By Bruce S. Ticker
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — The four-year New York City nightmare commences on Jan. 1. But whose nightmare?
The reign of Zohran Mamdani as Gotham’s next mayor threatens to be a nightmare for 960,000 Jewish New Yorkers, but it could be worse for the city’s first Muslim mayor.
Mamdani, a Democrat who will be sworn in on Jan. 1, will probably face pressure from all directions – established Jewish organizations, pro-Arab activists and Donald Trump.
Bear in mind, the 34-year-old Mamdani received 50.4 percent of the vote, hardly a mandate. He faced the weakest opposition that any candidate could ever be blessed with. He dispatched a disgraced former Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, who ran as an independent, and a blank-slate Republican, Curtis Sliwa, whom most voters ignored.
Contrast that with Democratic Gov.-elect Mikie Sherill’s 57 percent victory across the Hudson, defeating a very aggressive Republican campaigner, Jack Ciattarelli. Four years ago, Ciattarelli lost the election for New Jersey governor by three percentage points. Maybe he should have taken on Mamdani instead.
Future friction with the next mayor is foreshadowed by Cuomo’s Jewish vote, which was estimated to reach 63 percent. An organization known as the Jewish Majority reports that Cuomo took much of the Upper East Side and parts of the Upper West Side, which together are home to more than 100,000 Jews. Cuomo predictably carried heavy margins in Brooklyn’s Orthodox neighborhoods.
Mamdani will have a near-impossible task just running NYC day to day, and his social reform proposals will face steep obstacles. Think of what will happen if he moves to divest from Israel, hires Israel-bashing friends, fails to reduce attacks on New York Jews, issues false accusations against Israel, or sends police to JFK Airport to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he lands.
These are all election promises or past actions that haunted his campaign amid his harsh criticism of Israel’s attacks on Gaza, which the terror group Hamas claims killed nearly 70,000 Arabs. Hamas started the war when it invaded southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, murdering 1,200 Israelis and kidnapping another 250 people.
Even if he tackles legitimate issues in the Jewish community, such as Brooklyn yeshivas that refuse to provide secular education, it will be much easier for the affected parties if they accuse Mamdani of antisemitism. So, what can we expect from the Jewish community in response to Mamdani missteps?
As Elaine of Seinfeld would say, yada-yada chaos. That is, fuming tirades, massive rallies outside City Hall, front-page headlines, vehement letters to the editor, etc.
Already, one Jewish organization dubbed Mamdani’s election “a grim milestone.” The Anti-Defamation League unveiled a website and related tip line to monitor Mamdani’s administration for possible antisemitic actions. Fox News reports that the ADL joined four other prominent Jewish groups in issuing this statement:
“We 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.”
Any misconduct toward Jewish New Yorkers will distract from both the daily governance of the city and implementation of his proposed policies such as free buses and free child care. It will make it that much harder for other Muslims to run for public office in the future.
That is nowhere near the end of Mamdani’s political risks. He may well face the wrath of the anti-Israel mob. Ending city contracts with firms doing business with Israel tops a list of demands already compiled by the local chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, according to The New York Post.
The city must also withdraw all funds from banks lending money to the Jewish state, according to the five-page list that was distributed at the DSA’s Nov. 2 meeting. The document also discloses that the chapter has been scheming since at least late September on how best to guarantee that Mamdani backs this agenda and does not cave to political pressure.
They also demand that the mayor-elect divest city pensions from Israeli bonds and securities; ban Israeli products from the city-run grocery stores he wants to open; investigates real estate agents “hosting illegal sales of stolen lands in the West Bank”; strip tax-exempt nonprofit status from entities that raise funds for the Israel Defense Force; end the police department’s training with Israeli Occupation Forces; arrests Netanyahu and active IDF soldiers for “war crimes” if they enter the city; and dismantle a NYC-Israel Economic Council formed by departing Mayor Eric Adams.
“This was always about Jew hatred,” said state Assemblyman Kalman Yeger, a conservative Brooklyn Democrat. “The DSA doesn’t care about the state of our schools, streets, parks, subways, city budget or anything else. They care about Israel.”
Serial Israel-basher Linda Sarsour promised that pro-Israel Democrats will be kicked out in future primaries. If she wants to believe it. Anti-Israel attitudes fall far short of the MAGA influence in the Republican Party, according to the Post.
I think we know what to expect from the DSA team. Do you all join me in yada-yading chaos?
Then there is President Trump’s role. He has already promised to slash more funding for New York if Mamdani is elected. Yet, Trump could be Mamdani’s saving grace.
The Donald could transform Mamdani into a martyr if he pounces on him. Zohran knows how to take advantage of that tactic.
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Bruce S. Ticker is a Philadelphia-based columnist.
Looks like Florida is about to get hit with another wave of New Yorkers.
Every country will be watching how Mamdani is being handled by the American people and leaders. Why did he get so many Jewish and friends of Israel people voting for Him?
It’s possible most of those were young far left progressive Jews, who are unaffiliated and don’t identify much with being Jewish and have been brainwashed into believing that Israel is committing genocide.