The anti-Jewish mayor playbook is coming for New York City.

The Jewish community made New York City, and it cannot allow itself to be harmed by Zohran Mamdani.

Zohran Mamdani, running for New York City mayor, is a vile “anti-Zionist.” (photo: Bingjiefu He/Wikipedia)

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This is a guest essay written by Adam Hummel, a lawyer in Toronto.

You can also listen to the podcast version of this essay on Apple Podcasts, YouTube Music, YouTube, and Spotify.

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By now we all know that Zohran Mamdani has won the Democratic Party primary, and will be running in the New York City mayoral election in November.

You have my sympathies.

And though that election is still several months off, and Mamdani will be running against, among others, the incumbent Mayor Eric Adams (running as an independent after leaving the Democratic Party in April), the polls suggest that Mamdani has a solid chance of becoming New York’s 111th mayor.

This is pretty terrifying for New York’s Jewish community. Mamdani has, indeed, made no attempt to hide his disdain for both Israel and the Jewish/Zionist community.

Mamdani’s Facebook profile features a video of him standing in front of the Israeli Consulate in New York with members of a radical anti-Israel group that routinely calls for abolishing Zionism, surrounded by signs like, “There is only one solution, Intifada Revolution.”¹

Mamdani is a proud supporter of the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. His father, a professor at Columbia University who specializes in the study of “colonialism, anti-colonialism, and decolonization,” does not believe that Jews are entitled to a sovereign state of their own. His mother, a Bollywood film director, has called on the Academy of Motion Pictures to ban Israeli actress Gal Gadot from the Oscars.

Mamdani co-founded Bowdoin College’s Students for Justice in Palestine chapter, and he was an active member of the Democratic Socialists of America, which blamed Israel for the October 7th massacre without mentioning Hamas.

I could go on.

This is bad for any city in which there are Jews, but it is particularly bad for New York City, a place that has more Jews than any other city in the world outside of Israel. It’s New York for God’s sake!

So, as you New York City Jews gird yourselves to potentially turn the page on municipal leadership, I seek to offer some empathy by telling you that Toronto has a similar mayor. One with socialist leanings, one who came into the job woefully unprepared, and one who has a serious and deep-seated problem with Israel and its inhabitants.

Let me tell you about Olivia Chow.

Since becoming Toronto’s mayor in July 2023, Chow has made it abundantly clear where her sympathies lie. Her “progressive” politics have left no room for consideration of Toronto’s Jewish and Zionist community — there are at least 200,000 Jews in Toronto — and her actions always speak louder than her words.

So, New York City Jews, take note: It is time to toughen your political spine, manage expectations, and align strategically, lest you face similar letdowns.

Sadly, Toronto’s experience isn’t unique, but New Yorkers can learn from it:

Expect nothing passive: Toronto’s example shows that absenteeism in critical moments communicates indifference. In New York City, you must demand leaders attend or explicitly support community events; consistency matters.

Advocacy isn’t a one-night stand: Toronto’s example shows that token presence (i.e. dinners, Holocaust commemorations) isn’t enough. In New York City, you must force elected officials to build lasting policy, not photo ops.

Measure words by action: In Toronto, Chow said “there’s no place for hate” but mixed messaging creates distrust. In New York City, you must push for zero-tolerance policies with clear enforcement and funding.

Use political leverage smartly: In Toronto, Jewish voters have expressed frustration, but it is hard to stay on top of everything, and some are now disengaging politically. In New York City, you must be strategic and unified; support other candidates with proven records or mobilize swing voters to make an impact. Every vote counts.

Here are some other ideas of concrete steps to take in the unfortunate event of such a mayoralty in your city:

1. Track and record elected officials’ attendance at key Jewish events: Yom Hashoah (Israel’s Holocaust Remembrance Day), Israel Day Parade, synagogues under threat, Holocaust memorials, and so forth. Make this data public.

2. Demand more than speeches: Insist on budgets for hate-crime prevention, legal protections, and culturally competent policing, not platitudes. Remember, “people love dead Jews” and it is far easier to get a statement from someone lamenting the Holocaust than any effort to build up living Jews. Push for better.

3. Forge coalitions: Build alliances with other faith and minority groups facing hate. Strength in numbers prompts stronger responses.

4. Vote strategically: Research candidates’ past actions. Base endorsements on consistent patterns, not promises.

5. Stay engaged year-round: Pressure shouldn’t ease once the flags come down. Continuity is the clearest signal of seriousness. The election is still coming up in November, and apparently there are still a lot of people unsure how to vote. The undecideds can make a big difference.

Olivia Chow’s tenure highlights a painful reality: Jewish communities, no matter how large, prosperous, inclusive, or generous, can easily be overlooked, deprioritized, and/or sidelined, even by (especially by?) mayors who claim inclusivity. Chow has consistently let down her Jewish constituents, time and time again.

To New York Jews: Watch how this play has unfolded here in Toronto, so you don’t fall victim to the same pattern; learn to expect less unless you demand more. By being vigilant, organized, and demanding real enforcement over symbolism, you can shape the narrative, the policy, and ultimately the outcome.

After all, New York City is the metropolis of bagels with opinions, therapists with their own therapists, and “Seinfeld” reruns that feel more like documentaries than sitcom episodes.

It’s where Larry David is a spiritual leader, “Fiddler on the Roof” might as well be required reading and watching, and every third person swears they once saw Barbra Streisand buying whitefish at Zabar’s deli.

It’s a place where you grow up thinking Woody Allen movies are documentaries, “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” is family history, and arguing politics at the Shabbat table is basically a contact sport.

In New York City, being Jewish isn’t just a religion; it’s a flavour, a rhythm, a neurotic obsession that takes place somewhere between Broadway and Katz’s Deli.

The Jewish community made New York City, and it cannot allow itself to be harmed by Zohran Mamdani. To that end, let’s be clear: Standing firm is about self-respect. When it matters most, political respect is earned, not given.

Give him hell.

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1. “Zohran Mamdani’s long war on Israel.” JNS.