New York City Mayor Eric Adams offered praise and sympathy for Zohran Mamdani — the far-left state assemblyman known for his inflammatory anti-Israel rhetoric — while appearing to distance himself from the mainstream Democratic line on Israel and downplaying the severity of antisemitic rhetoric within his rival’s campaign.
Appearing on a podcast, Adams was asked which of his political rivals — Mamdani, former governor Andrew Cuomo, or Republican Curtis Sliwa — he would rather be stuck in an elevator with.
“Probably Mamdani,” Adams said, revealing they had already shared a dinner together with Mamdani’s father. “We had a great conversation,” Adams said. “You could disagree without being disagreeable… I think his policies are hurtful… but I’m not saying that I dislike a person.”
Mamdani, who recently secured the Democratic nomination for New York City mayor, has repeatedly referred to Israel as an apartheid state, accused it of “genocide,” and claimed the IDF “massacred babies in Rafah.” He has openly said that if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited New York City, he should be arrested.
Despite these incendiary and widely condemned statements, Adams chose to frame Mamdani as a fundamentally decent figure whose ideology is merely flawed. At no point in the interview did Adams directly condemn Mamdani’s demonization of Israel or acknowledge the impact such rhetoric has had on Jewish New Yorkers.
While sidestepping the issue of antisemitism within Mamdani’s platform, Adams instead pivoted to condemning anti-Muslim hate, citing his past advocacy for Muslim victims of bias attacks and recalling his defense of detained Muslims in the wake of 9/11.
“There are people in New York who have hate in their heart,” he said, implying that Mamdani’s critics may themselves be guilty of bigotry. “When someone put out a flyer saying ‘Kill a Muslim Day,’ I walked the street with my Muslim brothers and sisters.”
The mayor made no mention of the violent antisemitism on display during recent anti-Israel protests in the city, nor did he address the fears expressed by the city’s Jewish community over Mamdani’s rising influence.
While Adams did denounce antisemitic harassment at New York college campuses, including incidents of Jewish students being spit on and surrounded, he claimed his hands were tied.
“The NYPD can’t intervene unless private universities invite them,” he said, suggesting his administration’s role was limited. “If you want to protest, protest peacefully. You don’t target students based on their ethnicity.”
Still, critics noted that Adams appeared more outraged at the procedural restrictions on law enforcement than at the hate crimes themselves — and that his lack of urgency in confronting campus antisemitism has left many Jewish families feeling abandoned.
Perhaps most controversially, Adams declared: “I’m probably the only mayor that has visited Palestine.” The U.S. government does not recognize Palestine as a state, and Adams’s statement could be interpreted as a tacit endorsement of Palestinian statehood — in direct contradiction to current U.S. policy and at a time of increasing global tension around the issue.
Adams’s remarks reflect a broader pattern within progressive Democratic politics: condemnation of Islamophobia is swift and unequivocal, while antisemitism — even when it’s as overt as Mamdani’s — is often deflected, minimized, or ignored.
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9 Responses
The only Jewish choice is Curtis, im sorry to say but it seems to be truer as the days go on
What country is Ramallah, Jenin and Gaza City in?
And people want Jews to vote for Adams???????
Many politicians misspeak and say “Palestine” when they mean Gaza or the PA controlled areas in Judea and Samaria. I think even Douglas Murray (a regular defender of Jews and Israel) has made that slip of the tongue on a few occasions. You can’t honestly think that the Mayor is endorsing a Palestinian state! He really is the only viable alternative to Mamdani. Cuomo has many invalidating faults, including passing cashless bail which prevents judges from considering past criminal history, like if the person had been in prison before for even murder, or if they may pose a danger to others. He also passed the law legalizing Marijuana. Maybe that is how Mamdani got so many votes, those voters are all drugged up! And even though Curtis Sliwa could have been an alternative, he has made statements that seem to reveal that he is a real antisemite (not withstanding all of his patrolls in Jewish neighborhoods).
We have seen this playbook before.
John McCain against Barack Obama.
A townhall participant disparaged Obama and McCain defended him though there were many questionable qualities that Obama had. McCain said “He is a decent family man, citizen, that I just happen to have disagreements with..”.
That statement, correctly, gave rise to Trump.
Adam’s is no great shakes to start, but is another example of being a Chamberlin rather than a Churchill. When your opponents policies will lead to disastrous results the policy is evil which in turn says something about the man espousing it.
Adam’s is gonna drop out but for some reason is putting his support behind the socialist instead of the democrat (though Cuomo is a lowlife himself).
He’s so sure he’s got the frum Jewish vote he feels he can gamble on attracting Muslims by cowering and groveling to them. Sadly Cuomo’s no better. Need hope that the votes are split between the veteran politicians and the moroni so badly that’ll allow Curtis to sneak in with his dedicated base. Hope springs eternal.
He has been promised by Mamdani for a high position in the mayor’s office if he stays in the race until then end to secure Mamdani’s victory.
Why doesn’t a new Independent candidate show up to run against Mamdani ???
Shame on you yeshivah world. We are dealing with a real threat to our community – Mamdani and you are going after Adams. I listened to the podcast at issue and you took his remarks totally out of context. You didnt even cite the podcast so people can check for themselves. Adams is a true friend to the Jewish people. Just check out his amazing remarks at the recent JPOST conference in May. Take this post down or amend it.
adams should be recognized andaybe thanked for showing his true colors in public. It couldn’t come at a better time. So now we know that as an independent he’s Definitely OUT!! The question is who yes? Curtis is an even bigger antisemite and cuomo…. neither does he deserve it nor does he have a chance… so I guess madmani it is. 🤮💩