Does The Jewish Community Hate Zohran Mamdani?

People from all over the world think that, specifically, the Jewish community of New York and the rest of the world are not really happy with the victory of the new mayor-elect of New York City. 

The Jews of New York constitute 10% of the city’s population. New York houses the highest population of jews in the entire world after Jerusalem.  

According to the information provided by jewishvirtuallibrary.org, almost 1,980,200 people out of 19,498,249 are Jews. Thus, the Jewish vote bank played a major role in New York City’s elections for the post of mayor.  

However, now that the Mayor has been elected, it is important to ensure he receives the support of such a large share of New Yorkers. 

In this article, we will examine the stance of Jews in New York and around the world toward Zohran Mamdani. Let’s dig in to learn about the opinions of the Jewish New Yorkers on Mamdani. 

What Does The Jewish Rabbis Have To Say About The Win Of Zohran Mamdani? 

Yishai Fleisher, the renowned Jewish journalist and important Jewish spokesperson on his channel, compared the differing opinions of the two groups of Rabbis. 

In one video, we could see Ammiel Hirsch, one of the most popular Rabbis in the USA. On the other hand, in another video, we saw a group of female Rabbis discussing their stance on Zohran Mamdani. 

Let us examine the differences in the opinions of the two types of Rabbis to understand the views of Jewish New Yorkers on Mamdani. 

1. What Did Ammiel Hirsch State About Zohran Mamdani? 

Ammiel Hirsch 

Ammiel Hirsch shared his experience of meeting the Mayor Elect. He states that a meeting was held between the Mayor-elect and the Rabbai after the primaries. 

He states that several renowned Jewish Rabbis also joined him during the meeting with the Mayor-elect of New York City. 

The Rabbi suggests that most of them met the Mayor-elect with “open minds”, as they had no idea about the candidate. 

However, their “moods steadily darkened” as the meeting “unfolded.”  He further stated that the meeting led to their “fears steadily increased”. 

Amneil Hirsch calls Zohran Mamdani an “ideologically committed dogmatic opponent of the Zionist idea”, and not simply just a critic of Israel. 

The Rabbi states that the Mayor-Elect Mamdani does not believe in coexistence. The Rabbi states that his opposition to Israel was existential. According to  Ammiel Hirsch, Zohran believes that Israel does not have the right to “exist at all” in any territory. 

Amneil Hirsch further stated that Zohran Mamdani’s ideology is the “ideology of Hamas, Hizbullah, and Iran. 

Thus, Amneil Hirsch represented the voice of Jewish New Yorkers in various ways through Mamdani. However, multiple jews must have supported Mamdani. In the next paragraph, we shall learn about the opinion of the other type of Rabbai. 

2. What Did The Supporting Rabbi Group Have to Say About Zohran Mamdani? 

A Rabbai Group That Supports Zohran Mamdani 

The other group of rabbis was an all-women team. The group was wearing attire that directly expressed their support for Zohran Mamdani. They mostly talked about making Newyork more affordable. 

These people claimed to work with Zohran Mamdani, while stating that they went around the city and asked for a vote from several neighbourhoods for Zohran Mamdani. 

They think that Zohran will make the city affordable and safe for their families. These people, moreover, came out of their Jewish sense of cohesion and stated that they did not want to be priced out of the “incredible city” they called home. However, they did not disown their identity. They proudly stated that they were Jewish, and their knowledge of Judaism had made them a Rabbi. 

Thus, they represented a proud, diverse Jewish population, including people of all genders. Therefore, the opinion of the Jewish New Yorkers on Mamdani is not always negative. 

3. What Did Mamdani Say About Israel’s Right To Exist? 

Mamdani, while talking to ABC News, stated that he has said this “time and again, that he supports Israel’s right to exist.” 

He believes that Israel has the right to exist with “ equal rights”. However, he states that ultimately his focus is on the “five burrows of the city”. He also states that he was aware that the vision, views, ambitions, and fears of New Yorkers extended well beyond the five boroughs of New York. 

He states that he was agreeing to lead every New Yorker, not just those who voted for him. Moreover, his perception of leadership also involves difficult communication while extending oneself to listen to disagreements.  

Thus, this influenced the opinions of the  Jewish New Yorkers on Mamdani positively. 

4. What Did The Jews Of Jerusalem Say About Mamdani To The Associated Press? 

While we are trying to understand the views of Jewish New Yorkers on Mamdani, the Associated Press attempted to understand the opinion of the Jews of Jerusalem.  

 
Baruch Goldstein, A resident of Jerusalem ( Photo courtesy of Associated Press)  

The Associated Press representatives went to Baruch Goldstein. 

Baruch Goldstein expressed his opinions in broken English. The resident states, “It is good” that Mamdani was “against the Zionists”. 

However, he expresses fear and concerns about the other things, as he does not know if he was a “liberal”. He states that many bad things are happening in New York, which is “not good for them.”  

However, he states that one point was good, that Mamdani was “against the Zionists.” 

Hana Jaeger, A local resident of Jerusalem ( Photo courtesy of Associated Press)  

Hana Jaeger, another resident of Jerusalem, stated that it was “very bad for Israel, very bad for Jews, and everyone else”. 

She was sad about the fact that the Jews in America “gave it to him” in the elections. She expressed frustration with the results and did not think this was at all good for the Israelis. 

5. What Made The Right Spokesperson And Commentator Candice Owens Praise Mamdani?

Candice Owens is known for her far-right commentary. However, Candice’s praise for the liberal socialist Mayor-Elect leaves the world stunned.  

Candice Owens Talks About The Opinion Of The Jewish New Yorkers on Mamdani. 

Candice Owens took it to social media while praising Mamdani. Candice Owens believes Mamdani had won at the mayoral debate. All the candidates were asked where they would visit after winning the elections. 

Most of the candidates gave answers that were related to Israel. 

Andrew Cuomo stated that he will visit Israel. While there were also people who stated that they will make their “4th trip to Israel”. Furthermore, some of them stated that they will visit the “Holy Land of Israel”. 

Therefore, most of the candidates were busy proving who was the larger Israel supporter. However, Mamdani provided a logical reply to all of them. 

Mamdani was also asked the same question. However, Mamdani provided the most rational answer to this. 

Mamdani stated that he wants to stay in New York and address the problems faced by New Yorkers living in the Five Burrows. 

Candice believes that this was when Mamdani actually won the elections.

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What Is The Big Jar’s Take On The Opinions Of Jewish New Yorkers On Mamdani?

We at Big Jar believe that a massive section of the Jews of New York were against Mamdani. Moreover, this was highly reflected in Mamdani’s share of the vote. Furthermore, the CNN Exit Polls show that almost 63% of the Jewish voters supported the incumbent candidate. 

On the other hand, no one can completely deny that a considerable number of voters actually voted for the Mayor-Elect. Thus, the CNN Exit Polls also suggest that 33% of the Jewish New Yorkers had actually voted for Mamdani. 

Thus, this proves that most of the Jews were not actually against the Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. 

Apart from that, Zohran Mamdani also secured the support of most New Yorker immigrants. Further, Zohran Mamdani’s socialist background impressed people who wanted to reduce their cost of living in New York City. 

Thus, people thought beyond xenophobia and identity politics and chose promises for policies like free Child Care and free buses. 

Thus, people can not really have a black or white conclusion about the opinion of the Jewish New Yorkers on Mamdani. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about the Jewish population of New York City and their opinion on Zohran Mamdani.