform — would agree that Cuomo is far from ideal. Under normal circumstances, he would be getting very little, if any, support from any of these organizations or rabbis. But I think they all agree that Cuomo is by far the lesser of two evils. A city government led by a centrist Democrat would fare far better than one led by a socialist.

And perhaps most importantly for the mainstream Jewish community, Cuomo is not anti-Israel. He is a longtime supporter of the Jewish state. We will not be hearing talk about Israel as an apartheid state or accusations of genocide in Gaza. Nor would anyone be talking about arresting the Prime Minister of Israel.

It is late in the game. Early voting has already begun. The media is reporting the highest early voting turnout in New York history. The stakes are high. Many New Yorkers know that and are responding by voting early. The only question is: how are they voting? Is it a progressive surge or an anti-progressive backlash – a surge driven by fear a New York governed by socialism? It’s hard to know.

One thing seems clear: Sliwa is not backing out, even though he has no chance of winning. It’s also clear that people that will vote for Sliwa would never vote for Mamdan If Sliwa were out, they would likely switch their vote to Cuomo.

I strongly urge people who do not want to see a Mamdani mayoralty in New York not to help elect him by voting for Sliwa. Because every vote for Sliwa is, in effect, a vote for Mamdani. I urge every Sliwa supporter to switch their vote to Cuomo. If enough Sliwa voters do that; and if my hunch is right that most New Yorkers don’t want to see their city turn socialist; then the polls may be wrong and Cuomo might win.

If he does, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. If Mamdani wins, Jews may find themselves in a very precarious situation, as pro-Palestinian rallies will surely increase - rallies that will be heartily supported by the new mayor. And that is surely something not to look forward to.

Emes Ve-Emunah is now available at substack. To receive posts you must subscribe. It's free.