Jewish Democrats on Capitol Hill are raising concerns about New York Assembly member Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary for New York City mayor, arguing his refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada” or recognize Israel as a Jewish state could be dangerous during the current moment of rising antisemitism in the U.S.
Mamdani, a self-described Democratic socialist, bested a crowded field of Democratic mayoral hopefuls last month on a message largely focused on affordability in the city. But his ascension has been accompanied by intense scrutiny of his statements related to Israel, including his support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, accusing Israel of apartheid after Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack and stopping short of denouncing the saying “globalize the intifada” or calling Israel a Jewish state.
The latter two have sparked worries among Jewish Democrats in Congress — especially with Mamdani having a path to lead the city with the largest Jewish population in the country.
According to a source familiar with the matter, the situation has been a topic of discussion among the small group on Capitol Hill.
“To not be willing to condemn the term ‘globalize the intifada,’ it just demonstrates his callous disregard for antisemitism, terrorist activity. … Anyone that I care about couldn’t possibly distance themselves from him more,” said Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), who was the first Jewish woman elected to represent Florida in Congress. “It’s really terribly disturbing and potentially dangerous.”
“When you have a prominent candidate who is giving permission to use dangerous rhetoric that potentially incites violence and incites people and creates a permission structure to fan the flames of violence? That’s just completely unacceptable,” she added. “And how he doesn’t understand that shows me that he isn’t ready for prime time.”
Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), another prominent Jewish Democrat, said Mamdani is “either ignoring or gaslighting the public” when he said the phrase “globalize the intifada” is “a peaceful call.”
“I think he’s wrong on all those things,” echoed Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), who represents a part of Florida with a large population of Jewish individuals. “If he can’t tell people ‘globalizing the intifada’ — if he can’t say that that’s antisemitic, then obviously he’s going to continue to add to the problem, not deflate it.”
The response from New York’s Jewish Democrats on Capitol Hill was more tepid, however.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.), the dean of New York’s congressional delegation in the House, endorsed Mamdani the day after the primary.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Dan Goldman, meanwhile, issued carefully worded statements that stopped short of endorsing Mamdani.
Goldman, however, specifically said he, during a recent meeting with Mamdani, urged the candidate to make protecting Jewish individuals in New York City a priority.
“Zohran and I share a desire to lift up vulnerable New Yorkers and make the city more affordable and safe,” Goldman wrote in a statement. “To that end, I explained why Jewish New Yorkers feel unsafe in the City and that, as he continues this campaign, he must not only condemn anti-Jewish hate and calls for violence, but make clear that as Mayor he would take proactive steps to protect all New Yorkers and make us secure.”
The Hill reached out to Mamdani for comment.
Mamdani responded to the criticism at a press conference before the election, saying, “There’s no room for antisemitism in this city and this country.”
“It pains me to be called an antisemite. It pains me to be painted as I’m somehow in opposition to the very Jewish New Yorkers that I know and love and that are such a key part of this city,” he said.
His supporters have also noted Mamdani and New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is Jewish, cross-endorsed one another in the mayoral race, since the Big Apple uses ranked-choice voting for the election.
Mamdani, who is Muslim and was born in Uganda, set off a stir in New York City in mid-June when, during an interview on The Bulwark’s podcast, he refused to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which supporters view as Palestinians fighting for their rights and opposing Israeli occupation, but pro-Israel activists see as endorsing violence against the country, with a signal toward Palestinian attacks on Israel in the late 1980s and early 2000s.
During the interview, Mamdani recognized antisemitism as “a real issue in our city” but said he was “less comfortable with the idea of banning the use of certain words,” comparing such a move to tactics utilized by President Trump. Pressed again, he recognized the want among many to stand up for Palestinian human rights, later adding: “What we need to do is focus on keeping Jewish New Yorkers safe, and the question of the permissibility of language is something that I haven’t ventured into.”
During an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” after his campaign victory, Mamdani stuck to the same response when asked about the phrase by moderator Kristen Welker three times.
According to a poll released earlier this month by American Pulse, 30 percent of respondents said they were more likely to vote for Mamdani after learning of his position on BDS and the “globalize the intifada,” phrase while 52 percent said they were less likely. The margin of error was plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Mamdani has also drawn some criticism for declining to call Israel a Jewish state. When asked if he believed in the Jewish state of Israel during the Democratic mayoral debate, Mamdani responded, “I believe Israel has the right to exist,” adding “as a state with equal rights” when pressed to be more specific. He stuck by that message during a subsequent interview on “Good Day New York.”
“It’s a huge problem,” Rep. Greg Landsman (D-Ohio), who has a tattoo written in Hebrew, said of Mamdani’s stances. “It is happening in the context of a violent surge in antisemitism. Two Jews murdered here in Washington, D.C., at an event that some of us would have gone to had we not been voting, and then in Boulder, where Jews were set on fire. And now this. It’s definitely something that we’re worried about.”
Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) called Mamdani’s refusal to denounce “globalize the intifada” as “insane and unacceptable.”
“‘Globalize the Intifada’ refers to a horrific wave of terror — attacks that left more than a thousand Jews dead. It’s insane and unacceptable to me that Zohran Mamdani refuses to condemn language so clearly rooted in violence and hate, especially as antisemitic violence is at record highs,” Gottheimer told The Hill in a statement. “As Democrats, there should be no room in our party for antisemitism or hate speech.”
The concerns, to be sure, are not universal. In addition to Nadler’s endorsement, Rep. Jamie Raskin (Md.), another prominent Jewish Democrat, urged his party to coalesce around their nominee, arguing Mamdani should not be penalized for a slogan that he does not use.
“Our position is we’ve got to globalize human rights and peace and security for every nation and every people, and everything I’ve heard from him was consistent with that,” Raskin said. “’Globalize the intifada’ is not his slogan.”
But Jewish individuals in the party are still raising alarm, warning such stances are not satisfactory, especially for a prominent politician in a city with such a large Jewish population.
“Jewish Americans in New York and beyond are concerned about his position on Israel and his continued defense of this phrase, which we hear as a call to violence,” Halie Soifer, the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, told The Hill in an interview. “And at a moment of rising antisemitism, frankly it’s unacceptable for him to continue to defend this phrase if he wants to be mayor of the largest Jewish population of any city in the world.”
