NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
As New York City gets closer to possibly electing socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani as its next mayor, Fox News Digital spoke to two prominent rabbis in the city who are publicly warning voters of the potential ramifications of his positions and statements on Israel.
Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York City, told Fox News Digital that he posted a video last week rejecting Mamdani’s Israel stance after watching the developing campaign “consistently voice opinions” that advocated “the dismantling of the Jewish state.”
“The idea that the mayor of New York, where there is such a big Jewish community, would have those positions, it’s unprecedented in New York, and it constitutes a risk because that kind of vociferous opposition to the existence of Israel, we’re not talking about differences in policies, which of course is entirely legitimate, but the opposition to the very existence of Israel exacerbates and intensifies antisemitism, and it puts the Jewish community at risk,” Hirsch said.
“So I felt that there wasn’t enough focus on that and I thought it was important as an American Jewish leader and a New York Jewish leader. To call it out.”
FLORIDA MAYOR PREDICTS ‘SUBSTANTIAL EXODUS’ OF NYC BUSINESSES IF MAMDANI WINS
Hirsch told Fox News Digital he felt his voice was useful in this conversation because in the struggle against “people who want to destroy Israel,” he feels he represents the “vast majority of the American Jewish community and the American Jewish community.”
Mamdani has been widely criticized for a variety of his statements and positions on Israel, including his support for sanctions against Israel, his hesitancy to definitively condemn the term “globalize the intifada,” and his reticence to denounce Hamas in interviews. The pattern dates back to his college days at Bowdoin College, where he founded the Students for Justice in Palestine Chapter.
“Anyone who has paid attention over the course of the last two years knows that such rhetoric has sparked a rise in antisemitism and violence against Jews,” Rabbi Joshua M. Davidson, Temple Emanu-El’s senior rabbi, told Fox News Digital.
Hirsch and Davidson both joined more than 650 rabbis this week in signing “A Rabbinic Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future,” which declares there position that Jewish Americans “cannot remain silent” on discrimination against Jewish people.
“It is a matter of deep concern because it’s always been a truism throughout the 20th century, and it’s true now as well, inevitably, this kind of ideologically driven anti-Zionism, this rejection of the very right of Israel to exist, inevitably in every case, leads to increased antisemitism,” Hirsch told Fox News Digital about Mamdani’s Israel stance.
‘ABSOLUTELY A COMMUNIST’: MAMDANI DODGES LABEL, BUT HIS RECORD AND EXPERT SAY OTHERWISE
“And it does so in our country as well. And to normalize that at the highest levels of government is deeply threatening and deeply troubling, and it’s un-American.”
During Wednesday night’s mayoral debate, Sliwa said New York Jews see Mamdani as the “arsonist who fanned the flames of antisemitism” and accused him of supporting “global jihad.” New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand issued an apology earlier this year for “mischaracterizing Mamdani’s record” when she made the same suggestion.
“I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad,” Mamdani said. “That is not something that I have said and that continues to be ascribed to me. And, frankly, I think much of it has to do with the fact that I am the first Muslim candidate to be on the precipice of winning this election.”
When asked if Mamdani has any regrets about his “longstanding” anti-Israel views, the democratic socialist affirmed his commitment to protecting Jewish New Yorkers.
In his conversation with Fox News Digital, Davidson touched on the suggestion made by Mamdani during the debate that his Muslim faith is the driving force behind criticism of him.
NYC RABBIS WARN DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST MAYORAL CANDIDATE ‘POSES A DANGER’ TO JEWISH NEW YORKERS
“It is absolutely not about Islamophobia, it is about legitimate alarm over Assemblymember Mamdani’s positions, and I think it’s important to draw that distinction,” Davidson said. “New York is the most culturally diverse city in the world, and we pride ourselves on that diversity. And as I wrote, I think it would be an extraordinary achievement for New York to elect a Muslim mayor. But Mr. Mamdani causes me great concern, and he has caused many in the Jewish community great fear.“
Fox News Digital asked Hirsch what he would tell Mamdani if he was able to spend a few minutes with him, and he said that he would address two key points.
“Number one, I would convey as best as I could in the short amount of time that we had together, the history of the Jewish people and why the creation of the State of Israel was brought about in the first place and what function it serves and how Jews relate to the state of Israel,” Hirsch said. “And then I would try and explain to him the nexus between these anti-Zionist positions and views and actions that he’s taken and the impact that that has on anti-Semitism.”
Meanwhile, Davidson said that such a meeting with Mamdani would be essential to ensuring he would protect Jewish New Yorkers if elected. He said New York City’s rabbis would be “compelled to work with him” to help Mamdani understand why many Jewish New Yorkers are concerned.
“He would have to, right now, acknowledge that the language that he has used condemning Israel as genocidal, declaring that Israel should not be a Jewish state, not answering unequivocally when it comes to Hamas disarming. He would have to acknowledge that all of that was inappropriate and wrong and hurtful to the Jewish community. At this point, I don’t know that he’s willing to do that, because I think those are the things that he in fact believes,” Davidson said.
On Wednesday, Mamdani released an appeal to Jewish voters in the form of a letter in Yiddish where he explained, “I have had the honor myself to meet with members of the Orthodox Jewish community.”
“I still have a lot to learn, but this was a wonderful introduction to an important and valued part of what makes New York so amazing.”
The latest Fox News survey, conducted Oct. 10-14, ahead of the first general election debate last week, revealed that Mamdani has gained a substantial lead in the race.
According to the poll, Mamdani has a 21-point lead among New York City registered voters with 49% of voters backing Mamdani, while 28% go for Cuomo and 13% favor Sliwa. Mamdani also rose above the 50% threshold among likely voters, garnering 52% support, while Cuomo picked up 28%, and Sliwa received just 14%.
Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment.
Read the full article here
