The New York City mayoral election, taking place in one week, has become an exceptionally dramatic event for the Jewish community. Among the three candidates – including former Democratic New York state governor Andrew Cuomo, running as an independent after his defeat in the Democratic primaries in June, and returning Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa – the candidacy of Democratic Socialist New York state assemblyman Zohran Mamdani is generating unusual controversy.
This is not only because of his positions on typical city issues like policing, housing, and transportation, but mainly because of his highly hostile displayed attitude toward Israel. In conversations with four Jewish New York residents, a picture emerges of a community tense in its larger part and anxious about the possibility of Mamdani's victory – but within it, more precisely about 40% according to recent polls, there are those intending to choose the candidate who refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish state, declared he would divest all public investment from it and would arrest its prime minister if he landed in the place hosting UN headquarters.
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, from the Park Avenue Synagogue congregation on the Upper East Side, is considered one of the prominent voices among rabbis who publicly opposed Mamdani. He addressed this in a sermon he gave to his congregation about a week and a half ago, which went viral. "My life revolves around the welfare of the Jewish people," he says. "Zionism, Israel, and Jewish self-definition are inseparable parts of my identity. When Mamdani refuses to condemn slogans like 'globalize the intifada,' or when he talks about arresting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he enters New York, I feel he is attacking me personally."
Powerful words by Rabbi @elliot_cosgrove of @parkavenuesyn #SayNoToZo #VoteforCuomo pic.twitter.com/jWzxyaM0un
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) October 20, 2025
According to him, "I wish the election would focus on issues of sanitation, transportation, police, and taxes. But when antisemitic acts are carried out in the name of anti-Zionism, a mayor who adopts sharp anti-Zionist positions endangers the Jewish community."
At the same time, Cosgrove clarifies that he is not rushing to dismiss the deliberation. "If someone is deliberating whether to vote for him, one must not preach to that person. It only causes the opposite result. There are liberal Jews who struggle to support the current Israeli government and see voting for Mamdani as an expression of legitimate criticism. But I say these are not ordinary elections. Questions of security and Jewish identity are on the line."
According to him, Mamdani's victory could create a dangerous atmosphere. "Imagine the Israel parade that takes place every year on Fifth Avenue. If an attack occurs under a city hall that normalizes slogans like 'free Palestine,' will we be able to expect a decisive response? I'm not sure."
Allison Devlin, a city resident and single mother who works in marketing, sees the election as an existential battle. "The atmosphere is gloomy and worrying," she says. "No one I know wants Mamdani to win, but we can't agree whether to vote for Cuomo or Sliwa." According to her, she switched for the first time in her life to voting for the Democratic Party "just to make sure we don't elect this man." She says, "I never thought I would vote for Andrew Cuomo, but I understood we must prevent disaster."
Devlin claims Mamdani "won the primaries based on hatred – hatred for the Jewish community, wrapped in rhetoric about Israel and Bibi Netanyahu. He uses slogans like 'globalize the intifada,' and every Jew knows the meaning." Devlin added, "It scares me to hear that wounded soldiers I spoke with at Sheba Hospital asked me if it's safe for them to come to New York. One of them, an amputee, asked if he would be arrested here just because he fought in Gaza."
Regarding Mamdani's campaign platform, she compares it to "a high school student promising three-hour breaks and free candy and donuts." According to her, "He promises free public transportation, rent freeze, and government grocery stores, but doesn't explain how. It sounds nice, especially to young people who don't understand communism doesn't work." Against this background, she says, "He never managed anything, never created, never worked hard a single day. How do we entrust him with a city of eight million residents and a budget of hundreds of billions?"
Alongside criticism of Mamdani, Devlin sees Cuomo and Sliwa as more worthy alternatives. "I'm not crazy about Cuomo, but I truly believe the city will survive four years with him. Four years with Mamdani, I'm not sure." According to her, "The hate crime rate against Jews rose most sharply of any other community. Too many Jews are falling into his trap." In her message to voters, she says, "Don't vote with your heart, vote with your head. We're not looking for a friend, but a manager who can protect the city."
But not all Jews in the city see it this way. Jason Froimowitz, 35, a product manager in the tech industry and chair of the transportation committee on the Manhattan community board, actually sees Mamdani as a worthy candidate. "He ran a very effective campaign with simple and clear messages, and mainly talked about the cost of living, an issue that hurts everyone," he says. According to him, "Among the three remaining candidates, he's the only one bringing new ideas."
Froimowitz doesn't hide that he also voted for him in the primaries. "He wasn't my first choice, I preferred Brad Lander (the Jewish city comptroller, who was also critical of Israel during the Gaza war), but I ranked Mamdani among the top five. Now I think he's the only one truly qualified."
He criticizes Andrew Cuomo harshly. "He's a former governor who resigned due to serious sexual harassment accusations and authoritarian management. He failed at managing public transportation and left the subway in terrible condition. Curtis Sliwa also lacks managerial experience. So who's left? Mamdani." According to him, "His plan for free public transportation is excellent – it will encourage bus use and make the city more accessible. The rent freeze policy and plans to address early childhood education costs are also very logical."
And what about Israel? "I don't agree with some of his positions, but he's not antisemitic. I haven't seen any proof of hatred toward Jews. We're electing a mayor, not an ambassador to the UN. His job is to manage New York, not US foreign relations." Froimowitz also notes that Mamdani's collaboration with Lander, who is an active Jew in the campaign, "should reassure those concerned. If Lander supports him, that's a sign he has no ill intent toward the Jewish community."
In contrast, Jen Press, an interior designer living on the Upper East Side, speaks with pain. "I'm a proud Zionist," she says, "but it's hard for me to see how many Jews support him. It breaks my heart." According to her, "In my Jewish mothers group, everyone is afraid of the day after if he's elected. But when you look at the numbers, it's alarming to see how many Jews are voting for him."
Press wonders if the reason lies in privilege. "American Jews enjoy too comfortable a life, forgetting where we came from. My great-grandparents would turn in their graves if they saw Jews voting for someone like this." She emphasizes that "Mamdani is not only anti-Israeli, he's also incompetent. He promises baseless things, like government supermarkets and free transportation, but without explaining how he'll finance them."
At the same time, she claims some Jewish voices against him operate unstrategically. "I think every time we publish posts screaming 'he's antisemitic,' we only strengthen him. People don't like Jews right now, and that's the reality. Instead, we need to focus on his failed policy." She adds with irony, "Mamdani may know how to talk nicely, but when he talks about free-free-free, one needs to remember, nothing in life is truly free. He doesn't seem to me like someone you can trust."
Press recounts with sadness that she lost friends since October 7. "I once identified as progressive, now I have no place in this world," she says. "The progressives I knew abandoned Jews completely. Anyone who calls themselves progressive and supports Hamas is not progressive."
The four interviewees paint a divided but aware community at this critical hour. Rabbi Cosgrove sees the election as a test of Jewish security, Devlin warns against "a communist experiment in the freest city in the world," Froimowitz asks to remind that the elections are about transportation and housing, not foreign policy, and Press describes a deep loss of trust in the progressive camp that was once her home. Behind all of them stands one shared feeling – that this time, more than in any other municipal election campaign, it's evident that voting in New York is also a vote on Jewish identity, on personal security, and on the boundaries of political discourse in the world's largest city.
