New York
—
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and one of the most powerful Jewish politicians in the United States, did not endorse Zohran Mamdani and would not say who he voted for in New York City’s mayoral election.
But on Wednesday morning, he said he called the mayor-elect to offer his congratulations.
“We had a very, very good conversation,” Schumer said. “We said that we cared about New York City, and that we look forward to working together to help the city and improve the city. I congratulated him on running a very, very good campaign.”
Schumer’s comments represent just one taste of the mix of wary acceptance, fearful concern and joyous celebration from Jewish New Yorkers in the wake of Mamdani’s victory Tuesday.
Jews have long reliably supported the Democratic Party, but the mayoral election revealed a deep schism related to concerns about rising antisemitism and Mamdani’s long history of anti-Israel and pro-Palestinian activism.
Preliminary CNN exit polls found about 64% of Jewish voters cast their ballot for former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent, while about one-third voted for Mamdani.
Some prominent rabbis and Jewish groups took the unusual step of urging their constituents to vote against the Democratic nominee, saying his positions on Israel were disqualifying. Other Jewish voters, particularly of the younger generations, saw his views on Israel as a positive or viewed them overall as less important than his domestic policies on affordability, housing and standing up to President Donald Trump.
The results show that Jewish New Yorkers have a diverse set of political views, according to Lila Corwin Berman, a New York University professor of Jewish history.
“It really has not been the case that there has been a single political voice or political bloc among Jewish New Yorkers, from the earliest period when Jews lived in this city,” she said. “There has always been a diversity of views about what is best.”
Speaking Wednesday, Mamdani affirmed he would work with rabbis and other community leaders “to deliver on the promise of not just protecting Jewish New Yorkers, but celebrating and cherishing them in the same city.”
“I look forward to being the mayor for every person that calls this city home, that includes the Jewish New Yorkers that voted for our campaign and those that didn’t,” he told reporters.
Still, Alana Zeitchik, an Israeli-American Brooklyn resident whose family members were kidnapped by Hamas, said the poll results show Jewish residents remain skeptical of Mamdani.
“It just shows there’s a lot of work to be done,” she told CNN. “He hasn’t built the coalition with Jewish New York that needs to happen for a strong New York that can tackle all kinds of hatred. There needs to be a strong coalition with the Jewish community, and he didn’t capture the majority of us.”
Zeitchik said she left the mayoral vote blank on her ballot, unwilling to support Cuomo or Mamdani.
As a liberal voter, she said she agreed with much of Mamdani’s promises to make New York affordable, equitable and safe. But she was not convinced he fully understood the prevalence of antisemitic and anti-Zionist views, which she argued have taken over progressive spaces.
“I want him to succeed. It’s just that he’s not yet shown me that he’s earned my vote,” she said.
She said she was “very conflicted” about the results of the election and felt the debate within the Jewish community about Mamdani was too black-and-white.
“I don’t think he is some evil danger to our community,” she said, “but I do think it’s unfair for some people in the Jewish community to diminish very real concerns that we have over the permission structure that his activism and his own words and worldview allows around anti-Zionism, and how that contributes to antisemitism.”
The concern among Jews stems from Mamdani’s support of the Boycott, Divest, and Sanctions movement against Israel, his challenge to Israel’s status as a Jewish state, and his pledge to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He previously refused to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” a phrase that some Jews see as threatening, though he recently said he would discourage its use.
In more recent months, Mamdani has tried to reassure Jewish voters worried about antisemitic attacks like the ones in Washington, DC, and Boulder, Colorado. He attended High Holiday services with allies and sat for a Q&A at Congregation Beth Elohim, a synagogue in Brooklyn that counts Sen. Schumer as a member.
Jewish voters who supported Mamdani were excited with the results of the election.
“Mazel Tov @ZohranKMamdani, Mazel Tov NYC,” wrote Jews for Racial & Economic Justice, a New York-based Jewish progressive organization.
Brad Lander, the outgoing city comptroller and one of Mamdani’s most prominent Jewish progressive supporters, attended Mamdani’s election night watch party. He posted a photo of himself wearing a shirt in Mamdani’s campaign font with a message for Cuomo: “Good f**king riddance.”
“Our message to Andrew Cuomo was loud & clear in June,” he wrote. “It’s louder & clearer tonight.”
Jewish groups and leaders who had previously criticized Mamdani expressed ongoing concern in the wake of his victory.
The Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish advocacy group, announced on Wednesday a “Mamdani Monitor” to track his policies and appointments as well as a tip line for New Yorkers to report antisemitic incidents.
“We expect the mayor of the city with the largest Jewish population in the world to stand unequivocally against antisemitism in all its varied forms and support all of its Jewish residents just as he would all other constituents,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement.
Mamdani on Wednesday morning expressed his skepticism of the project and criticized Greenblatt.
“I think that anyone is free to catalogue the actions of our administration,” he said. “I have some doubts in Jonathan’s ability to do so honestly given that he previously said I had not visited any synagogues only to have to correct himself.”
In addition, a joint statement from several Jewish nonprofit groups, including the UJA-Federation of New York, said they “cannot ignore that the Mayor-elect holds core beliefs fundamentally at odds with our community’s deepest convictions and most cherished values.”
“As we have done for over a century, we will continue to work across every level of government to ensure that our city remains a place where our Jewish community, and all communities, feel safe and respected,” the groups wrote. “We call on Mayor-elect Mamdani and all elected officials to govern with humility, inclusivity, and a deep respect for the diversity of views and experiences that define our city.”
Meanwhile, Bill Ackman, the billionaire hedge-fund manager who warned a Mamdani win would lead wealthy New Yorkers to flee the city and exhorted voters to rally behind Cuomo, offered a conciliatory congratulations.
“Now you have a big responsibility. If I can help NYC, just let me know what I can do,” he wrote on X.
“While I did not support Mamdani for mayor and have concerns about the unintended and negative consequences of his policies, I want to do everything I can to help NYC regardless of who (our) mayor is,” Ackman added.
Mamdani, who frequently criticized Ackman during the campaign, offered some conciliation of his own in response.
“I appreciated Bill Ackman’s tweet and the sentiment of it, and I will continue to have conversations with anyone who is committed to the welfare of the city, the vitality of the city,” he said.
