The New York City mayor is perhaps the most widely known
member of the Democratic Socialists of America, an organization on the far left
of the political spectrum that views the State of Israel as an illegitimate
colonial enterprise that practices apartheid against its indigenous peoples. It
advocates boycotting Israel and, ultimately, dismantling it as a Jewish state
and returning the land to its supposed rightful Palestinian owners.
One of Mamdani’s first forays into politics came while he
was a student at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he co-founded the
college’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, which the ADL describes
as a network of anti-Zionist campus groups that promotes BDS campaigns against
Israel.
His anti-Israel bona fides were established a long time ago
and have continued to be part of his worldview to this day. And yet he loves to
distinguish himself as a friend of Jewish New Yorkers. He says he will fight
the growing antisemitism plaguing New York and promises to protect their rights
and freedoms no less than those of any other New Yorker—even Jews who disagree
with him. He says that disagreeing with him is their right, just as his
anti-Israel views are his right.
A lot of Jews scoff at Mamdani’s comments and promises,
noting that his anti-Israel rhetoric actually contributes to the increase in
antisemitic attacks.
And yet, a few weeks ago, Ynet reported the
following:
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani issued a blessing to the Jewish community in the city ahead of the Tisha B’Av fast and wished residents “to reflect on the history and resilience of the Jewish people.” In a post published on X, Mamdani wrote: “May all who observe this day have a safe and meaningful fast.”
I had to laugh when I saw that. On Tisha B’Av, a “meaningful
fast” is about mourning the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash and hoping for it
to be restored speedily in our time in our holy city, Jerusalem. That would
seem to undermine his views about our rights to the land.
Underscoring the absurdity of his message is his constant
anti-Israel rhetoric and openly expressed view that Israel has no right to be a
Jewish state. Much less rebuild the Holy Temple in Jerusalem on the location
where one of Islam’s holiest buildings now stands.
And yet, I really think he believes that he can separate his
anti-Zionist views from his sincere desire to be the mayor for all New Yorkers,
Jews included.
That assumption, I’m sure, is based in part on the support
he received from the many Jews who align themselves with progressive socialist
policies and who see Israel in much the same negative light he does. Although
some of them may not go as far as he does in denying Israel the right to exist
as a Jewish state, they clearly see anything short of a socialist-style
government as a betrayal of the ideals they associate with the good old days of
the kibbutzim upon which Israel was built.
Kibbutzim were communes - essentially mini-communist-style
enterprises in which there was little or no private ownership. Everyone worked
for the common good, and everything was shared equally.
That hardly exists today. For good reason. It doesn’t work
on a micro scale much better than it does on a macro scale. Which failed every
time it was tried.
I don’t really doubt Mamdani’s sincerity. I’m sure he feels
he can be all things to all people, including his Jewish constituents. To that
end, he must be a bit perplexed by the rise in antisemitic attacks since he
took office. So he assembled
an eclectic group of Jewish leaders to get their input on why this is
happening.
Not surprisingly, representatives of most mainstream Jewish
organizations were not invited to attend. Not the ADL. Not Agudah. Not the OU.
Not Chabad. And not the RCA…
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