There is no polite way to say this: if Jewish voters in New York City do not immediately unify and mobilize against Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral candidacy, we will wake up this November in a city governed by a man whose worldview is not only hostile to Jewish life, but dangerous to the very survival of New York as we know it.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by TJV NEWS | The Jewish Voice (@jewishvoice)

We do not have the luxury of indifference. We do not have the time for leisurely summers on the Jersey Shore, the Catskills, or the Hamptons. This year, the Jewish community of New York must treat this election as a five-alarm fire—because that is exactly what it is.

As influencer Lizzy Savetsky rightly warned, “We must rally behind one candidate and it can’t be Curtis Sliwa because a Republican will not win in NYC.” She is absolutely correct. This race is not about ideological purity or personal preference. It is about political reality. Divided, we lose. And if we lose, we are handing the keys to the most anti-Israel and openly anti-Semitic mayoral candidate New York has ever seen.

The Jewish vote in New York City is formidable when unified—but at this critical juncture, it risks being squandered by apathy, complacency, and infighting. As Savetsky observed, “Rather than being united we fight among ourselves.” That must end now. While we debate over brunch in Borough Park or pontificate from sukkahs in Westchester, Mamdani’s campaign machine is operating with laser-focused discipline. His social media strategy is ruthlessly effective, his volunteers are impassioned and tireless, and his message—however radical—is finding traction with a disaffected and misinformed youth vote.

And it is that youth vote that must also give us pause. As Duvi Honig, founder and CEO of the Orthodox Jewish Chamber of Commerce, stated bluntly, “The recent surge of support for Zohran Mamdani among voters under 40 raises profound concerns regarding the intellectual rigor and judgment of the younger generation.” Indeed, Mamdani’s popularity among progressive millennials and Gen Zers reveals a frightening disconnect from Jewish history, Jewish vulnerability, and the realities of antisemitism in both rhetoric and policy.

This is a candidate who has invoked the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to defend “globalizing the intifada.” The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, typically cautious in its public statements, felt compelled to denounce the exploitation of Holocaust imagery—clearly referring to Mamdani’s shocking comments. That is not merely poor judgment. It is moral vandalism.

John Podhoretz, editor of Commentary, framed the stakes clearly: “The city with the largest Jewish population in the world will likely have as its mayor a man whose worldview and convictions stand in opposition to the fundamentals of Judaism itself.” He’s not exaggerating. If Mamdani becomes mayor, we can expect a normalization of policies and rhetoric that vilify Israel, undermine Jewish institutions, and embolden radical elements that already threaten Jewish safety on our streets and campuses.

The Republican Jewish Coalition did not mince words, calling Mamdani a “raging antisemite, anti-America, anti-Israel Democrat socialist.” They are right to be alarmed. So should every Jew in this city—Reform or Orthodox, progressive or conservative, secular or observant.

Let us be clear: this is not just about Israel. It is about what kind of city we want to live in. Mamdani has proposed rent freezes, punitive taxes on the affluent, and the creation of city-run grocery stores—ideas that might seem utopian to idealistic college students, but which in practice would accelerate economic flight, erode investment, and hollow out the city’s tax base. The same city that struggles to provide reliable subway service and empty trash bins on time is not going to succeed at running supermarkets.

And for Jews, the threat is doubly acute. A Mamdani administration will not protect our synagogues. It will not support Jewish nonprofits. It will not defend Jewish students harassed on college campuses. Instead, it will elevate activists who view Zionism as racism and who cheer when Jewish businesses are boycotted or vandalized.

So what must be done?

Unify. If the Jewish community splinters its vote among multiple moderates, Mamdani wins. There must be a coordinated, strategic push to consolidate behind one viable candidate—likely Eric Adams—who can defeat Mamdani in a city where Republicans cannot win.

Mobilize. Every Jewish voter in New York must treat this election as existential. Vote early. Vote often. Drive your neighbors to the polls. Create block captains. Host community briefings. Turn synagogues into civic action hubs.

Educate. Speak to your children, your students, your co-workers. Make sure they understand who Mamdani is, what he stands for, and what it would mean for Jewish life in New York if he held power. Challenge the fantasy that a mayor with such extreme views can lead a diverse, pluralistic metropolis.

Sacrifice. This is not the summer to disappear into leisure. If we lounge on beach chairs while Mamdani’s base storms social media and canvasses neighborhoods, we will wake up in September with no political leverage and no path forward.

Let no one say they were surprised. Let no one claim they didn’t see this coming.

This election is not just another test of civic engagement. It is a test of whether New York’s Jews still recognize the urgency of self-preservation, of moral clarity, and of political maturity. We can still win. We can still stop this. But we must act. And we must act now.