Harvard Law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz has formally severed ties with the Democratic Party after more than six decades, warning that the party’s leftward shift on Israel — and its embrace of figures like New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani — represents a dangerous new era of antisemitism cloaked in progressive politics.

In a blistering interview, the prominent civil liberties attorney and lifelong Democrat accused Mamdani of harboring virulent anti-Israel views and called his rise emblematic of a broader hostility toward Jewish identity within the party.

“He’s a vicious antisemite,” Dershowitz said of Mamdani. “If he’s elected mayor, it will spread to other Democratic cities. That’s why, after 60 years as a Democrat, I’ve formally quit the party.”

Dershowitz, known for his defense of civil liberties and staunch support for Israel, blasted Mamdani for what he called a blatant double standard.

He noted that while Mamdani refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, he simultaneously expresses no objection to Islamic governance in countries such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Qatar.

“That’s the core of antisemitism,” Dershowitz said. “If you apply standards only to the Jewish state that you don’t apply to Muslim states, that’s textbook bigotry.”

He further lambasted Jews who support Mamdani’s candidacy, accusing them of moral and political blindness.

“Just because you’re Jewish doesn’t mean you can’t be a total political fool,” he said. “These are self-hating Jews — people who know little about Judaism but start every sentence with, ‘As a Jew, I support Hamas or Mamdani.’”

Dershowitz warned that the symbolism of Mamdani’s possible election as mayor of New York could reverberate across the country, chilling moderate voices and empowering radical anti-Israel elements in the Democratic base.

“It could have an enormous political impact,” he said. “People like [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer know that Mamdani’s supporters will run against them in primaries, so they stay quiet.”

He also criticized Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa for staying in the race, arguing that his presence risks splitting the anti-Mamdani vote and handing the election to the far-left candidate.

“It’s all ego,” Dershowitz said of Sliwa. “He doesn’t have a chance, but he could make the difference.”

When asked about former President Barack Obama’s recent conservation of Mamdani, Dershowitz was dismissive — invoking their public falling-out over the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.

“Barack Obama has never been a friend of Israel,” he said. “He told me he had Israel’s back, and then he made the terrible Iran deal. I have nothing but contempt for him.”

He described the party’s evolution as part of a broader global trend, citing similar shifts in Canada, the UK, France, and Spain, where support for Israel among left-leaning parties has eroded.

“Since 1948, we’ve had bipartisan support for Israel — that is ending now,” Dershowitz warned. “The Democratic Party is becoming an anti-Israel party.”

Despite the grim outlook, Dershowitz urged Jewish New Yorkers not to flee the city if Mamdani wins, but to mobilize and fight back through legal, civic, and economic pressure.

“No — fight back,” he said. “I’ll be happy to lead the fight against Mamdani. We’ll use legal, political, and economic tools to oppose him. Don’t leave — stay and fight.”

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)