Which Jews Helped Mamdani Become Mayor and Who Opposed Him?
When Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim and outspoken critic of Israeli policies, was elected mayor of New York City, headlines around the world called it historic. Yet behind that victory lay a surprising story: while many of the city's Jewish voters opposed him, others, also Jewish, helped him win.
A Progressive Coalition
Mamdani's campaign was powered by a diverse alliance of progressives: Muslims, Latinos, working-class New Yorkers, and a vocal minority of left-leaning Jews. Groups such as Jews for Racial & Economic Justice (JFREJ) and its offshoot “Jews for Zohran” publicly backed his run, organizing canvassing teams and fundraising drives.
Several Reform and Reconstructionist rabbis signed an open letter titled “We Are NYC Rabbis Who Support Zohran Mamdani”, saying his platform for housing, affordability, and racial equality reflected “core Jewish values of justice and compassion.”
Senator Chuck Schumer, himself Jewish, praised Mamdani's campaign for “connecting with New Yorkers about fairness and opportunity,” while other progressive Jewish voices argued that supporting human rights for Palestinians was consistent with, not contrary to, Jewish ethics.
To these supporters, electing Mamdani was about principle, standing with a candidate who spoke against inequality at home and oppression abroad, even when that meant challenging Israel's government.
The Organized Opposition
But many of New York's major Jewish institutions saw things very differently. The Anti-Defamation League (ADL), UJA-Federation of New York, and the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC-NY) issued statements warning that Mamdani's past remarks, calling Israel an apartheid state and endorsing the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, crossed “a moral red line.”
Prominent rabbis like Joseph Potasnik, executive vice-president of the New York Board of Rabbis, described Mamdani's refusal to recognize Israel as a Jewish state as “more than problematic,” saying it “draws a dividing line that many Jews cannot cross.” An August Siena College poll found that roughly three-quarters of Jewish voters in the city held an unfavorable view of Mamdani.
For Zionist or centrist Jewish leaders, the concern was not only about Israel, but about the normalization of anti-Zionist rhetoric in mainstream politics. As one op-ed in eJewish Philanthropy put it, “When anti-Zionism wins in America's most Jewish city, the community must rethink how it engages power.”
A Divided but Democratic Moment
Mamdani's election does not mean New York's Jewish community has suddenly changed its views on Israel. Rather, it reflects how complex and diverse that community truly is, and how modern politics in great cities like New York are increasingly shaped by ideas and shared values rather than religious identity alone.
Progressive Jews helped deliver him a symbolically powerful victory rooted in social justice and inclusion. Zionist and centrist Jews, deeply committed to Israel's security and the Jewish people's safety, opposed him with equal conviction. Yet both groups, through their passionate engagement, demonstrated something larger: that democracy still works best when citizens care enough to argue, organize, and vote for what they believe in.
Mamdani's rise will be remembered not only as the story of New York's first Muslim mayor, but as a hopeful sign that dialogue across difference is still possible, and that even in a city of divided opinions, shared aspirations for fairness, safety, and dignity can transcend old boundaries of faith and fear.
About the Author
Scott Oliver is a British writer and former Royal Marines Commando who has lived abroad since 1985. Over the last 66 years, he’s called twelve countries home, including twenty-five years in Spanish-speaking nations such as Spain, Costa Rica, and Guatemala. He has also lived in Sierra Leone, Ghana, Nigeria, Liberia, Cyprus, the USA, Grand Cayman and now lives in Mauritius.
A warrior by nature, Scott is living with prostate cancer and writing from the front lines. He speaks directly to men about health, masculinity, freedom, and strength, physically, mentally, emotionally, and sexually. His views are proudly independent: he questions conventional medicine, challenges destructive treatments, and tells the truth most men never hear.
Scott Oliver is an officially accredited member of the National Writers Union (NWU) and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ), the world’s largest organization of professional journalists. He spent ten years on Wall Street and another decade as an offshore wealth manager, specializing in globally diversified, multi-currency hedge fund portfolios. He is the author of What If Cancer’s Best Defense Is Free? — Sleep as a Defense Against Cancer: A Former Royal Marines Commando’s 4,000-Hour Research Roadmap, where he reveals how sleep repairs DNA, restores immunity, and strengthens your fight against cancer. He’s also the author of books on offshore investing and Costa Rica real estate and has written thousands of articles in English and Spanish on living abroad with courage, clarity, and conviction.
You can always contact Scott Oliver here with your questions and suggestions.
Relevant Expert Sources
- AP News – How Democrats in America's Most Jewish City Embraced a Critic of Israel
Explains the coalition that brought Mamdani to power, including Jewish progressive activists.
Read at AP News - The Forward – Why Claims of Antisemitism Didn't Stop Zohran Mamdani
Details JFREJ's defence of Mamdani and the emergence of “Jews for Zohran.”
Read at The Forward - Times of Israel – Jewish Congressmen Endorse Mamdani for NYC Mayor
Covers Chuck Schumer's and Jerry Nadler's statements of support.
Read at Times of Israel - New York Post – Jewish Leaders Condemn John Liu for Endorsing Mamdani
Describes opposition from mainstream and Zionist Jewish organizations.
Read at New York Post - eJewish Philanthropy – When Anti-Zionism Wins: What Mamdani's Rise Reveals
An analysis of what his victory signals for future Jewish political power.
Read at eJewish Philanthropy