Jewish organizations react to Zohran Mamdani’s victory for mayor of New York

Jewish organizations are speaking out as self-described democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani prepares to take the reins of America’s most populous city.

The UJA Federation of New York, JCRC-NY, ADL New York/New Jersey, AJC New York and the New York Board of Rabbis issued a joint statement following Mamdani’s victory in the high-stakes race.

“New Yorkers have spoken by electing Zohran Mamdani as New York’s next mayor. We recognize that voters are driven by a range of issues, but we cannot ignore that the mayor-elect has core beliefs fundamentally at odds with the deepest convictions and most cherished values ​​of our community.” said the press release.

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“We call on Mayor-elect Mamdani and all elected officials to govern with humility, inclusiveness and a deep respect for the diversity of perspectives and experiences that define our city.

“Our agenda remains clear. 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.”

Zohran Mamdani speaks during a victory speech at an election watch party for mayor, Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in New York. (Yuki Iwamura/AP Photo)

Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), told Fox News Digital that “(The)ADL stands with all Jewish New Yorkers during this time of record anti-Semitism in our country and in New York in particular. mayor-elect on what he is doing to keep New York’s Jews safe.

In 2023, UJA-Federation of New York published a study showing that the Big Apple was home to nearly a million Jews. At the time, Brooklyn was the borough with the most Jews, with 462,000 residents, according to the UJA-Federation of New York. Brooklyn was followed by Manhattan, which was home to 277,000 Jews, then Queens with 150,000, Staten Island with 38,000, and the Bronx with 33,000.

Mamdani has been criticized by the Jewish community for his refusal to condemn the phrase “globalizing the Intifada” and his stance towards Israel, including his promise to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he entered the city while Mamdani was mayor.

After Mamdani’s victory, Minister of Diaspora Affairs and Countering Anti-Semitism Amichai Chikli wrote in an op-ed for Fox News that “the city that was once the beacon of freedom in the world has handed the keys of power to a Hamas sympathizer.”

“It is almost unthinkable that New York – the proud and historic center of Jewish life – could become the American city where Jews no longer feel at home or safe,” Chikli added.

Anti-Israel protesters attempt to enter the Brooklyn Museum during the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, New York, May 31, 2024. (Eduardo Munoz/Reuters)

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Shortly before the election, the Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism and Global Politics (ISGAP) released a report highlighting its concerns about Mamdani.

“It is up to voters to understand the ideological context that Zohran Mamdani comes from and espouses,” said Charles Asher Small, founding director of the Institute for the Study of Anti-Semitism and Global Politics (ISGAP), in an exclusive interview with Fox News Digital.

The phrase “globalizing the Intifada” is seen by many Jews as a call for violence in reference to the First and Second Intifadas in Israel, both of which were intense periods of years-long terrorist attacks. The phrase became a common chant when anti-Israel agitators used it during protests during the Israel-Hamas war.

In its report, ISGAP criticized Mamdani for his refusal to condemn the phrase and his attempt to “distance himself from the slogan by describing it as a simple expression of support for Palestine.”

ISGAP also objected to Mamdani’s characterization of Israel’s actions in Gaza after the October 7, 2023 attacks as “genocide.”

AJC CEO Ted Deutch also commented on the issue in a post-election email to his organization’s supporters.

“The mayor-elect’s refusal to condemn the ‘globalization of the Intifada’ and the use of the term ‘genocide’ to describe Israel’s defensive war against Hamas is chilling,” Deutch wrote. “The Intifadas were not abstract political movements – they were waves of terror that massacred innocent Jews on buses, in pizzerias and in nightclubs. When protesters chant this phrase, they are calling for violence to spread throughout the world.

On Tuesday, President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to rebuke Mamdani’s potential Jewish voters.

“Any Jewish person who votes for Zohran Mamdani, a proven and self-proclaimed Jew-hater, is a stupid person!!!” Trump said in a Truth Social article Tuesday.

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Zohran Mamdani, Democratic candidate for mayor of New York, speaks to supporters during a campaign kickoff event in Prospect Park on August 17, 2025. (Deirdre Heavey/Fox News Digital)

Despite the criticism, Mamdani made statements saying he would protect Jewish New Yorkers from anti-Semitism. During the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish year, Mamdani wrote on X that he would do “everything in my power to protect the Jews of New York.” This comment was made in response to an attack on a synagogue in England.

He also said during the election that it “hurt” him when people called him an anti-Semite.

“And it hurts me to be called an anti-Semite. It hurts me to be portrayed as if I’m somehow in opposition to the very Jewish New Yorkers that I know and love and who are a key part of this city,” Mamdani told reporters during his campaign.

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Fox News Digital contacted Mamdani’s campaign, the UJA Federation of New York, JCRC-NY, ADL New York/New Jersey and the New York Board of Rabbis.

Andrew Mark Miller of Fox News Digital contributed to this report.