Three Card Mamdani

Like many, I entered 2026 with trepidation knowing that would mean Zoran Mamdani began his term as mayor of New York City.  I read his inauguration speech and wasn’t shocked or surprised by anything he said.  He is who he is, and he will run the city as he said he would.

To portray himself as a true born-and-bred New Yorker, Mamdani sprinkled his speech with memories of his youth in NYC on his razor scooter on the streets of Queens, riding the buses and subways, and arriving late to Bronx Science.  But I imagine he must have also spent plenty of time learning three card monte from the con artists on the street corners, because he is very good at sleight of hand.  And just like the victims losing their money on the streets, there seems to be a limitless supply of people willing to follow along not realizing or understanding that they are being played.

Mamdani is politically savvy enough to say all the right things.  Throughout his campaign, and since his election, he has repeatedly and consistently said that he will protect the city’s Jews and fight antisemitism.  He can even point to the executive order issued on his first day in office in which he establishes an Office to Combat Antisemitism (immediately after disbanding the same office created by Mayor Adams) to evidence how seriously he takes this issue.  And you know what, I might just believe him.  I’m sure he doesn’t want to see Jews being attacked in the streets, or synagogues or Jewish symbols and institutions vandalized.  Why would he?  It would make him look bad, make the city look bad, and prove his opponents correct.  For many, including many Jews, this is sufficient: “look, he’s no antisemite.  He considers himself to be ‘a Muslim kid [that grew] up eating bagels and lox every Sunday?’ He loves us.  What could possibly go wrong?”

But here comes the sleight of hand.  While vowing he is not antisemitic, that he will fight antisemitism, and that he will protect Jewish New Yorkers, once sworn in, he immediately rescinded a Mayor Adams’ Executive Order adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism; he rescinded restrictions on protests near synagogues, he continues to call Israel – the country with 2/3 of the world’s Jewry – an apartheid, colonialist state that commits genocide and forced famine; he supports the BDS movement, and he refuses to accept the concept of Israel as the one Jewish State in the world and refuses to repudiate slogans such as “globalize the intifada.”  So sure, if you take him at his word and are satisfied with his self-serving political promises to simply protect the city’s Jews, then you are missing the point.  And have just been played.  But if you keep your eye on the cards, you will understand his past and present remarks and actions regarding Israel and Jews are dangerous, and will not fight, but rather fuel, antisemitism, and make the city less safe for its Jewish residents.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) is an intergovernmental organization that address issues related to the Holocaust and genocide of the Roma.  This is not a Jewish or Israeli organization.  It is an organization that studies and recognizes that the Holocaust “fundamentally challenged the foundations of civilization” and whose magnitude, memory and lessons, “must be forever seared in our collective memory,” to ensure something like that never is repeated.  I think they have some credibility on this topic.

In 2016, the IHRA adopted a working definition of antisemitism accompanied by commentary and examples which “may serve as illustrations” of what the authors intended.  Many local, state, federal and international towns and cities, like NYC, adopted this definition as a guide to combat antisemitism.  Under the IHRA definition, Mamdani’s remarks and beliefs would very likely be considered antisemitic.

Critics pan the use of the IHRA definition claiming it squashes free speech by stifling legitimate criticism of Israel; though, I’m perplexed how that claim can repeatedly be made when the commentary explicitly states, “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic.”  As I and countless others have said and written time and again: you want to criticize Israel?  Criticize an Israeli policy?  Fine, get in line.  You’ll have millions of Israeli citizens on that line as well.  But is this what Mamdani is doing?  Is he commenting on Israeli tax policy or questioning the judicial reform proposals?  No.  Of course not.  He questions Israel’s very right to exist, and more.  And, because this illegitimate criticism of Israel is considered antisemitic under the IHRA definition, once in office, he conveniently immediately eliminated the use of that definition.  And just like that, the basis for considering his comments to be antisemitic no longer exists in NYC policy.  Pretty sneaky, huh?

Still, for those opposed to how IHRA defines antisemitism, would you consider listening to Natan Sharansky, the famous Soviet Refusenik and former Israeli Minster for Diaspora Affairs?  I think he has some credibility on this subject matter as well.  He uses the 3-D test to examine whether criticism of Israel crosses the line and becomes antisemitic.  When criticism Delegitimatizes Israel, Demonizes Israel, and hold Israel to a Double Standard, then that has crossed into antisemitism.

• In 1948, months after the United Nations voted to create a Jewish State and an Arab State in the British Mandate of Palestine (which the Jews accepted and Arabs rejected), the U.N. voted to create the Muslim country of Pakistan carved from British controlled India. Does Mamdani, a proud Pakistani Muslim claim Pakistan’s creation was illegitimate the same way he asserts Israel’s creation was illegitimate?  Delegitimization.
• Despite 20% of the Israeli population being Arabs holding positions in government, the IDF, serving as doctors and nurses and studying in all its universities, Mamdani consistently accuses Israel of apartheid – the entrenched segregation and systematic discrimination based on race.  Demonization.
• And despite all evidence to the contrary, Israel is accused of genocide and forced famine in its conduct of its defensive war in Gaza against Hamas, while worse human tragedies are still unfolding in Sudan, Yemen, Nigeria, Syria, which are ignored and receive a fraction of the public’s attention and nary a word of criticism. Double Standard.

So even forgetting the IHRA definition, the 3-D approach would consider Mamdani’s illegitimate criticism of Israel to be antisemitic.

At the end of the day, some might question, “what’s the big deal?”  “Really, who cares?  He’s the mayor of New York City, who cares what his views on Israel are?”  We all should.

New York City has close to one million Jewish residents – out of a total worldwide population of less than 15 million Jews.  When the mayor of that city questions the legitimacy of the creation of the State of Israel, and so easily falsely and repeatedly accuses the one Jewish State in the world of genocide, apartheid, and forced famine, and worse, people listen.  People hear.  And not just in NYC, or the U.S., but the world over.  That language is normalized and becomes accepted.  The more the false accusations of the worst atrocities our language can conjure are associated with Israel and those that support Israel, bad things can and will happen.

Think about it: if a person in a position of authority keeps feeding you lies telling you that this one country, and these people, are indiscriminately killing babies, purposely starving women and children, and systematically discriminating against its own citizens of a different race, wouldn’t you want to put an end to those alleged atrocities?  Wouldn’t you question your government for supporting a country and people that could do such heinous things?  You might just take to the streets.  You might just scream and yell and protest.  And some might just take things further.  In fact, we know people take things further and the result is too often dead Jews.

The worst part, of course, is that Mamdani knows exactly what he is doing.  With one hand he says just the right things to meet the most minimalistic standard of promising to protect the city’s Jewish residents.  But, don’t fall for it.  With a quick sleight of hand, his rhetoric and actions fan the flames and incites his anti-Israel supporters.  Thankfully, the overwhelming majority of Jewish New Yorkers and Jewish organizations see Mamdani for who he is and are onto his game.  Don’t look away.  Stay focused.  Because this time it might not just be your money that you lose to that fraudster on the corner, it could also be that the safety and security Jewish New Yorkers once relied on will be gone as well.