Zohran Mamdani, the far-left Assemblyman from Queens and a leading candidate in the NYC mayoral race, dropped jaws at Wednesday night’s debate when he flat-out refused to say he supports Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.
“I believe Israel has the right to exist, as a state with equal rights,” Mamdani said, sidestepping a direct yes-or-no question about Israel’s Jewish identity — a dodge he’s pulled before.
Former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, leading in the polls, wasn’t having it. “Not as a Jewish state,” Cuomo shot back. “And his answer was no, he won’t visit Israel.”
The exchange lit a fire under what had been a sleepy debate — and put Mamdani’s long history of anti-Israel activism front and center just weeks before the crucial June 24 primary.
Mamdani, who’s been vocal about his anti-Zionist views and is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, has repeatedly refused to recognize Israel’s Jewish character — a position that’s infuriated Jewish voters across the city.
And when asked if he would visit Israel if elected mayor? “I would stay in New York City,” Mamdani shrugged — in a city with over a million Jews, no less.
Three other candidates — Cuomo, former City Comptroller Scott Stringer, and longshot Whitney Tilson — all said their first trip abroad would be to Israel. City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams said she’d head to “the holy land.”
Mamdani’s dodge comes as tensions skyrocket in NYC’s Jewish community, with antisemitic attacks on the rise and the Gaza war casting a long shadow.
When the moderators pressed the candidates on the Trump administration’s threat to revoke Columbia University’s accreditation over antisemitism, Mamdani didn’t even mention Jew-hatred — until the next question, when he gave a half-hearted nod to the “very real issue of antisemitism.”
That wasn’t enough for Cuomo.
“There’s been antisemitism in this city. I believe it’s a growing problem and I believe the rhetoric about Israel has actually inflamed the antisemitism,” he said.
Mamdani’s campaign has been dogged by controversy since Day One. A 2021 video showed him proudly calling himself an anti-Zionist at a protest, and he’s echoed similar talking points ever since.
He’s also been under fire from both sides: when he once dared to say Israel has a right to exist (without calling it a Jewish state), pro-Hamas radicals turned on him.
Cuomo and Tilson wore yellow ribbons at the debate in solidarity with the hostages still held by Hamas. Mamdani didn’t.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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7 Responses
Big deal.
Hmm – sounds like some of our local anti-Zionist trolls here found their dream candidate.
an Israeli Yid
smart man. he has my vote.
I seriously do not understand the issue here.
Is there some value for a NYC mayor to visit israel??
Huh??
What am I missing??
Yes, there are a million jews here. Therefore what????????????
Whats the connection??
Should he visit China because of all the Chinese new yorkers???????
Ridiculous zionist stupidity
Mamdani is TERRIBLE because he’s a COMMUNIST!!
Not cuz he wont visit israel!!
let’s focus on the actual issues here!!
Should he visit Africa because of the black new yorkers??
Did Cuomo pay for this article?
anIsraeliZionist:
Once again, we see how Zionism has caused problems for Jews all around the world. His candidacy should depend on his positions on issues that relate to Jews in the place of his candidacy, not about the Zionist paradise.
His position re: the Zionist pseudo-State is actually logical if one is not an idol-worshiping Zionist. He openly states that the Zionist “State” has a right to exist, but doesn’t claim that it has the right to claim to be Jewish. This is, of course, the reality. That “State” is, of course, anti-Jewish, as Zionism is anti-Jewish to its core. It is in fact not a Jewish “State” but a Zionist “State”. That is simply the reality.