Mamdani – a Muslim Mayor in the radical Jewish tradition
JVL Introduction
Scaremongering about Mamdani is entirely predictable, eg the Jerusalem Post wrote an article headed “Mamdani’s choice to cancel IHRA antisemitism definition must alarm New York Jews”. Of course there is no need for New York Jews to be alarmed, many welcomed his election.
An excellent contrast from the relentless scaremongering is this article whose author notes “For all the hysteria, when I look at Mamdani, I didn’t see some radical departure from the past. I see him as the heir to an old and venerable Jewish tradition – that of Yiddish socialism – which helped build New York.”
This article was originally published by The Guardian on Thu 1 Jan 2026. Read the original here.
They tried to smear him as an antisemite – but Mayor Zohran Mamdani walks in a rich Jewish tradition
When I look at Mamdani, I don’t see some radical departure. I see him an heir to the Yiddish socialism that helped build New York
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This is excellent background on New York and her book on the Bund will be one I’ll be looking out for.
What a wonderful article, a revelation to me, connecting Mamdani’s modern day commitment to the Democratic Socialists of America with early revolutionary New Yorkers aligned with the Jewish Labour Bund. Zohran’s courageous multi-cultural class-based activism is already facing vicious opposition from the political establishment, including of course the pro-Israel lobby. He and his supporters will need to marshal all their strength to resist attempts to undermine, coerce and co-opt them.