Mayor Mamdani Fuels Divide between Democratic Party and Jewish Community

Approximately 2 million Jews live in the greater New York area. This is equivalent to roughly one-third of Israel’s Jewish population, which is about 7.2 million. Excluding Tel Aviv, New York City has the largest Jewish population of any city in the world.

The Jewish community, which includes many highly educated and high-income individuals, has established a strong presence in the upper ranks of American society. Its influence is particularly strong in New York. Senate Democratic Leader and New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, Blackstone Chairman and CEO Steve Schwarzman, New York Times Chairman and Publisher A.G. Sulzberger, New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, former New York Mayor and Bloomberg founder Michael Bloomberg, and Goldman Sachs Senior Chairman and former CEO Lloyd Blankfein are all Jewish. Because of this, politicians have no choice but to be mindful of the preferences of Jewish voters.

American Jews have consistently supported the Democratic Party, which is generally considered to be more supportive of minorities than the Republican Party. According to an exit poll by CNN-Edison Research, 78% of Jewish voters supported the Democratic candidate in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

However, Zohran Mamdani, New York’s first Muslim mayor, is different. He directly rejects the long-standing political assumption that the Democratic Party is closely connected to the Jewish community. When he was the mayor-elect, Mamdani said, “As mayor, New York City would arrest Benjamin Netanyahu. This is a city that our values are in line with international law. It’s time that our actions are also." Additionally, Mamdani did not partake in the Israel Day Parade held on May 31, an event which his predecessors had customarily attended.

Israeli media outlets, including The Jerusalem Post, view Mamdani as a “sophisticated” antisemite. They argue that while Mamdani publicly says he opposes Israel’s treatment of Palestine, his views in reality reflect a hostility toward the broader Jewish community.

Ahead of the U.S. midterm elections in November, the Democratic Party recently held a primary in New York to select candidates for seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. The three candidates that Mamdani backed, all considered to have anti-Israel leanings, defeated the party’s mainstream candidates. Among them was former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who, despite being Jewish, opposes the United States’ unwavering military support for Israel.

While Mamdani represents change from within the Democratic Party, Jewish voters also appear to be changing in ways that differ from the past. Younger Jewish voters in particular do not feel a strong attachment to Israel and instead prioritize cost-of-living concerns. Dov Hikind, a Jewish former New York state assemblyman, theorized that many young Jewish voters voted for Mamdani in last November’s mayoral election because they supported his proposal to freeze the rent.

Mamdani, whose political sphere of influence has expanded outside of New York and into Washington, has been harshly called a “communist” by President Donald Trump. And Trump isn’t the only one alarmed by Mamdani’s political ascent. Democratic leaders, including Schumer, are also disconcerted by his newfound power.

In order to win nationwide elections, including the midterms and the 2028 presidential election, expanding appeal among moderate voters is crucial. Mamdani advocates for taxes on the wealthy, free education and transportation, and anti-Israeli policies. The Democratic Party’s dilemma is that the more Mamdani’s position strengthens within the party, the more at risk the party is of losing the moderate vote. The fierce debate within the party over pro-Israel and anti-Israel positions, sparked by Mamdani, is likely to continue disrupting U.S. politics for the foreseeable future.