If you’re running for mayor of the city that has the largest Jewish population in all of America, it might be a good idea not to openly appear to hate the very people whose vote you are trying to earn. That’s the very smart strategy of Democratic hopeful Zohran Mamdani.
Seen hundreds of times in televised interviews, where he was continuously asked to denounce the slogan “Globalize the intifada,” which became popular following the massacre of October 7, 2023, Mamdani did his best to skirt the issue, thinking he could get away with the toxic association simply by saying, “Well, it’s not the words I use.”
Now, apparently after much poll research, it occurs to his team that Mamdani would be best served by distancing himself from the phrase connected to the killing of Jews. Because, after all, if a good portion of your constituency is composed of the people who are the subject of that jihadi war aspiration, it would be a pity to alienate them.
That is why the mayoral candidate has “vowed to refrain from further using the phrase, discouraging others from doing the same,” per a New York Times report (“Mamdani says he will discourage the term globalize the intifada,” July 15, 2025). But is this new tactic nothing more than clever subterfuge, designed to pull the wool over the eyes of prospective voters, knowing that being too forthcoming has the potential of hurting his chances to win?
Because, let’s face it – this is not a full-throated condemnation of an obvious campaign whose catchphrase is synonymous with the spread of antisemitism on a global scale. The rallying cry, to most Jews, represents a call to violence – not only toward the Jewish state but one which is also directed at all Jews who live throughout the world. That is what makes it so dangerous and so frightening to a large chunk of Jewish Democratic voters.
The more Mamdani was asked to clarify his position on using that term, the clearer it became that he was not committed to offending his other constituency which is comprised of far-left progressives and the Woke young people who line New York campuses with their keffiyeh-covered heads, carrying signs that also read, “From the river to the sea.”
OF COURSE, the irony is that these two camps, made up of New York Jews and the progressive Woke, with socialist leanings, are being asked to coexist long enough to elect the next mayor of the city. But what happens when one half of that group is committed to doing away with the other half? Can that marriage be anything but doomed?
And what happens once Mamdani is elected? Now that he’s got the job, would he still be the undercover antisemite who realized that it wasn’t expedient for him to espouse an anti-Jewish slogan? Very likely not.
In today’s world, where the important thing is first and foremost to seize the place of power, one has to do what one has to do in order to get to the coveted place where they can effect the change that will significantly alter the status quo, which they hope to ultimately destroy. If that means temporarily compromising one’s beliefs, then so be it. Because you can’t play the game if you’re on the outside. Winning is everything, and sometimes that may mean going undercover.
NYC's Jewish community is now skittish about voting democrat
This is the effective strategy which the avowed-socialist candidate is utilizing, in his plan to win over the Jewish community, who ordinarily tend to vote Democrat but who now seem skittish to do so, in light of Mamdani’s hesitancy to disavow what cannot be interpreted as anything other than an antisemitic expression.
Already aligned with the pro-Palestinian camp, the mayoral candidate has a big hurdle to overcome in his attempt to win over the Jewish vote, because he has to walk a very fine line as he seeks to court both of these opposing groups, at a time when more and more threats are being felt by the Jewish community.
VULNERABLE TO attacks, Jewish students, professors, and businesspeople have had to absorb the epithets that are hurled at them, just for the sin of being a member of an ethnicity that fell out of favor. Worried that they will end up being targeted, they have had to ditch all outward symbols of their identity, for fear of becoming the next victim.
It’s no way to live, because in a society which is supposed to champion freedom and diversity, the Jews, somehow, are no longer guaranteed those same privileges. Yet, Mamdani’s promise to end his association with a phrase that engenders Jew hatred still falls very short of a verbal commitment to always stand with and defend the Jewish community of New York.
But then when the other half of your supporters would not react well to such a pledge, how is it possible to placate both sides? This is the conundrum in which Mamdani finds himself. In order to walk that tightrope, he can only afford to marginally assuage the Jewish community, making it more palatable for them to think that he has taken their fears into consideration.
But any way you slice it, Zohran Mamdani is guilty of undercover antisemitism. Given his core beliefs, which are well documented and widely known, any attempt to obfuscate his sincerely held positions are tenuous at best, because most people will see this as a political ploy to win the mayorship.
So, his feigned empathy is just that – a pathetic effort at hiding the real candidate who has been on record as being a strong advocate for the Palestinian cause, as evidenced in the 2014 piece he co-authored as an undergraduate at Bowdoin College, the place where he co-founded the school’s chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). Here is just part of what he wrote:
“This academic and cultural boycott (by the American Studies Association) aims to bring under scrutiny the actions of the Israeli government and to put pressure on Israeli institutions to end the oppressive occupation and racist policies within both Israel and occupied Palestine” (en.royanews.tv, “Unearthed 2014 article shows Zohran Mamdani’s early advocacy for Palestinian rights”).
The above statement has no shadow of doubt that Mamdani firmly believes Israel is occupying Palestinian land and, therefore, has no right to exist. Can he succeed in covering up such a controversial position just by dropping an antisemitic phrase?
The bottom line is that Mamdani has gone undercover, and that is, perhaps, the best reason why his cover should be blown.
The writer is a former Jerusalem elementary and middle school principal. She is also the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, available on Amazon, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs.