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Critics Say Zohran Mamdani Is Antisemitic He Says He S Holding Israel

Bonisiwe Shabane
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critics say zohran mamdani is antisemitic he says he s holding israel

A new report by the Anti-Defamation League says at least 20 percent of New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition appointees have documented ties to anti-Zionist activist groups or have publicly promoted rhetoric widely... At least four appointees were found to have ties to Louis Farrakhan or the Nation of Islam, including praise posted online or attendance at related events. A new report by the Anti-Defamation League says at least 20 percent of New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition appointees have documented ties to anti-Zionist activist groups or have publicly promoted rhetoric widely... The ADL said it reviewed more than 400 volunteers named to Mamdani’s transition committees and identified dozens with connections to organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, and other... According to the report, several appointees publicly endorsed what they described as Palestinian “resistance,” including posts made immediately after Hamas’s October 7 massacre. One appointee shared content calling such resistance “justified” the day after the attack.

The ADL also flagged social media posts by multiple appointees describing Zionism as racism or a genocidal ideology. In one case, an appointee shared content asserting that Zionists are worse than Nazis and claiming that “Zionists are never Jews.” Everything you need to know about the 2025 NYC mayoral candidate’s views on Israel, antisemitism and the Jews He was elected to represent Astoria, Queens, in New York’s state Assembly and is running to helm New York City. But Zohran Mamdani has called the Palestinian cause “central to my identity,” both in and out of politics. Mamdani consistently and proudly associates with the pro-Palestinian movement in high-profile settings across New York City.

Shortly after delivering a stunning upset in the mayoral primary, for instance, he took the stage with Mahmoud Khalil, the pro-Palestinian protest leader who was detained by the Trump administration, at comedian Ramy Youssef’s... So it’s no surprise that as Mamdani aims to become mayor of New York — the city with the largest Jewish population in the world — Jewish New Yorkers are closely scrutinizing what he... Below is a round-up of what Mamdani has said on a range of Israel and Jewish-related topics in a variety of interviews that have made headlines. New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on June 24. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

Zohran Mamdani officially became the Democratic nominee for mayor of New York City on Tuesday — after a campaign where his opponents repeatedly accused him of not doing enough to support Israel and Jews. But what has the 33-year-old Democratic socialist actually said about Jews, Israel and antisemitism? The Forward reviewed interviews, social media posts and statements made by Mamdani, spanning from his college years as co-founder of Bowdoin’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter to his current mayoral campaign. Mamdani has long supported the Boycott Divest and Sanction Movement against Israel, going back to his days as co-founder of a Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College. 2014 Context: In 2014, he co-authored a piece in the student paper calling on Bowdoin to join the BDS movement. Quote: He wrote that a boycott aims to “put pressure on Israeli institutions to end the oppressive occupation and racist policies within both Israel and occupied Palestine.”

Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team is riddled with antisemitic, anti-Zionist or anti-Israel activity from members, including one who said “resistance is justified” following the Hamas terror attack on Israel in 2023, the Anti-Defamation League... Representatives from the ADL, which has been monitoring Mamdani’s 400-member transition team since his victory on Nov. 4, said they found “many examples” of individuals who have engaged in this kind of offensive rhetoric or action outlined in the Dec. 22 report. The ADL shared with amNewYork a social media post by Kazi Fouzia, who is on the mayor-elect’s worker justice committee, that reads “Resistance are [sic] justified when people are occupied,” less than a day... 7, 2023, Hamas terror attack on Israel.

According to the report, which is the second ADL update on Mamdani’s progression into mayoral office, the post includes video footage from an anti-Israel protest happening in Manhattan a day after the attack. But Fouzia is not the only team member who raised a red flag for the ADL. Per the report, at least 12 transition appointees expressed support for anti-Israel campus protests that rocked the city in 2024. December 12, 2025 / 5:31 PM EST / CBS New York New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani says he won't change his positions on Israel, despite threats of opposition from leaders of the city's Jewish community. Mamdani has steadfastly refused to recognize Israel's right to exist as a Jewish state and no amount of cajoling by the head of the New York Board of Rabbis has changed his mind.

He made it clear Friday during an interview for CBS News New York's "The Point with Marcia Kramer." Mamdani, who won the election with the support of many who believe Israel committed genocide in Gaza, publicly refused once again to change his stance on Israel, which has roiled the Jewish community. 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... New York City mayoral hopeful and State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani refused to sign a resolution acknowledging Israel’s right to exist, and another which condemns the Holocaust, Politico reported Friday. The decisions, which have stirred outrage among Jewish leaders and lawmakers, are part of what critics say is Mamdani’s radically antisemitic political platform, which included attending a protest against Israel on October 8 2023,...

Mamdani, a member of the Democratic Socialists of America party, is currently trailing former Governor Andrew Cuomo to earn the Democratic party’s nomination. Critics say Mamdani’s refusal to support non-controverdisl, Jewish-related resolutions reveals his true feelings. “He condemned Israel the day after October 7th, regularly gives interviews on unapologetic antisemitic platforms and just proudly accepted an endorsement from a disgraced former fire-alarm pulling Congressman” who initially denied elements of the... Mamdani also vowed to, if elected, arrest Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu if he were to visit New York under the ICC warrant, despite the Court not having jurisdiction in the US.

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