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What Are Mamdani S Policy Proposals That Could Directly Impact Jewish

Bonisiwe Shabane
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what are mamdani s policy proposals that could directly impact jewish

Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent. NEW YORK — New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration marks a sea change for the US city’s Jews, with leading rabbis calling Mamdani a “danger” and warning of his “uncompromising anti-Zionism.” Mamdani is a longtime anti-Israel activist who has identified as an anti-Zionist, and much of the concern stems from Mamdani’s rhetoric against Israel, with Jewish leaders fearing the administration could foment hostility against Jews. Polls have found that a majority of Jews believe Mamdani will make the city less safe for them. Concerns have continued to mount in recent weeks as Mamdani’s staff comes together ahead of his taking office on January 1. An ADL report released this week found that many of Mamdani’s appointees have ties to anti-Zionist activist groups and one appointee resigned last week after old antisemitic comments she made online surfaced.

But what policies has Mamdani vowed to enact that could directly affect Jewish New Yorkers? The mayor-elect has focused on affordability and housing — issues that will affect Jews like other New Yorkers — but also outlined proposals that have a more immediate impact on Jews related to education,... “I will be the mayor who doesn’t just protect Jewish New Yorkers, but also celebrates and cherishes them,” said Zohran Mamdani during New York’s first general-election debate for mayor. Since he launched his campaign in October of 2024, however, Mamdani has faced a barrage of criticism, apprehension, and even attempts to demean his character in response to his views on Israel. Mamdani’s platform has focused narrowly on innovative policies to make New York, one of the world’s most expensive cities, more affordable and inclusive for all. From rent freezes to raising the minimum wage, free child care for all to hiking taxes on corporations and the one percent, Mamdani consistently presents an articulate progressive vision for the city’s future.

The excitement created by his campaign, for which an astonishing 90,000 volunteers have walked precincts and staffed phone banks, has reverberated across the country. But in New York—the historic gateway for immigrants from across the world—support for and opposition to the regimes from which those immigrants came, and New Yorkers’ ties to friends and relatives in other countries,... Unlike his opponents in the mayoral race, Mamdani has offered perspectives on Israel, Zionism, and antisemitism that have upset and even alarmed some voters. Although he has never denied that the state of Israel has a right to exist, he simultaneously has not affirmed that it should exist as a Jewish state. Mamdani is forthright in his opposition to Israel’s use of violence against the Palestinian people, and has classified the ongoing war in Gaza as a “genocide.” He also has not swayed from his support... When it comes to New York’s institutional ties to Israel, Mamdani wants to deviate from the past practice of the city’s mayors, who supported initiatives such as the NYC-Israel Economic Council and the NYPD’s...

Perhaps the most remarkable promise Mamdani has made is to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he ever enters the city. Instead of marketing himself as an ally to Israel, Mamdani has instead channeled his energy into targeting many of the everyday concerns of Jewish New Yorkers. According to data released by the NYPD, Jews were the primary target of hate crimes reported (hate crimes remain largely underreported across the board) in the city in 2024, constituting nearly 54 percent of... He has called for increasing funding for hate violence programs from $3 million to $26 million. He has also signified support for the implementation of the “Hidden Voices” program, which would teach students from kindergarten through 12th grade about Jewish Americans in U.S. history.

On the second anniversary of the October 7th attacks, Mamdani released a statement mourning those killed in both Israel and occupied Palestine, and he has repeatedly expressed a continued commitment to condemning antisemitism across... But connecting with voters in an effort to reconcile his opposition to Zionism with his opposition to antisemitism and his support for the city’s Jewish population has not been an easy task. Mamdani’s campaign has been met by significant resistance from Jewish leaders and organizations that take issue with his stance on Israel. A letter signed by over 1,000 rabbis that called for voters to stand up against Mamdani made headlines, arriving in the wake of Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of the Park Avenue Synagogue’s classification of Mamdani... In recent weeks, these voices have dominated the public conversation about the city’s mayoral race, but the truth about Jewish New Yorkers’ positions on Mamdani is much more complex. In a Fox News poll taken just before the general-election debate, 42 percent of Jewish voters surveyed supported Cuomo, while Mamdani trailed just behind with 38 percent.

(NEW YORK CITY) Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral bid has drawn fresh scrutiny from some Jewish community leaders and historians this week, who say his policy agenda—centered on rent freezes, fare-free buses, universal childcare, and progressive... The debate, sparked in part by recent commentary arguing his platform overlooks the city’s unique Jewish story, raises questions about how a broad social-justice message connects with communities shaped by generations of migration, religious... Critics do not say Mamdani ignores immigrants altogether. His proposals focus on economic inequality, housing stress, and public transit access—issues affecting many of the city’s 3.2 million foreign-born residents. Still, they argue that in a city where Jewish immigrant life has shaped neighborhoods from the Lower East Side to Brooklyn for centuries, the absence of explicit reference to Jewish history and contemporary concerns... Supporters counter with a universalist view: a platform prioritizing affordable housing, low-cost transit, and childcare benefits working families across faiths and backgrounds, including Jewish New Yorkers facing rising rents and longer commutes in boroughs...

They also point to the historic use of progressive revenue streams in city politics to expand public goods that ease costs for seniors, new parents, and small business workers. Tension in the political mood centers not only on policy details but on identity and safety. Those concerns are broader than taxes or transit; they’re about whether communal identity will be seen and respected in City Hall. JI asked senior New York Democratic officials and Jewish community leaders to discuss the top threats that a Mamdani administration could pose to Jewish life in the city 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. New Yorkers elected democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday as the next New York City mayor, ensuring the city will be headed in a leftward ideological direction for the next four years.

Mamdani’s election has also sparked widespread concerns in the city’s Jewish community about how the incoming mayor, who refused to condemn “globalize the intifada” rhetoric or acknowledge the state of Israel as a Jewish... Jewish Insider asked senior New York Democratic officials and Jewish community leaders — granted anonymity to offer their candid thoughts — to discuss the top threats that a Mamdani administration could pose to Jewish... Respondents expressed worry that Mamdani’s anti-Israel worldview could lead to heightened antisemitism, bring a vanguard of leftist operatives hostile to Jewish concerns into City Hall, impact the effectiveness of the New York Police Department... He has even vowed to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits, though experts have voiced doubt on the legality of the move. 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. Photo by Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

Senior Columnist Rob Eshman November 5, 2025 Among pollsters familiar with the American Jewish vote, the events of Nov. 4, 2025, in New York City will go down as Opposite Day. A CNN exit poll showed that Zohran Mamdani, the new mayor-elect, received just about 30% of the Jewish vote, while his opponents, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Curtis Sliwa, together received a total of 70%. Those numbers are effectively the inverse of the Jewish vote in decades of national elections, which have usually seen the Democratic candidate getting between 70% and 80% of the Jewish vote.

Now, that stark divide is one that Jews, and Mamdani, will have to learn to live with. I lived and worked in New York while a newlywed, law-school student and young attorney from 1970 to 1981. I have seen the city at its worst: “Adult bookstores” dotting Times Square, graffiti-covered subway cars with broken seats, panhandlers on every corner and squeegee men at every intersection. And I’ve seen the city at its best, too: Construction projects changing the face of the City from the World Trade Center to the reconstruction of the “old” Yankee Stadium, streets getting cleaner, and... Now I sit at a distance from New York, but what happens there affects even those of us who live as close as New Jersey and as far away as Israel. Today, the city stands at a crossroads, facing complex challenges that demand visionary and unifying political leadership.

As the mayoral race heats up, voters must scrutinize each candidate’s platform and judgment. In the case of Zohran Mamdani, the apparent winner of last week’s Democratic Party primary, a close examination reveals a pattern of rhetoric and positions that would not only be detrimental to the city’s...

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Luke Tress Is The Times Of Israel's New York Correspondent.

Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent. NEW YORK — New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration marks a sea change for the US city’s Jews, with leading rabbis calling Mamdani a “danger” and warning of his “uncompromising anti-Zionism.” Mamdani is a longtime anti-Israel activist who has identified as an anti-Zionist, and much of the concern stems from Mamda...

But What Policies Has Mamdani Vowed To Enact That Could

But what policies has Mamdani vowed to enact that could directly affect Jewish New Yorkers? The mayor-elect has focused on affordability and housing — issues that will affect Jews like other New Yorkers — but also outlined proposals that have a more immediate impact on Jews related to education,... “I will be the mayor who doesn’t just protect Jewish New Yorkers, but also celebrates and cherishes ...

The Excitement Created By His Campaign, For Which An Astonishing

The excitement created by his campaign, for which an astonishing 90,000 volunteers have walked precincts and staffed phone banks, has reverberated across the country. But in New York—the historic gateway for immigrants from across the world—support for and opposition to the regimes from which those immigrants came, and New Yorkers’ ties to friends and relatives in other countries,... Unlike his op...

Perhaps The Most Remarkable Promise Mamdani Has Made Is To

Perhaps the most remarkable promise Mamdani has made is to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he ever enters the city. Instead of marketing himself as an ally to Israel, Mamdani has instead channeled his energy into targeting many of the everyday concerns of Jewish New Yorkers. According to data released by the NYPD, Jews were the primary target of hate crimes reported (hate crime...

On The Second Anniversary Of The October 7th Attacks, Mamdani

On the second anniversary of the October 7th attacks, Mamdani released a statement mourning those killed in both Israel and occupied Palestine, and he has repeatedly expressed a continued commitment to condemning antisemitism across... But connecting with voters in an effort to reconcile his opposition to Zionism with his opposition to antisemitism and his support for the city’s Jewish population ...