A day after it was reported that New York Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, a candidate in New York City's Democratic mayoral primary, hired a security firm amid rising Islamophobic threats against him and his burgeoning campaign, the progressive lawmaker was asked by a reporter to condemn antisemitism—and expressed frustration and anguish over the "dehumanizing language" that has plagued the election.
The reporter suggested that Mamdani (D-36) has not displayed a "visceral reaction" to antisemitism, a claim the candidate flatly rejected, saying he has asserted numerous times throughout the campaign that "there is no room for antisemitism in this city."
"To your question of, 'Why not a more visceral reaction,' part of it has been colored by the fact that when I speak, especially when I speak with emotion, I am then characterized by those same rivals as being a monster," said Mamdani. "And part of this is the very sad burden of what it means to be the first Muslim candidate to run for mayor, is to deal with dehumanizing language."
Mamdani said it "pains" him to be accused of antisemitism, and noted that while facing those accusations he continues "to face language as if I am a beast."
"It takes a toll to wake up in the morning and read messages that say things like... I get messages that say, 'The only good Muslim is a dead Muslim,'" said Mamdani, becoming visibly emotional. "I get threats on my life. On the people I love. And I try not to talk about it."
Ravi Mangla, press secretary for the Working Families Party, said Mamdani's remarks were "one of the most stunningly sincere and human things I've seen from a politician."
As in national politics amid Israel's U.S.-backed slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza over the past 20 months, genuine concerns about anti-Jewish biases and violence have become muddled during the mayoral campaign with claims that Mamdani is insufficiently supportive of Jewish New Yorkers due to his opposition to the Israeli government.
During a recent debate, another candidate, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo attacked Mamdani for saying Israel has a right to exist a state "with equal rights"—expressing outrage that his political rival did not say Israel should exist as "a Jewish state" or commit to visiting the Middle Eastern country if he wins the election.
The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum has waded into the campaign as well, appearing to denounce Mamdani on Wednesday for declining to condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada," which includes the Arabic word for "uprising" or "struggle" and has been used at pro-Palestinian protests.
Mamdani pointed out in a podcast interview with "The Bulwark" that the word "intifada" was used by the Holocaust Memorial Museum "when translating the 'Warsaw Ghetto Uprising' into Arabic, because it's a word that means struggle."
Despite this, the museum accused Mamdani of "exploiting" the organization and the 1943 act of Jewish resistance in Warsaw, demanding that the candidate and all politicians condemn the phrase "globalize the intifada."
Jewish Currents editor-at-large Peter Beinart pointed out that antisemitism "means treating Jews unequally," despite attempts to redefine the word to conflate anti-Jewish bigotry with condemnation of the policies and actions of the Israeli government—efforts that have been rejected by numerous Jewish scholars and rights groups.
"There's zero evidence that Zohran Mamdani opposes giving Jews equal rights—either in the U.S. or Israel-Palestine—and mountains of evidence that his critics oppose equality for Palestinians," said Beinart. "When will they have to answer for that?"
Mamdani, who is polling second to Cuomo in the mayoral primary race and was shown in first place in at least one recent survey, criticized other candidates and commentators for "weaponizing" antisemitism.
"This is a city that every single person deserves to be in," said Mamdani. "Antisemitism is a real issue in this city. And it has been hard to see it weaponized by candidates who do not seem to have any sincere interest in tackling it but rather using it as a pretext to make political points."
Mamdani's comments, said one observer, exemplify "what the other side is so afraid of."
"That a brown Muslim man is speaking so passionately about New York, about the people that live there, and wanting to make it better for everyone," they said. "Zohran is a breath of fresh air in today's abysmal political climate worldwide."
