By: Fern Sidman

In a heated and deeply consequential exchange during Wednesday night’s New York City mayoral debate, former Governor Andrew Cuomo launched an aggressive challenge against Democratic frontrunner Zohran Mamdani, accusing the Queens assemblyman of normalizing antisemitic rhetoric and endangering the city’s Jewish community through his past anti-Israel statements.

As VIN News reported on Wednesday evening, the confrontation came midway through the debate at LaGuardia Community College — the final face-off before early voting begins Saturday — when Mamdani sought to reassure voters that, despite his controversial record, he would “represent every New Yorker” if elected. Cuomo interrupted sharply, turning toward Mamdani with a biting retort: “You’re the savior of the Jewish people?”

The VIN News cameras caught the visible tension as gasps rippled through the audience. The exchange crystallized what many Jewish leaders and voters have described as the most pressing issue in this election: whether the city can entrust its leadership to a candidate who has defended the slogan “Globalize the Intifada” and supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel.

Cuomo’s attack was not off-the-cuff. It followed a widely circulated open letter from The Jewish Majority, a coalition of rabbis and communal leaders, which condemned Mamdani’s history of anti-Israel advocacy and warned that his rhetoric could “fuel the rising tide of antisemitism sweeping New York and the nation.” According to the information provided in the VIN News report, the letter — signed by more than 650 rabbis nationwide, including over 60 from New York City — accused Mamdani of “legitimizing hostility toward Jews by defending violent slogans and excusing terror sympathies as mere political dissent.”

The debate, moderated by NY1 and watched by millions across the five boroughs, was expected to revolve around familiar issues — crime, housing, and the economy — but quickly turned into a referendum on Mamdani’s record on Israel and his treatment of the Jewish community. Cuomo seized the opening, accusing Mamdani of “pandering to radicals” and “importing Middle East extremism into New York politics.”

“New York City was built by people of every faith — and it has always stood with the Jewish people,” Cuomo said, his voice rising. “You can’t say you’re for unity while standing with those who chant for intifada in Times Square. You can’t call yourself a mayor for all New Yorkers while legitimizing movements that target Jews.”

The crowd erupted — some cheering, others booing — as Mamdani struggled to respond. According to the information contained in the VIN News report, the 34-year-old assemblyman attempted to reframe the issue, accusing Cuomo of “misrepresenting” his record and “weaponizing faith for political gain.”

“I have never spoken in support of global jihad,” Mamdani said. “My positions have always been rooted in human rights and justice for all people — including Palestinians and Israelis alike. I’ll be a mayor for every New Yorker — all 8.5 million of them — including Jewish New Yorkers who may disagree with me on Israel.”

But Cuomo refused to yield. “This isn’t about disagreement,” he shot back. “It’s about decency. It’s about whether you can lead a city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel when you’ve spent your career justifying the people who want to destroy it.”

The exchange was among the most explosive moments of the evening — and one that, as the VIN News report noted, may reshape the final stretch of the race.

The Jewish Majority’s letter, which set the stage for the fiery confrontation, drew a sharp distinction between legitimate policy criticism and what it described as “ideological antisemitism masquerading as activism.” The statement, quoted in the VIN News report, charged that Mamdani’s language and alliances “blur the line between political dissent and the incitement of hatred,” pointing specifically to his refusal to condemn the phrase “Globalize the Intifada” — a slogan many Jewish organizations view as a direct call for violence.

“This slogan is not a metaphor,” the rabbis wrote. “It has been invoked by extremists to justify attacks on Jews from Brooklyn to Paris. To dismiss it as harmless speech is to normalize danger.”

The signatories — a cross-denominational group including Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and independent rabbis — emphasized that their statement was not partisan but moral. “We do not oppose Mr. Mamdani because he is Muslim,” the letter stated. “We oppose him because he has consistently defended those who dehumanize Jews and seek to erase the Jewish state.”

The VIN News report highlighted how this unprecedented show of rabbinic unity has reverberated far beyond the city’s Jewish neighborhoods. Prominent civic leaders, philanthropists, and even non-Jewish clergy have echoed similar concerns, warning that Mamdani’s rise signals a dangerous new normalization of anti-Israel extremism in American politics.

Rabbi Avraham Weiss, one of the letter’s senior signatories, told VIN News that “words matter, especially in a city like New York.” He added: “When a leading candidate for mayor refuses to reject calls for intifada, it’s not just rhetoric — it’s a message that Jewish lives and Jewish safety are negotiable. That’s unacceptable.”

Mamdani, who represents Astoria in the State Assembly and is closely aligned with the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), has long been a lightning rod for controversy. His vocal support for the BDS movement — which advocates for international boycotts of Israel — and his history of inflammatory statements about Zionism have drawn criticism from Jewish and bipartisan leaders alike.

As VIN News has previously reported, Mamdani once called Israel a “settler-colonial project” and vowed to “hold its leaders accountable” — even pledging that, as mayor, he would order the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if the Israeli leader visited New York. That comment, dismissed by many as political theater, nevertheless alarmed Jewish groups and foreign policy experts, who saw it as both dangerous and diplomatically reckless.

During Wednesday’s debate, Cuomo cited the remark as evidence of Mamdani’s “reckless disregard for New York’s standing in the world.” He added, “We’re talking about a man who wants to arrest a foreign head of state — our ally — while terrorists in Gaza are killing civilians. That’s not progressivism. That’s fanaticism.”

Mamdani countered that he stood by his earlier comments, saying “accountability applies to everyone, no matter their position.” But the explanation did little to quell the uproar. The VIN News report noted that audience members — particularly in the front rows, where several rabbis and Jewish community leaders were seated — shook their heads as he spoke.

The debate unfolded against a troubling backdrop: a dramatic surge in antisemitic incidents across New York City. According to data cited in the VIN News report, more than half of all hate crimes reported last year targeted Jewish residents, with nearly a thousand documented incidents ranging from vandalism to physical assault.

These statistics have lent urgency to questions about the moral tone of City Hall under a Mamdani administration. “The Jewish community is on edge,” said Scott Richman, the regional director of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), in comments to VIN News earlier this week. “What we need from the next mayor is clarity, empathy, and the courage to stand up to hate — not excuses for those who spread it.”

Cuomo’s campaign has tapped into that unease, positioning the former governor as a bulwark against extremism and a defender of New York’s pluralism. “I’ve stood with the Jewish people my entire career,” Cuomo said Wednesday. “I fought BDS before most of these people even knew what it was. And I’ll fight antisemitism wherever it rears its head — in our streets, in our schools, and yes, even in our politics.”

With early voting set to begin on Saturday and continue through November 2, the timing of the debate could prove pivotal. As the VIN News report observed, Mamdani remains the statistical frontrunner, but his lead has narrowed amid growing controversy and intensifying scrutiny of his record. Cuomo’s strong debate performance — his most disciplined and forceful yet — may reinvigorate his campaign, particularly among moderate Democrats, independents, and Jewish voters in Manhattan and Brooklyn.

Meanwhile, Republican Curtis Sliwa, though less central to Wednesday’s fireworks, continues to play a spoiler role. His hardline stance on public safety and policing resonates with parts of the electorate but may split the anti-Mamdani vote, inadvertently bolstering the socialist’s chances.

Still, as the VIN News report said in its post-debate analysis, the defining moment of the night — and perhaps of the entire campaign — was Cuomo’s blunt challenge: “You’re the savior of the Jewish people?”

It was a line that encapsulated the moral and political fault lines now dividing New York. For some, Mamdani represents a new generation of progressive leadership unafraid to challenge old taboos. For others, he embodies the perilous fusion of ideology and intolerance that threatens the city’s social fabric.

As New Yorkers prepare to cast their ballots, one question looms large: Can a candidate who refuses to condemn the rhetoric of hate truly claim to lead a city built on tolerance?