20 Of Nyc Mayor Elect Mamdani Transition Appointees Have Anti Msn

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 28, 2025, 1:42 PM

20 of nyc mayor elect mamdani transition appointees have anti msn

Among the appointees, Kazi Fouzia called Oct. 7 justified and Mohammed Karim Chowdhury said Zionists are worse than Nazis New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani celebrates during an election night event at the Brooklyn Paramount Theater in Brooklyn, New York on November 4, 2025. A new report by the Anti-Defamation League highlights several members of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team who have used antisemitic tropes and justified Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attacks, among other issues the group flags as “deeply troubling” and that raise further questions about his vetting process. The document, published on Monday, comes days after the ADL uncovered antisemitic comments by a top transition appointee, Catherine Almonte Da Costa, who had denigrated Jews in a series of past social media posts.

Da Costa resigned shortly after the posts were publicized amid backlash from critics. Mamdani said last week that he was unaware of those comments and would hire an outside legal team to assist with the vetting process as he staffs his administration — noting “clear changes that... Mamdani’s latest Jewish commissioner pick rejected the allegations of antisemitism. This piece first ran as part of the New York Jewish Week’s daily newsletter, rounding up the latest on politics, culture, food and what’s new with Jews in the city. Sign up here to get it in your inbox. The Anti-Defamation League accused Mamdani of packing his transition team with people linked to “antisemitic, anti-Zionist, or anti-Israel activities” in a report on Monday, sparking backlash from some liberal Jewish groups.

The second update to the ADL’s “Mamdani monitor” charged that 20% of the 400 people on Mamdani’s transition team have ties to groups that “openly promote terror and harass Jewish people.” As examples of... The ADL also singled out members for participating in anti-Israel campus encampments. It noted individuals who made a range of statements, including that “resistance” was justified after the 2023 Hamas attack and that “Zionists are never Jews.” New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani holds a press conference at the Unisphere in the Queens borough of New York City, US, Nov. 5, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Kylie Cooper

Scores of New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition and administrative appointees have histories of antisemitic rhetoric, support for terrorist groups, or affiliations with organizations hostile to Israel and the Jewish community, according to... In a detailed document released this week, the ADL said it reviewed more than 400 individuals appointed on Nov. 24 to serve on 17 transition committees responsible for staffing the incoming administration and shaping its policy agenda. The ADL said at least 20 percent of these appointees have either a “documented history of making anti-Israel statements” or ties to radical anti-Zionist organizations that “openly promote terror and harass Jewish people.” Among... According to the ADL, Mamdani’s appointees include individuals who have promoted classic antisemitic tropes, vilified supporters of Jewish self-determination, sought to undermine the legitimacy of Israel, expressed sympathy for Hamas, and celebrated the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre carried out by the Iran-backed terrorist group.

Several appointees were also flagged for alleged connections to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has compared Jews to termites, described Judaism as a “dirty religion,” called the Jewish people “Satan,” publicly questioned... Others, according to ADL, dismissed reports of Hamas atrocities as “propaganda” or publicly justified the Oct. 7 atrocities as a form of justified “resistance.” The ADL said, for example, that Gianpaolo Baiocchi, who was recently appointed to the Committee on Community Organizing, participated in an anti-Israel encampment at New York University (NYU). He defended the encampments, claiming that “there was no expression of anti-semitism [sic], bigotry, or any hate speech.” However, previous reports of these encampments reveal that demonstrators often used slogans such as “Destroy Zionist... At least one in five members of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition operation has documented ties to radical anti-Zionist groups that openly promote terror and harass Jewish people, according to a report released Monday by...

The ADL’s analysis found that roughly 80 of the more than 400 people appointed to Mamdani’s 17 transition committees have a record of making or sharing anti-Zionist or anti-Israel statements. Many were linked to activist organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Within Our Lifetimes — groups the ADL says have fueled aggressive anti-Israel protests across New York... Several of the individuals identified in the report have downplayed or dismissed the atrocities committed by Hamas during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, while others were involved in last spring’s anti-Israel encampments on New York City college campuses, which repeatedly drew condemnation for antisemitic rhetoric and harassment. The findings land amid a global surge in antisemitic incidents and come less than a week after Mamdani’s director of appointments, Catherine Almonte Da Costa, resigned following the resurfacing of decade-old social media posts... The ADL said the resignation, combined with the new report, raises serious questions about how thoroughly Mamdani’s transition team vetted appointees.

“Many of Mayor-Elect Mamdani’s Transition Committee appointments are inconsistent with his campaign commitments to prioritize the safety of New York’s Jewish community,” the ADL wrote. “The composition of these Transition Committees will directly influence the administration’s policies and approach to Jewish community concerns, and the current appointments raise serious questions as to whether those concerns will be adequately represented... New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani dismissed a new report from the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Monday that flagged antisemitic rhetoric, pro-Hamas statements, and extremist ties among members of his transition team. The ADL’s latest “Mamdani Monitor” report reviewed the social media activity of more than 400 individuals tapped to serve in volunteer roles on Mamdani’s transition committees. At least 20% of those appointees have documented histories of engaging in antisemitic, anti-Zionist, or anti-Israel activity, including posts praising Hamas-linked “resistance” following the group’s Oct. 7 terror attack, according to the group.

The report was released less than a week after Mamdani’s former director of appointments, Catherine Da Costa, stepped down following a separate ADL finding that she had previously posted antisemitic, anti-white and anti-police comments... Among the examples highlighted in the ADL report is Mohammed Karim Chowdhury, a member of Mamdani’s Committee on Worker Justice and the national secretary of the Alliance of South Asian American Labor. The organization previously shared a post claiming that “Zionists are worse than Haman of ancient times, the Inquisition, and the Nazis,” adding that “Zionists are never Jews,” according to the ADL. Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, appointed to the Committee on Youth and Education, participated in a City University of New York encampment earlier this year and posted photos of herself in front of a banner with the... Her social media activities also include a post of a cartoon depicting Israel as a dog pushing a person representing Palestine off a bed. By Michael Katz | Monday, 22 December 2025 04:48 PM EST

At least 20% of the 400 people appointed to New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's transition team have a history of "making or sharing anti-Zionist or anti-Israel statements," according to a Monday report by... The report by the ADL, which has been screening Mamdani's transition advisers for comments seen as hateful toward Jewish people, came after the organization discovered last week that Mamdani's incoming City Hall appointments director,... The disclosure prompted Da Costa to apologize and announce she would not join his administration. Mamdani, New York City's first Muslim and democratic socialist mayor-elect, has been scrutinized over his support for divesting from Israel in response to its alleged treatment of Palestinians.

20 Of Nyc Mayor Elect Mamdani Transition Appointees Have Anti Msn

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