Running on hate

In an age where antisemitism hides behind buzzwords like “equity” and “liberation,” a new face of hate is rising in New York’s political scene—and it’s dressed in a suit of progressive virtue. At a recent campaign event, radical Squad congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez bellowed “Free Palestine!”—not as a call for peace, but as a rallying cry against Israel and, by extension, Jewish New Yorkers.

Who Is Zohran Mamdani?

Born in Uganda and raised in New York, Zohran Kwame Mamdani is the son of Columbia professor Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair. He stormed into the State Assembly in 2020 with backing from the Democratic Socialists of America. But despite running on housing reform and criminal justice, his true fixations have become starkly clear: a relentless demonization of Israel and a brazen campaign against Jewish legitimacy.

The Radical Record

Mamdani’s anti-Israel crusade isn’t speculation—it’s on the record:
• A vocal champion of the BDS movement, he’s openly urged companies like Ben & Jerry’s to pull from Israeli settlements.
• He advocated for Cornell Tech to sever ties with Israel’s Technion, calling the collaboration “unethical.”
• He has defended chants like “From the river to the sea” and “Globalize the Intifada”—phrases that imply Israel’s destruction—dismissing Jewish concern as mere “desire for equality.”
• Most shockingly, at a public forum, Mamdani declared that if he were mayor of New York and Prime Minister Netanyahu stepped foot in the city, he would order his arrest, citing an ICC indictment.

This is not progressive policy. It is vitriolic identity politics masquerading as activism.

Family Ties Fueling the Radicalism

Zohran Mamdani didn’t emerge from a political vacuum. His father, Dr. Mahmood Mamdani, is a celebrated scholar—yes—but also a veteran of radical anti-state rhetoric that leaves no room for a Jewish homeland. At a 2014 event at Columbia University, Mahmood Mamdani declared:

“The Palestinian challenge is to persuade the Jewish population and the world … the longtime security of a Jewish homeland in historic Palestine requires the dismantling of the Jewish state … Jews can have a homeland in historic Palestine, but not a state.”

This isn’t academic conjecture—it’s a call for delegitimizing Israel, spoken by the man who named his son after Ghanaian revolutionary Kwame Nkrumah. In his book Neither Settler nor Native, Mahmood even argues that the nation-state itself—particularly Israel—is founded through ethnic cleansing, casting Jewish sovereignty as inherently violent.

When Zohran advocates for BDS, justifies “from the river to the sea,” and wants Netanyahu jailed, he’s echoing more than his own views—he’s amplifying a family doctrine dedicated to dismantling the Jewish state.

AOC’s Role: The Radical Pied Piper

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s presence at these events isn’t symbolic—it’s strategic. Her cry of “Free Palestine” wasn’t about a nuanced two-state solution—it was a siren call to an extremist fringe. When she lends her voice, it legitimizes Mamdani’s extremism.

Running on Hate

Mamdani is not running on substance. He’s running on spite. He’s not seeking solutions—he’s fueling division—targeting Israel, vilifying supporters, and instilling fear in Jewish communities.

He doesn’t just want political power; he’s weaponizing it to undermine Jewish safety, sovereignty, and identity in one of the world’s most diverse—and vulnerable—cities.

This isn’t a future we can afford. We cannot let hate run unchecked. And there’s no time to waste.

The Democratic primary is on Tuesday, June 24, 2025. If you are registered with the Democratic Party in New York, this is your only chance to vote against hate and defend the values that made this city a haven for generations of Jewish immigrants and survivors.

In the immortal words of Edmund Burke: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” June 24 is our moment to act. Vote—and vote decisively—to say that hate has no future here.