It’s the 1920s: gunfights in the streets, with a gangster brandishing a Colt M1911 or a Tommy gun through an open car window. That Prohibition-era picture – when crime and chaos reigned– could be tomorrow, and it’s not far-fetched.
Fast-forward to 2025. One man could make or break the American dream of freedom and liberty on November 4. He has been called a raging antisemite, a terrorist sympathizer, an ardent socialist, and a polarizing figure.
Those are among the labels Jews and non-Jews alike are using to describe Zohran Mamdani. In one of the most visible races in the United States, the city that never sleeps could take a bite out of the American apple if Mamdani wins this mayoralty, and it could mark the start of dangerous disorder unlike anything seen in years.
Let the facts speak.
Technion shutdown?
One of Mamdani’s latest vows is to shut down the American branch of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology – often called Israel’s MIT – based at Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island in New York City. The self-described democratic socialist cites the Technion’s relationship with the IDF. If this isn’t blatant antisemitism, what is?
His argument: “An Israeli institution involved in developing weapons for the IDF should not receive city benefits or funding.” That position aligns with his support for the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions campaign. The Technion is among the world’s leading research institutions, credited with innovations such as drip-irrigation systems, the USB memory stick via one of its alumni, and a major anti-Parkinson’s drug developed in its laboratories. Former mayor Michael Bloomberg had the vision to spearhead a municipal initiative to create the new science school in New York. Mamdani wants to erase it.
The hatred Mamdani holds runs deep.
“We have to make clear that when the boots of the NYPD are on your neck, it’s been laced by the IDF,” Mamdani said in a clip from a Democratic Socialists of America convention held last year.
He recently clarified his comments to Anderson Cooper, saying his remarks targeted joint exercises between the New York Police Department and the IDF.
Would Mamdani move to close other foreign university satellite programs in New York if they have links to military technology?
Arresting Bibi?
Mamdani avoided answering Fox News’s Martha MacCallum when she asked whether Hamas should lay down its arms. A day later, at the first election debate among the candidates, he said, “Of course I believe they should.” Much of the debate focused on Jewish issues, including antisemitism and Israel, because Mamdani has made these topics a core part of his platform.
At the top of his list, he routinely calls Israel’s response in Gaza after October 7 a genocide and does not condemn “globalizing the intifada.” Yet, Mamdani has publicly said he condemns Hamas.
He says he will arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he tries to enter New York. Is Mamdani a jurist – aside from the fact that his threat is unenforceable?
This is not the vision of a mayor of New York City.
Mamdani has publicly supported the five convicted terrorists tied to the Holy Land Foundation, an organization that funneled millions of dollars to Hamas. In 2008, a US District Court in Texas convicted these men of providing material support to a foreign terrorist organization, money laundering, and tax fraud.
In 2017, Mamdani – also a rap musician – released a track called “Salaam,” under the alias Mr. Cardamom, in which he proclaimed his “love to the Holy Land Five.”
Is this the man you want your children to look up to, the one handed the keys to your city?
Skyrocketing antisemitism
Many observers – not only New Yorkers – fear that antisemitism would skyrocket if Mamdani is elected. The door to hate has swung wider in recent years as Israel’s war with Hamas grinds on, and this Ugandan-born, Muslim Indian politician, they argue, would accelerate it.
According to a J.L. Partners poll, 47% of respondents believe crime will spike in the Big Apple, and 45% expect antisemitism to surge.
Mamdani’s father, Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani, serves on the advisory council of the Gaza Tribunal.
An investigation highlighted by Jewish Onliner says the Gaza Tribunal recently held a conference in Istanbul featuring speakers with direct ties to terrorist organizations. The apple does not fall far from the tree.
Jews are scared. They are not whispering about exiting the state; some have already moved out. While Mamdani promises free housing and rent stabilization for all, he is creating an environment for a mass exit. It will not just be Jews. Mamdani’s platform would destabilize the economy and embolden criminals.
New York's future
Yet, days before Election Day, an Emerson College poll showed Mamdani with a 25-point lead over Andrew Cuomo, the Democratic former governor, with Curtis Sliwa, the Republican candidate, trailing far behind. A Marist survey put Mamdani’s advantage at 16 points over Cuomo and 32 points over Sliwa. This vote counts, and every person casting a ballot must do their due diligence to avoid an existential mistake.
One bold move by Sliwa could change the result of the election.
Mamdani is branding disorder and hate. Imagine instead if he used his multiethnic background for unity and acted like a leader – finding solutions to curb hate, enforce law and order, and bridge divides.
New Yorkers, do not be fooled by Zohran’s youth or charm. You have one shot to shape the next decade. Will you accept Mamdani’s dangerous platform or stabilize everyone’s city? The Big Apple should remain America’s symbol of life and liberty for all.
Mamdani is not the millennial mayor you had in mind.
The writer is president and CEO of The Media Line news agency and founder of the Press and Policy Student Program, the Mideast Press Club, and the Women’s Empowerment Program. She can be reached at ffriedson@themedialine.org.