If mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani were to be elected, it would put at risk the fate of New York City and its Jewish residents, Jewish Community Relations Council of New York (JCRC NY) CEO emeritus Rabbi Michael Miller warned on Tuesday, urging others to vote for former NY governor and independent mayoral candidate Andrew Cuomo.
Miller said on Facebook that he did not take lightly his first political endorsement in five decades of Jewish public life, but “The stakes are just too high in the mayoral contest for me to remain silent.”
“The fate of the city and its Jewish citizenry will depend on your vote and the election’s outcome,” wrote the ex-CEO of JCRC NY. “Your vote truly matters. Make sure you are registered and vote for Andrew Cuomo for mayor.”
Referencing Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, Miller explained that a vote for someone “who has no chance of winning is essentially a vote for the Democratic Party nominee identified with socialism, an ideology long steeped in antisemitism.”
Miller charged that Mamdani denied the Jewish right to self-determination, didn’t accept Israel as a Jewish state, used the term ‘Zionist’ as a pejorative, and supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement against Israel. The NYC Jewish leader also took issue with the candidate’s accusations that Israel was an apartheid state and was committing a genocide in Gaza.
In a debate on Thursday, Mamdani had described Israeli operations in Gaza as a genocide and, referring to Israel, stated that he “would not recognize any state’s right to exist with a system of hierarchy on the basis of race or religion.”
Declined to say if Hamas should disarm
Mamdani had declined to say if Hamas should disarm in a Fox News interview last Wednesday, Miller noted, and in a September New York Times interview indicated he would seek the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he entered the city. At the Thursday debate, Mamdani said that he did believed that Hamas should lay down its arms.
“Having an occupant in City Hall who” held these beliefs “would put at risk the residents of the city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel,” said Miller.
Miller was also concerned about Mamdani’s socialist policies on affordability, which could bankrupt the city.
The ex-JCRC NY CEO’s warnings echoed some of the sentiments expressed by Park Avenue Synagogue Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, who gave a Saturday sermon warning that “Mamdani poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community.”