I agree with almost everything that I know about Zohran Mamdani’s platform in his race to be elected Mayor of New York City. Yet if I were voting in the upcoming NYC mayoral election, I would have trouble casting a ballot for him despite not caring for any of the other candidates running.
In five short weeks since Mamdani appeared on a podcast and first defended the use of the slogan “globalize the intifada” Why Won’t Zohran Mamdani Denounce a Dangerous Slogan? – The Atlantic he has come to realize that he has a political problem that might interfere with his hoped-for election and he now promises that he will not use the phrase and will discourage others from doing so. Mamdani says he won’t use ‘globalize the intifada’ amid backlash | Zohran Mamdani | The Guardian.
Mamdani is a very intelligent gifted politician. He may be a generational talent like U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and before them Bill Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards. He is that good in his ability to communicate and stay on message. It disturbs me, however that not once since this topic came up, has he been able to express any empathy for the feelings of Jews who hear the phrase as a call to repeat around the world the worst actions of the First Intifada (1987-1990) and the Second Intifada (2000-2005). In which Palestinian terrorists planted bombs in coffee shops and pizza shops in Israel killing innocent civilians.
I do know nor will I express an opinion as to whether or not Zohran himself is a Jew hater, but I am certain that his movement is a “big tent” that welcomes and is home to many of New York’s antisemites. For Mamdani to simply “discourage” his supporters from using the phrase without going the next step and condemning antisemitism among his supporters is just not enough.
I support rent control. I was a long-time believer in food coops and agree with his promise to start a network of city-owned grocery stores. I like the idea eliminating the fares on city buses and the necessary needs of the working class should be funded by increased taxes on corporations and billionaires. Yet I fear that Mamdani’s election will give space and provide welcome to a dramatic increase in antisemitic attacks which is already epidemic in NYC.
I would not vote Zohran Mamdani if I were a NYC resident.