Zohran Mamdani (NYC mayor nominee), the rising Muslim politician, whose stunning victory in New York City mayoral primary has drawn mixed response from the city’s Jewish community, has pledged to combat antisemitism and hate crimes as mayor of all New Yorkers.
“My message is that I am looking to lead this entire city, to represent each and every New Yorker. And that representation is not contingent on whether or not someone votes for me or someone agrees with me, because the responsibility of a leader is to reach out to all eight and a half million people who call this city their home,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani, who himself has been subjected to threats and Islamophobic attacks, acknowledged safety concerns of Jewish Americans after recent “horrific attacks” in Washington, D.C., and Colorado.
“I know that Jewish New Yorkers, like Jewish Americans, are fearful in this moment of antisemitism,” he told MSNBC’s Jen Psaki, a former White House spokesperson.
The 33-year-old Assemblyman, who shot to prominence with his grassroots activism and focus on righting the issues impacting the New Yorkers and describes as himself as Democrat socialist.
In the interview, Mamdani said he has been in touch with Jewish residents and have listened to their concerns.
While replying to a question, Mamdani emphasized that it is not just the talk that would tackle hate crimes but practical steps.
“Ultimately, it’s through the conversations I’ve had with Jewish New Yorkers that I have developed a proposal for the Department of Community Safety that would include an 800% increase in funding for hate crime prevention programs,” Mamdani said.
“Because” he continued, “ultimately, we cannot simply say that anti-Semitism has no home in this city or no place in this country.”
“We have to do more than talk about it. We have to tackle it. That’s what we will do through this funding and through this commitment. We will root out bigotry across the five boroughs,” he added.
Mamdani’s statements that have drawn attention of the community are about Israeli atrocities during Gaza war.
For example, in an interview with MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan in December 2024 Mamdani said as NYC mayor he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited the city. He was speaking the context of International Criminal Court’s issuing arrest warrants for Netanyahu over his human rights violations during Gaza war.
Mamdani argued that New York ‘s value aligned with international law and that it was time that “our actions are also.”
Rising Muslim politician Zohran Mamdani wins Democratic nomination race for NYC mayor
However, analysts note that the independently thinking politician, whose father is originally from India, has also been critical of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling him the butcher of Gujarat for his role in massacre of the city’s Muslims.
New York media reports say that Mamdani also bagged an important share of Jewish vote in the primary in which he toppled the pre-Israel former NY governor Andrw Cuomo.
Similarly, some Jewish Advocacy Groups took issue with his response in an interview with Bulwark when he was asked about phrases “Globalize the intifada” and “From the river to the sea.”
Questioned if he felt uncomfortable with the phrases, Mamdani’s said he would not support banning the language.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Moshe Hauer, vice president of the Orthodox Union, asked Mamdani to “prioritize the safety and security of New Yorkers over his ‘strong feelings about what happens overseas.”
“The safety of all New Yorkers — including Jewish New Yorkers — is the single greatest responsibility of the Mayor of New York,” Hauer said in a statement, according to Forward.
Meanwhile, mainstream Jewish Democratic politicians have welcomed his successful primary run.
New York’s Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer, who is minority leader in the chamber, congratulated Mamdani on running an “impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness & opportunity.”
I have known @ZohranKMamdani since we worked together to provide debt relief for thousands of beleaguered taxi drivers & fought to stop a fracked gas plant in Astoria. He ran an impressive campaign that connected with New Yorkers about affordability, fairness, & opportunity.
— Chuck Schumer (@chuckschumer) June 25, 2025
Another pro-Israel lawmaker U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler also welcomed Mamdani’s victory.
“Voters in New York City demanded change and, with Zohran’s triumph, we have a direct repudiation of Donald Trump’s politics of tax cuts and authoritarianism,” Nadler noted.
“I’ve spoken to him today about his commitment to fighting antisemitism, and we’ll work with all New Yorkers to fight against all bigotry and hate,” said Nadler, who also expressed support for Mamdani in the general election.
Follow for more: Twitter (X) | Facebook | Instagram | LinkeIn
, the rising Muslim politician, whose stunning victory in New York City mayoral primary has drawn...){kind=link}