He’s loved by progressives, and The New York Times has named him as one of the frontrunners in the race to win the Democratic nomination to stand for mayor of New York. But many in the Jewish community have serious concerns about Zohran Mamdani’s politics.
Born in Kampala, Uganda in 1991, Mamdani moved to New York City aged seven. His middle name, Kwame, is a nod to Kwame Nkrumah – a socialist revolutionary and pan-Africanist who became Uganda’s first post-independence president.
After studying at Bowdoin College in Maine, where he co-founded a branch of Students for Justice in Palestine, he graduated with a degree in Africana studied.
Mamdani then spent several years working as a housing counselor, helping low-income families in New York fight foreclosures before being elected to represent New York’s 36th district in the State Assembly in 2020.
A long-standing member of the Democratic Socialists of America, he has focussed his campaign on working-class issues in the city, as well as on connecting with a younger audience through social media, notably in light-hearted TikTok campaign videos.
Concluding his statement endorsing Mamdani to be the Democratic candidate, fellow socialist and New York native Bernie Sanders, independent senator for Vermont, wrote: “At this pivotal and dangerous moment in American history, status quo politics is not good enough. We need the kind of visionary leadership that Zohran is providing in this campaign. In my view, Zohran Mamdani is the best choice for Mayor of New York City.”
But Sanders, who is Jewish, did not mention much of the criticism Mamdani has received over his stance on Israel and his relationship with New York’s Jewish community.
Just this week, Mamdani was condemned by the US Holocaust Memorial Museum after he said that the slogan “globalise the intifada” was a legitimate expression of Palestinian advocacy.
Asked about the phrase, he said: “The very word has been used by the Holocaust Museum when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, which is a word that means ‘struggle’.”
But the museum claimed he had “exploited” the uprising to “sanitise” the controversial chant, saying: “Since 1987, Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner.
"All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history.”
He also attracted criticism for refusing to sponsor an annual bipartisan in the assembly remembering the Holocaust, though he claimed that his office was not listing him as a sponsor on any legislation at the time.
Mamdani is competing against 10 other candidates to win the Democratic nomination for the mayoralty and is widely thought to be one of the frontrunners, alongside former state governor and federal housing secretary, Andrew Cuomo.
In a pinned post on his Instagram, Mamdani states: “Our campaign has always been driven by a very simple belief: New York City can’t be the greatest city in the nation if people can’t afford to live here.
"I’ve outlined common sense solutions to bring down the cost-of-living. Freeze the rent for rent-stabilized tenants. Build 200,000 affordable homes. Deliver universal, no-cost childcare. And more. We can afford to make life easier here. I am running for mayor to do exactly that.”
