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| Four rabbis that support Mamdani (Israel Hayom) |
This should not be happening in a city whose Jewish population is the largest of any city in the world. Because of that, candidates for mayor in the past were uniformly pro-Israel. But not this time. Zohran Mamdani, a little-known New York Assemblyman who was given little chance to win the Democratic primary, won big!
And now, according to most polls, he has a double-digit lead over his opponent, former Governor Andrew Cuomo — who, although a strong supporter of Israel throughout his political career, ran afoul of the Orthodox Jewish community because of some heavy-handed tactics during the Covid pandemic. That, along with accusations of sexual misconduct (which forced him to resign as governor), would have prevented any chance he might have had to become mayor.
Having lost to Mamdani in the primary, Cuomo is now running as an independent in today’s general election. Although both candidates have been polling below 50%, if Republican Curtis Sliwa had suspended his campaign, there is little doubt that the majority of his voters would have gone to Cuomo.
That being the case, the Jewish community has not given up. Over 1,100 heterodox rabbis have signed a letter urging Jews to vote against Mamdani. Agudah and other Orthodox Jewish institutions and rabbis have been urging their people to do the same. Most recently, YU’s Rav Hershel Schachter penned a letter urging all Yeshiva University students to vote today, even if it means missing significant parts of their seder (one of their daily Torah learning sessions in the Beis Medrash).
I absolutely agree with the urgency of voting in this election. The issues at stake for the Jewish people have never been greater. So even if the odds are stacked against defeating Mamdani today, that doesn’t mean the Jewish voting public should not do their utmost to try. That means going to the voting booth and casting your vote, no matter how difficult it may be — or how futile the attempt might seem. As I have said multiple times: you never know.
What I have also said is that significant numbers of Jews actually support Mamdani. They are the ones who secured his nomination in the Democratic primary and plan to vote for him in the general. How many is that? A lot more than one might think. As noted by Rabbi Efrem Goldberg on the Aish website:
“Polls ranging from as high as 43% (and on the low end, 21%) show that Jewish voters in New York intend to vote for him. Prominent Jewish actors and media personalities have unabashedly endorsed Mamdani. This week, a campaign video produced in partnership with the organization Jews for Racial and Economic Justice was released, which includes four self-described rabbis expressing open support for Mamdani.”
A lot of Jews appear not to care about Mamdani’s views about Israel. Or worse, actually agree with him. What are those views? Rabbi Goldberg reminds us of the following:
“In the last week, more videos have emerged demonstrating New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani’s obsessive hatred of Israel. During a panel at the 2023 Democratic Socialists of America’s national convention, he said, ‘We have to make clear that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF.’
Additionally, in an effort to blame the problems of his city on Israel, he said, ‘You have so many opportunities to make clear the ways in which that struggle over there (Israel) is tied to capitalist interests over here.’”
He has defended suicide bombers as soldiers, repeatedly refused to condemn the violent and threatening phrase “Globalize the Intifada,” falsely accused Israel of genocide, and announced he would attempt to have Prime Minister Netanyahu arrested as a war criminal if he came to New York. His hateful preoccupation with Israel has been well documented — and many Jews in New York are concerned they will be less safe if he wins.
And yet, with all that, as many as 43% of New York’s Jews plan to vote for him. Why? Because, as I have said — and as Rabbi Goldberg also notes:
“In the best-case scenario, these Jewish poll responders, celebrities, and rabbis seem to be putting their liberalism and progressivism ahead of their Jewish identity and loyalty to Israel. They are prioritizing being part of a socialist movement over the safety and preservation of their own families and their people. In the worst-case scenario, they are not making a choice between two things (progressive politics and Jewish identity) they embrace, rather they are substituting one for the other — rejecting their Jewish identities. Either way, it is deeply troubling.”
Sadly, I agree with Rabbi Goldberg. But then he makes an astonishing suggestion about how we should think about these Jews. Strangely enough, I agree with him. Without using the halachic appellation of Tinok Shenishba (which in our day applies mostly to Jews raised without the slightest idea of what it really means to be Jewish), he says that we must love them as brothers, no matter how misguided their views are.
As I said, although I agree with him in theory, the idea of loving a Jew who runs away from their Judaism or replaces it with progressive socialist values is difficult, if not impossible, to do. The easiest thing to do is to ignore them and lament their eventual demise as Jews — as over 70% of them continue to intermarry.
Ignoring them may be the easiest thing to do, but it is not the right thing to do. These progressive Jews, celebrities, and self-styled rabbis are indeed our brothers. We are required by halacha to be responsible for their welfare — both physically and spiritually.
The question is, how? I don’t know how it is even possible to talk to people whose progressive values supersede, by far, the values of the Torah. Even if they knew what those values were, they would surely reject them out of hand as anathema to their worldview. I can’t begin to understand how you can reach out to someone whose progressive values are so deeply ingrained into their psyche. Which they adhere to with near-religious fervor.
So yes, we must never give up on the near-impossible task of showing them the light. How we climb that steep hill is something I cannot begin to fathom. Reaching out to the majority of secular Jews who understand the dangers of a Mamdani mayoralty is one thing. I wholeheartedly support that.
But even though it isn’t their fault, how can you relate to Jews who believe with complete faith that Mamdani’s views about Israel are the right ones - and who, in most cases, probably consider Judaism completely irrelevant to their lives?
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| Tucker Carlson |
The dangers of Mamdani are fairly obvious. He inspires virulent hatred of Israel and thereby, by association, hatred of the Jewish people. Most Americans believe that if you are Jewish, you support Israel. - even though there is plenty of evidence lately that many Jews no longer do. They have been led to believe that Israel has been committing genocide against the Palestinian people through its tactics in Gaza.
They blame Israel’s leadership for that, and thereby Israel itself, seeing what was once a socially conscientious nation as having slid down the rabbit hole of the extremist right. Although this is patently untrue, it would be nearly impossible to convince these Jews otherwise.
Be that as it may, Mamdani’s views about Israel are clear. He has openly stated more than once that he does not believe Israel has the right to exist as a Jewish state. He has spent most of his adult life making that view well known. It is a view shared by Hamas, which Mamdani has refused to condemn. The only difference between Hamas and Mamdani is that Hamas actually tried to act on that belief on October 7, 2023. But short of that, Mamdani has supported and even attended many Palestinian protests that called for the destruction of Israel and restoring the land to its ‘rightful’ owners - the Palestinian people.
Not that he can implement his views as mayor of New York. But he can - and will - set a tone that encourages increased protests against the Jewish state, which will no doubt lead to increased violence against the Jewish people of New York. The victims will most likely be those of us who are most visibly Jewish, living in large Jewish neighborhoods. That is where the danger of a Mamdani administration lies: the anti-Jewish violence he will surely inspire, even if unintentionally.
That said, I do believe he will be vigilant to assure that such violence doesn’t happen. And that if it does, he will act quickly to stop it. He surely does not want to be accused of looking the other way when Jews are hurt. Nonetheless, that danger exists, and he will have to be vigilant if he wants to avoid validating accusations of antisemitism.
So, as dangerous as Mamdani is, at least he is clear about his views. And most Jewish clergy across all denominations know it.
Carlson, however, is a far more dangerous enemy. First, because he has built up a following of millions of people based on his conservative politics. He is an icon of the right and a leader of public opinion in conservative circles. He is charismatic and articulate. Until recently was not seen as any kind of antisemite. After he was fired from Fox, he started his own podcast, which now boasts over a million devoted followers. No longer constrained by Fox’s standards, his antisemitism has become increasingly exposed.
Carlson is very clever about it. Denying he’s an antisemite but is openly hostile to Israel. Couching his hostility in terms of his Christian faith. Thankfully, some Christian clergy have called him out for that. But couching it in his Christian faith is exactly how white supremacists frame their antisemitism.
Some of what Carlson says about Israel mirrors what far-right white supremacists and other fringe right-wing antisemites have been saying for many decades. For example - that Israel has infiltrated the U.S. government and now runs the show. Some of his rhetoric even mimics what the anti-Israel left says. As far apart as these two camps are politically, antisemitism is the one thing they have in common.
Carlson’s followers have followed him down that same rabbit hole. Where they once supported Israel, Carlson has disabused them of that support.
I do not believe that most mainstream conservative Republicans agree with him. However, the fact that over a million people do is nothing to sneeze at. Add to that Carlson’s relationship with the president’s son, the vice president, and the recent defense he received from Heritage Foundation president Kevin Roberts—for hosting avowed antisemite Nick Fuentes on his podcast - and that makes for an unprecedented and dangerous influence on political discours in this country.
Roberts has since made clear that he rejects Fuentes’ antisemitism in totality and reaffirmed his organization’s determination to fight it. But I suspect Roberts still has a warm spot for his old conservative colleague even if he disagrees with him.
So yes. We are getting it from both sides: from the left and from the right. But the right is more dangerous, because I believe that conservative values are more mainstream.
This could turn back the clock to a time when Jews were persecuted simply for being Jews and marginalized as second class citizens by a dominant Christian culture.
I don’t think we are anywhere near that now. We still have many friends in high places who defend us and consider us equal citizens. But the Carlsons of the world are trying to change that, and they have made some inroads.
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| Nick Fuentes and Tucker Carlson (TOI) |
An American who now resides in Israel - where religious politics often define who you are, Friedman does not seem to bend to the political winds of the world she inhabits. Friedman is sharp, articulate, concise, and gets right to the heart of the matter very quickly. That is my impression after reading her columns which I rarely miss, and with which I rarely disagree.
This week she struck a particular chord with me. And, as usual, I agree with her. Remarking on the recent discovery of extremely antisemitic rhetoric by young Republicans, here is what she said:
I noticed a disturbing story in the news. Politico had obtained and published a private Telegram chat. Its members were young Republicans — aspiring future leaders and politicians — and their conversation was a noxious brew of racial slurs, violent language, and Nazi references.
When one member promised that the group would vote for the most right-wing person to lead the organization, a member responded, “Great. I love Hitler.” The response: a smiley face.
Friedman goes on to wonder if this is some sort of trend of the right or just a bunch of young Republicans saying stupid things online they don’t really mean. Either way they paid a price for it.
But then says some of the very same things I have said. That although in the past antisemitism was mostly found on the fringes of society, those fringes were on the right. The KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and the like were found solely on the extremist fringes of right-wing politics. There was nothing comparable on the left.
But as Friedman also notes, the antisemitic fringes of the right have been marginalized to the point that few of us felt threatened by them. The American body politic had largely rejected their version of right-wing politics.
Now, the greater danger comes from the left. The left actually inspires real fear among Jews living in areas where it now dominates public discourse. Here is how Friedman puts it:
We didn’t view those radical fringes as immediate and as dangerous as the radical leftist sentiment that swept toward the moderate mainstream, bringing havoc to cities and hatred to campuses as it muzzled intellectual discourse, educators and thinkers, and even individual liberties.
That being said, it seems that antisemitism on the right is no longer as unacceptable as it was just a couple of years ago. Now there are voices on the right that are far more mainstream than your typical white supremacist. As Friedman further notes:
Now the voices on the radical right — Fuentes, Owens, Carlson, among others — have been getting louder. The voices on that leaked chat are nowhere near as resonant, but they serve as a troubling harmony to those influential choruses. Extremes always exist and are never a healthy place for us. The question is whether their influence remains limited to the fringes. On ideological, social, religious, and political issues, we’ve seen the radical ideas of the Left influence, tilt, and sometimes even overtake, the views of the moderate faction. Are we seeing the same trend take root on the other side? Are those young Republicans the future of the party? Are their violent pro-Nazi statements a harbinger of more hate to come?
I would add Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene to the list of radical voices on the right. Friedman’s concern should not go unnoticed. It’s one thing when fringe groups like white supremacists spew antisemitic hatred. But when mainstream figures with millions of devoted followers start making antisemitic noises… when a powerful right-wing member of Congress starts doing the same… it ought to make our ears perk up and pay attention.
We cannot afford to be complacent and focus only on the left just because the right had been relegated to the fringes. Because now, antisemitism is being echoed by some on the mainstream right. We need to be concerned and do whatever we can to fight this trend.
That being said, I do not see the Carlsons and Taylor Greenes of the world having much influence on the vast majority of congress on both sides of the political aisle. And perhaps more importantly, on the attitude of the current administration. The president has proven its pro-Israel and pro-Jewish bona fides time and again. Both during his first term and his second. I say this knowing full well there have been instances some point to where the president seemed to ‘dog whistle’ to the fringes on the right or otherwise appear less than favorable to Israel or the Jewish people.
But one has to look at the big picture. Not isolated incidents open to interpretation. If one does that, one can see a lifetime of support for the Jewish state that existed long before he ever thought about running for president.
This is what I look at. Some remain cynical about his support and say that he is neither pro-Israel nor pro-Jewish—that he is only pro-Trump and will abandon both Israel and the Jewish people if he sees profit in doing so.
I don’t think so. Abandoning the Jewish people would mean abandoning his own daughter, and I don’t believe he would sell her out for some ulterior motive.
I also do not see the American people abandoning Israel or turning on their fellow Jewish citizens. The decline in support for Israel is a direct function of media bias in reporting Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war. A media that sees Palestinians as the oppressed and Israelis as the oppressors will always slant its reportage in favor of the oppressed. Regardless of context or fault. The war in Gaza only magnified that perception.
But now that the war is over and Palestinians in Gaza begin to restore their lives, my hope is that Israel will once again be seen as it once was. As an example of what a Jewish democracy can accomplish and contribute to the world.
And with that, opinions from the likes of Carlson and Taylor Greene will once again be relegated to the fringes of public opinion, and eventually to the trash heap of history where they belong.
What about the ascendancy of the left? If my hunch is right, if Mamdani is elected mayor of New York, he will prove to be a massive failure and will be replaced in the next election by a more mainstream, pro-Israel leader.
Bottom line for me - things may look bleak right now. But I am an optimist and don’t think they will stay that way.
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