I have to give credit to Liam Stack of the New York Times for tackling something which appears to be hurting a lot of people’s brains: why are so many Jewish New Yorkers supporting a Muslim who is critical of Israel for mayor?
It’s a real phenomenon, even if it isn’t simple to measure. Even in New York City, most precincts have too few Jews to make statistical conclusions of how they voted in the mayoral primary. What we know is that Andrew Cuomo did very well is some Orthodox Jewish precincts, but that Zohran Mamdani undoubtedly picked up a respectable percentage of the overall Jewish vote throughout the five boroughs. This is supported by the fact that two-thirds of the leading Jewish candidate’s voters selected Mamdami as their second choice.
There are some simple explanations. First, New York City’s mayor doesn’t have any responsibility for U.S. foreign policy, so their opinions about Israel really aren’t very consequential. Second, Mamdami’s message about affordability resonated with many NYC Democrats irrespective of their faith or ethnicity. Third, Israel’s extreme right-wing government is largely out-of-step with the politics of most of the city’s Jews. Fourth, there’s a deep level of discomfort with the situation in Gaza, and that discomfort is extremely high among younger Jews. Finally, I think this woman put it best:
Ms. [Lisa] Cowan [57, a philanthropy executive in Prospect Heights] said she thought Mr. Mamdani’s experience with Islamophobia helped him understand what it felt like for Jewish New Yorkers to face religious bigotry…
“The politics of Israel and Gaza and Palestine are so complicated, and it’s so hard to know what the right thing is, and it’s so hard to say the right things,” she said. “Even Jews who are so mad at him will also be like, ‘Well, I can’t stand the Israeli government. Everything that is happening in Gaza is terrible.’”
Besides, “zero percent of his job is going to be about Israel,” she added. “Frankly, I don’t agree with anyone about Israel, so that can’t be the criteria for who we elect as mayor, because I don’t even agree with myself most days.”
The situation in Gaza is complicated and presents a lot of conflicting emotions. It’s just not the case that most New York City Jews are comfortable taking an uncritically pro-Israel stance on the issue, so it’s understandable that they aren’t imposing that expectation on politicians.
There are still some surprises here. Jewish Americans have noticed an uptick in anti-Semitism since the war in Gaza began, and they’re feeling insecure. It’s one thing to give Mamdami a pass to criticize Israel, but another to trust him as a protector. This is even more notable considering the controversy over whether or not Mamdami would condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” To many Jews, the phrase sounds like support for terrorism directed at Jews in countries outside of Israel. That’s understandable considering the use of suicide bombers to blow up buses and restaurants, particularly during the Second Intifada.
But, of course, the phrase can also mean an effort to unite the world behind the Palestinians’ cause. Neither meaning is particularly comforting, which is why we might expect Mamdami to pay a heavier price for his slow decision to disown the saying. But, I think the truth here is that New York Jews are a lot more sympathetic to the Palestinian cause than outside observers expect. This is especially true when it comes specifically to Gaza. You don’t have to support a two-state solution to see what has happened in Gaza as inhumane, or even as genocide.
Speaking at a city synagogue, Cuomo estimated that more than half of Jewish Democrats voted for Mamdami in the primary and stated, “With those young people, the under-30 people, they are pro-Palestinian and they don’t consider it being anti-Israel.” I don’t know if he’s right about the numbers, but I think he’s right about voters under thirty years of age.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that these same divisions exist in Israel, even if not to the same extent. What Netanyahu has done in reaction to Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attacks is tremendously polarizing among Jews, no matter where they live. On the surface, he’s had tremendous success against the country’s traditional enemies, but at a staggering moral price.
It really will be stunning if the reaction in New York City is to elect a Muslim mayor, especially one who doesn’t shy away from criticizing Israel. But I think this should surprise people a little less than it does, and also that it’s encouraging that at a time when Israel has been at war with Muslims in at least five countries as well as Gaza and the West Bank, that American Jews can look past that and pick a mayor based on merit. It makes me think that peace could still lie somewhere in the future.
I will say, however, that this growing divide between American and Israeli Jews is something to keep an eye on, as well as the American left’s sharp drift away from supporting the government in Israel. These are both developments that could weaken Israel in the long term even as Netanyahu enjoys his short-term victories in the present.
