Jewish New Yorkers react to a ‘mandate of change’ in NYC under Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s leadership

A day after the NYC Mayor’s Race was decided, much of the Jewish community and its supporters in NYC are reacting to Zohran Mamdani’s victory with disappointment and concern — but also hope that the Democratic socialist will not turn a blind eye to antisemitism that has proliferated throughout the city in recent years.

From rabbis and educators to parents and advocacy groups, Jewish New Yorkers were nervous about a Mamdani win throughout 2025. Much of their fear sprouted from his support of Palestine and criticisms of Israel throughout the war with Hamas in Gaza — a deadly conflict that began when terrorists stormed Israel, slaughtered more than 1,200 men, women and children, taking others hostage , on Oct. 7, 2023.

Antisemitism surged in New York City in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks; the NYPD reported that 54% of all hate crimes in New York City in 2024 were against Jewish New Yorkers. The Anti-Defamation League further noted that the state, as a whole, saw 1,437 antisemitic incidents last year, an 18% increase.

Mamdani, who will be the first Muslim mayor of NYC, has been criticized for not taking a stronger stand against Hamas, a terrorist group, and for repeatedly refusing to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state. He has even been quoted as saying, “I don’t really have opinions” on whether Hamas should lay down their weapons, and has threatened to arrest Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he were to visit the Big Apple.

Released hostage, David Cunio, who was kidnapped during the deadly October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas and taken to Gaza, gestures as he arrives at Sheba Medical Center, amid a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, in Ramat Gan, Israel October 13, 2025.REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Gerard Filitti, senior counsel at the NYC legal thinktank, The Lawfare Project, said Mamdani’s victory marks a “stunning” turn in local politics, signaling a breakthrough for Democratic socialists who might get a stronghold on the country’s Democratic party.

“Mamdani’s victory underscores a profound shift; radical activism is no longer confined to the margins—it’s now occupying City Hall,” Filitti said. “Mamdani’s platform rejects the very foundations that many New Yorkers have taken for granted and have kept the city safe, vibrant, and economically viable — law enforcement, fiscal discipline, and social cohesion.”

What happens next in NYC will determine whether the city remains one of opportunity and order, or a “testing ground for ideological governance untethered from reality,” Filitti reflected.

“This election is not just about one city’s direction,” he said. “It’s a reflection of America’s crossroads between stability and radical transformation.”

Gavriel Sanders, a spokesperson for the Be a Mensch Foundation, an organization that supports a unified Israeli society, took the election results not only as a warning to Jews in NYC, but those from across the country. He reflected on violent anti-war protests that have popped up on college campuses in America since 2023, with many of them leading to verbal or physical attacks on Jewish students.

“Antisemitic propaganda, which has infiltrated college and university campuses, has now embedded itself into candidates to which voters find acceptable,” Sanders said.

Groups say Mamdani’s beliefs ‘at odds’ with Jewish community

Jewish organization encompassing the UJA-Federation of New York, JCRC-NY, ADL New York/New Jersey, AJC New York and New York Board of Rabbis, issued its own joint statement that addresses the Mamdani mayoral win.

They acknowledged that New Yorkers voted and headed to the polls with a range of issues on their minds. However, they collectively stated that the mayor-elect holds beliefs that are “fundamentally at odds” with their community’s convictions and values.

Even so, they pledged to work to protect Jewish New Yorkers and urged Mamdani to “govern with humility, inclusivity and deep respect.”

“As we have done for over a century, we will continue to work across every level of government to ensure that our city remains a place where our Jewish community, and all communities, feel safe and respected,” the statement read. “We call on Mayor-elect Mamdani and all elected officials to govern with humility, inclusivity, and a deep respect for the diversity of views and experiences that define our city.”

The statement continued that the group will “hold all elected officials, including Mayor-elect Mamdani, fully accountable for ensuring that New York remains a place where Jewish life and support for Israel are protected and can thrive.”

Rabbi Dr. Josh Joseph, executive vice president and COO at the Orthodox Union, an umbrella organization for Orthodox Jews in the United States, echoed similar sentiments.

“We invite the mayor-elect to embrace the responsibility of governing for all, protecting the vulnerable, rejecting divisive rhetoric, and ensuring that safety, dignity, and respect are guaranteed to every New Yorker, including Jewish New Yorkers,” he said. “We should aspire to much more than basic civility, and with the Almighty’s help and New Yorkers holding each other accountable, we will.”

NYU students erected an encampment outside the college in April 2024 amid the protests over the Israel-Hamas War in Gaza.Photo by Dean Moses

During an interview on Good Morning America on Wednesday morning, the mayor-elect was asked how he would assure Jewish New Yorkers that his vision for the city includes them. Mamdani said he is looking forward to “being the mayor for every single New Yorker” who lives in the city.

When asked what he would do to address the mistrust among voters about his ability to protect and defend Jewish New Yorkers, Mamdani — without directly addressing Jewish New Yorkers — said he hoped his actions as mayor would ultimately win over skeptics.

“I think there are a lot of voters for whom trust comes from the actions that you actually take,” Mamdani said. “Many have understandably been disappointed by politics and the promises that have been made by many before me. Now, my opportunity is to actually deliver as the next mayor of NYC.”

Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, based in Washington, D.C., issued its own statement congratulating Mamdani on his historic win.

“The election of New York City’s first Muslim mayor represents a historic turning point for American Muslim political engagement,” the statement read. “Mayor-elect Mamdani’s ability to win while openly advocating for Palestinian human rights and experiencing a barrage of anti-Muslim hate also marks a historic rebuke of both Islamophobia and anti-Palestinian racism in politics.”