The election of Zohran Mamdani to lead New York City marks a transformational moment: a young, progressive, Muslim-American, trail-blazing politician poised to shape the future of one of the US’s greatest metropolises. But this moment also carries a weighty responsibility.
For the city’s large and diverse Jewish community, and for Jews across the United States who look to New York as a bellwether, the message from City Hall should be simple: Jewish life in New York will be protected, affirmed, and empowered. The problem is, many don’t see him actually doing so.
The Anti-Defamation League’s 2024 audit reported a record 9,354 antisemitic incidents in the US, with the ADL noting that for the first time, a majority, 58% were Israel-related.
Within New York City itself, the NYPD’s 2024 report recorded 641 hate crimes, of which 54%, 345, targeted Jews. Early 2025 snapshots showed similar proportions. In one recent month, NYPD data indicated Jews were the target in 62% of all reported hate crimes citywide.
Many New York Jews live in real fear.
There have also been highly visible acts meant to intimidate. Homes of Brooklyn Museum leaders, including the Jewish director, were splashed with red paint alongside slogans like “White Supremacist Zionist.”
Jewish organizations are already signaling how they will judge his term. The ADL said, “We expect the mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population in the world to stand unequivocally against antisemitism in all its varied forms... In the months ahead, we will hold the Mamdani administration to this basic standard.”
Mamdani has also acknowledged Jewish concerns about rhetoric. Asked about the chant “globalize the intifada,” he told The Guardian he would not personally use the phrase and that he understands “it causes fear among Jewish New Yorkers.”
The data show concentrated risk in Jewish neighborhoods such as Borough Park, Crown Heights, and the Upper West Side. Localized policing, liaison officers assigned to Jewish institutions and schools, improved lighting and transit safety, and formal partnerships with community security groups should be funded and measured, with public benchmarks and monthly reporting from the Hate Crimes Task Force.
Jewish community organizations, including synagogues, day schools, and cultural centers, must be integrated into the city’s safety plan. With heightened tensions globally, municipal leadership must distinguish legitimate protest from hateful targeting. Jewish New Yorkers hold a wide spectrum of views on Israel. Mamdani must protect free speech and protest, but draw bright lines at intimidation, glorification of terror, and bias-motivated harassment. In April 2024, Mayor Eric Adams said it simply amid campus unrest: “I am horrified and disgusted with the antisemitism being spewed.”
Mamdani has opportunity that unite minorities
One of the profound opportunities for a mayor like Mamdani is to unite immigrant, minority, Jewish, and working-class constituencies into a shared vision. Protecting Jewish life is a core test of the city’s integrity. Engaging Jewish nonprofits, small-business owners, cultural leaders, and youth programs as partners strengthens the entire fabric. Mamdani’s campaign message promised Jews would be protected alongside every other faith community. He must make that a governing principle that is visible in budgets, staffing, and enforcement.
For Mamdani personally, embracing Jewish safety should be politically astute. The Jewish community is a vital partner in philanthropy, neighborhood revitalization, small business, arts, and immigrant integration. Ignoring that community fractures a key coalition.
Mamdani holds the keys to an era. In the city where the Statue of Liberty stands as a signpost to the world, Mamdani has the opportunity to say: “Here, Jews belong. Here, Jews are safe. Here, Jewish life thrives.”
A major part of Jewish identity is Israel. Many New Yorkers have family in the Holy Land. They see Zionism as actualizing our Jewish birthright to this land in the Middle East. Can Mamdani acknowledge a Jewish state? If not, we’re afraid he might be an antisemite.
According to the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, antisemitism can manifest in many ways. One of which is the following: “The denial of the Jewish people’s right to self-determination, such as by claiming that the existence of the State of Israel is a racist endeavor.”
Much is at stake – for New York, for America’s Jews, and for the idea that democratic cities can protect their minorities even amid global instability.