New York City’s political landscape has been jolted by the decisive victory of Zohran Mamdani in the November 4, 2025, mayoral election—a result that has reverberated far beyond city limits and sent shockwaves through Jewish communities both locally and nationally. The election, which saw Mamdani, a Muslim state lawmaker from Queens and outspoken democratic socialist, defeat former Governor Andrew Cuomo, has not only upended longstanding assumptions about the city’s electorate but also ignited fierce debate over the boundaries of political discourse on Israel, antisemitism, and Zionism.
For Robert Tucker, the former Fire Department of New York (FDNY) Commissioner, Mamdani’s campaign was a breaking point. Tucker, a Jewish philanthropist and businessman, resigned in the immediate aftermath of the election, citing discomfort with what he described as anti-Israeli rhetoric and the socialist platform Mamdani championed throughout his campaign. In a candid interview with CBS Mornings host Tony Dokoupil, Tucker did not mince words: “I think the whole campaign really reflected that for me,” he said, when asked what prompted his decision to step down. Tucker, who will officially leave his post on December 19, plans to return to his private security firm, T&M USA—a company with deep ties to Israel.
According to reporting from CBS, Tucker’s departure was not merely a personal protest but emblematic of broader anxieties gripping New York’s Jewish community. His resignation came just hours after Mamdani’s landslide win, which itself had been shadowed by controversy over Mamdani’s criticism of Israel’s military actions in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack. The new mayor-elect’s unapologetic stance on Israel—describing its counteroffensive as genocide and vowing to hold Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accountable should he ever set foot in New York—has broken a longstanding taboo for successful city politicians.
As Kenneth Roth, former executive director of Human Rights Watch, wrote in his analysis, Mamdani’s victory “blew that assumption out of the water.” Roth observed that for decades, New York candidates have tiptoed around criticism of the Israeli government, wary of alienating the city’s vast and influential Jewish population—the largest in the United States and second only to Tel Aviv globally. Yet, Mamdani’s campaign saw him speak “accurately and openly about the genocide that Israel was committing in Gaza,” and insist on equal rights for all residents of Israel. Remarkably, about one-third of New York’s Jewish voters cast their ballots for him, suggesting a complex and evolving relationship between the city’s Jewish community and the politics of Israel.
Mamdani’s outspoken criticism did not end with the campaign trail. In a meeting with former President Donald Trump at the White House on November 21, Mamdani reiterated his views on Israel and Gaza, even as Trump, according to Roth, “let the comment slide without a response.” Mamdani also publicly condemned a Manhattan synagogue’s event encouraging emigration to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, noting the illegality of such settlements under the Fourth Geneva Convention. These actions, Roth argued, represent a historic shift in New York’s political climate—one that may soon ripple into national politics.
But if Mamdani’s election marks a new era of candor on Israel within New York’s progressive circles, it has also deepened anxieties among many American Jews. The Jewish People Policy Institute (JPPI) released a survey on November 28, 2025, detailing “deep, broad anxiety” in the wake of Mamdani’s victory and rising antisemitic rhetoric from both the far left and right. The numbers are sobering: 99% of respondents expressed concern about antisemitism, with 62% worried about it from both political sides. A majority—56%—described their dominant feeling after the election as “concern,” and 67% believe Mamdani’s victory will hurt the security of New York’s Jewish community. Only 6% thought security might improve.
The JPPI survey also revealed a sharp shift in perceptions of Mamdani himself. While about a third of Jewish voters in New York supported him at the polls, nearly two-thirds (64%) of U.S. Jews now define him as both anti-Israeli and antisemitic—a significant rise since the previous summer. Another 19% consider him anti-Israeli but not antisemitic. The survey’s findings highlight a persistent ideological divide: 72% of respondents believe anti-Zionism is usually or definitely antisemitism, but among “very liberal” Jews, only 44% agree, compared to 92% among “very conservative” respondents.
Despite these tensions, support for Zionism remains robust among American Jews. Seventy percent of JPPI respondents identify as Zionists, with another 12% describing themselves as non-Zionist but supportive of Zionism. Only 3% self-identify as anti-Zionist, underscoring the enduring connection between American Jews and the state of Israel—even as debates over its government’s policies intensify. The survey also marked the 50th anniversary of the 1975 United Nations resolution that infamously declared Zionism “a form of racism,” with 59% of respondents now saying there is “nothing racist about Zionism.”
For many, these debates are not merely academic. With Hanukkah approaching, 82% of survey respondents said they plan to light candles all eight nights—a sign of cultural resilience and continuity even as political and social currents swirl around them.
Mamdani’s rise, meanwhile, is already inspiring other progressive candidates in New York to speak more openly about Israel and challenge those who do not. Roth contends that this could be “a wake-up call for the Netanyahu government,” as Israel’s actions in Gaza have led to international condemnation, arms embargoes, and war crimes charges before the International Criminal Court. The United States, Roth notes, remains Israel’s primary source of military aid and diplomatic support—a reality that may shift as American public opinion grows more critical.
Still, the city’s new political reality is anything but settled. While some Jewish voters were drawn to Mamdani’s focus on affordability and his willingness to confront difficult issues, others were unnerved by what they perceived as a blurring of anti-Israel rhetoric and antisemitism. The controversy over Tucker’s resignation, Mamdani’s White House visit, and the reactions measured by JPPI all point to a city and a nation grappling with profound questions about identity, security, and the boundaries of political debate.
As New York prepares for a new era under Mamdani’s leadership, the city’s Jewish community and its allies are watching closely—both wary of the risks and hopeful for the possibility of honest, if sometimes uncomfortable, conversation.
