Jewish organizations respond to Zohran Mamdani’s NYC mayor victory

Jewish organizations openly speak of themselves as democratic socialists Zahran Mamdani He is poised to take the reins of America’s most populous city.

UJA Federation New YorkJCRC-NY, ADL New York/New Jersey, AJC New York and the New York Board of Rabbis issued a joint statement after Mamdani won the high-stakes race.

“New Yorkers have spoken, and they have elected Zahran Mamdani as the next Mayor of New York City. We recognize that voters are motivated by a range of issues, but we cannot ignore that the Mayor-elect holds core beliefs that fundamentally conflict with our community’s deepest convictions and most cherished values.” The statement said.

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“We call on Mayor-elect Mamdani and all elected officials to govern with humility, inclusion, and deep respect for the diversity of perspectives and experiences that define our city.

“Our agenda remains clear. We will hold all elected officials, including Mayor-elect Mamdani, fully accountable for ensuring that New York remains a place where Jewish life is protected and Israel is supported and thrives.”

Zahran Mamdani speaks during his victory speech at a municipal election night watch party on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, in New York. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), told Fox News Digital:[The] The ADL has the support of all Jewish New Yorkers in this time of record anti-Semitism in our country and in New York City in particular. Today we are launching a new initiative that includes a tip line for anti-Semitic incidents and a “Mamdani Monitor” to track policies and appointments, expanding our existing work to protect Jews everywhere. “As with any other elected official, we will judge the mayor-elect on what he does to keep Jewish New Yorkers safe.”

In 2023, UJA-Union of New York released a study showing that the Big Apple was home to nearly a million Jews. At the time, Brooklyn was the borough with the largest Jewish population, with 462,000 living there, according to the New York Jewish Federation. Brooklyn was followed by Manhattan, which was home to 277,000 Jews, then Queens with 150,000, Staten Island with 38,000 and the Bronx with 33,000.

Mamdani faced criticism from the Jewish community over his refusal to condemn the phrase “globalization of the intifada” and his position on Israel, including his pledge to arrest the Israeli prime minister. Benjamin Netanyahu If he entered the city while Mamdani was mayor.

After Mamdani’s victory, Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Anti-Semitism Amichai Shikli wrote in a Fox News op-ed that “a city that was once a beacon of freedom in the world has handed the keys of power to a Hamas sympathizer.”

“It is almost unbelievable that New York — the historic and proud center of Jewish life — could become the American city where Jews no longer feel at home or safe,” Shikley added.

Anti-Israel protesters try to enter the Brooklyn Museum during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza in New York City on May 31, 2024. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

Anti-Semitism watchdog issues scathing ‘alarm bell’ report on Mamdani as election approaches in New York City

Shortly before the election, the Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism and Global Politics (ISGAP) released a report highlighting its concerns about Mamdani.

“Voters must understand the ideological context that Zahran Mamdani comes from and embraces,” Charles Asher Small, founding director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Politics (ISGAP), said in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

Many Jews view the phrase “globalization of intifada” as a call for violence in reference to the first and second intifadas in Israel, both of which were intense periods of terrorist attacks that lasted for years. The phrase became a popular chant as it was used by anti-Israel agitators at demonstrations during the war between Israel and Hamas.

In its report, ISGAP criticized Al-Mamdani for his refusal to condemn the phrase and his attempt “to distance himself from the slogan and describe it as a mere expression of support for Palestine.”

ISGAP also objected to Mamdani’s description of Israeli actions in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, attacks as “genocide.”

Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, also commented on the matter in a post-election email to his organization’s supporters.

“The mayor-elect’s refusal to condemn the ‘globalization of the intifada’ and to use the term ‘genocide’ when describing Israel’s defensive war against Hamas is chilling,” Deutsch wrote. “The uprisings were not abstract political movements – they were waves of terrorism that massacred innocent Jews on buses, in pizza parlors, and in nightclubs. When protesters repeat this phrase, they are calling for this violence to spread around the world. Calling Israel’s military operation in self-defense a ‘genocide’ is not only factually and legally inaccurate, it provides fuel for extremist actors to resort to violence.”

On Tuesday, Mr. President Donald Trump He took to Truth Social to rebuke potential Jewish Mamdan voters.

“Any Jewish person who votes for Zahran Mamdani, who has proven he hates Jews, is a stupid person!!!” Trump said in the Truth social post on Tuesday.

Mamdani torn by rivals over unpopular stance during fiery debate in New York City: ‘Will not support Israel’

New York City Democratic mayoral candidate Zahran Mamdani speaks to supporters at a campaign launch in Prospect Park on August 17, 2025. (Deirdre Heavy/Fox News Digital)

Despite the criticism, Mamdani made statements claiming he would protect Jewish New Yorkers from anti-Semitism. During the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, Mamdani wrote on X that he would do “everything in my power to protect Jewish New Yorkers.” This comment came in response to an attack on a Jewish synagogue in England.

He also said during the election that it “hurts” him when people call him an anti-Semite.

“It hurts me to be called an anti-Semite,” Mamdani told reporters during his campaign. “It hurts me to be portrayed as if I am somehow opposed to the Jewish New Yorkers who I know and love and who are an essential part of this city.”

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the Mamdani campaign, the JA Federation of New York, JCRC-NY, ADL New York/New Jersey, and the New York Board of Rabbis.

Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.