In November, Jewish Americans Should Make It Clear: There's an Electoral Price to Pay for Not Stemming the Progressive Anti Jewish Tide
Democratic Party officials in New York were still in the throes of processing their messaging on hard-left socialist and Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani when Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Ken Martin surfaced with an appealing narrative centered on inclusion.
In an interview on "PBS NewsHour" last week, Martin was asked by host Amna Nawaz to respond to Mamdani's commanding win in the June 24, 2025 primary and concerns raised by some Jewish colleagues over the politician's refusal to repudiate the phrase, "Globalize the Intifada."
While Nawaz did not elaborate on the language used by pro-Hamas protestors, the term is used as a rallying cry calling for the murder of Jews.
Without hesitation, Martin sidelined principles in favor of politics and spoke about Mamdani as if he were a sensible politician with whom he harbored minor disagreements over tax or education policy.
The DNC head went on to say that Democrats win by bringing people into their "coalition," and that the party he's going to lead will be a "big tent party" that "celebrates" dissent and debate.
After reportedly receiving some pushback from Jewish Democrats, Martin predictably attempted to clarify his position on X by blaming "the right-wing machine" for mischaracterizing his answer to what was an uncomplicated question.
Yet Martin's "big tent party" reference grants the political cover for the majority of New York's Democratic delegation to eventually evolve their cautious support for Mamdani into formal endorsements.
The broad-based narrative also positions Mamdani as a more palatable candidate, particularly for Jewish New Yorkers, who are a significant democratic voting bloc in the city and the majority of whom harbor deep misgivings about Mamdani and his explicit anti-Israel hostility.
Mamdani's litany of hatred targeting the Jewish state includes releasing an online statement thirty-six hours after the Oct. 7, 2023 slaughter in Israel, and blaming the massacre on Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a leader Mamdani has pledged to arrest if he visits New York City under the lawmaker's watch.
Much of Mamdani's Jewish support during the primary, which reports suggest was around 20 percent, came from young progressives who have no religious connection to Judaism.
Still, there exists a cohort of liberal Jews living in the city who may be swayed by the candidate's softening rhetoric towards the community and accept Chairman Martin's collective reckoning with upholding a system that accommodates both Jewish Americans and those who hate them.
Moreover, Mamdani has recently deflected attention away from his anti-Israel extremism and adhering to a disciplined message built on "protecting Jewish New Yorkers" and promising to boost anti-hate crime programs by "800%."
Tapping into the compassionate sensibilities of Jewish Americans, days before the June 24 election and as early voting was underway, Mamdani got emotional during a Harlem press conference when defending against claims made by his political opponents that he is antisemitic.
The state assemblyman's tempered performance tracks with Martin repackaging the Democratic party's embrace of radical politicians as a strategic choice aimed at cultivating party unity and persuading liberal-leaning Jewish New Yorkers to cast their vote for Mamdani.
This phenomenon echoes the actions adopted by former New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman, who is rumored to be on the shortlist to serve as Chancellor of New York City Schools under a Mamdani mayorship.
In 2020, Bowman gained the support of a significant swath of Jewish voters in his district, which at the time consisted of the northern Bronx and parts of Westchester County, by concealing his damaging views on the campaign trail and cloaking his extremist pursuits in an affable and approachable image.
Bowman soon emerged as one of the most hostile anti-Israel figures in Congress, and while he lost his primary race last year against now Rep. George Latimer, D-N.Y., his defeat came at a hefty price tag and required a massive mobilization effort on the part of centrist Democrats.
Mamdani represents a more dangerous version of Bowman, as the presumptive next Mayor would be tasked with governing the city's affairs.
For their part, Jewish leaders in the area must meet the current political moment with clarity and reject Mamdani.
Jewish institutional attempts to straddle the center by denouncing antisemitic rhetoric while refusing to implicate Mamdani directly confirm that, just as the Democratic Party's tent has expanded into unsavory territory, so too has ours.
In November, Jewish Americans should make clear that there is an electoral price to be paid for not stopping the progressive tide against the Jews.
The ideological arc among Democrats bends towards the party's progressive wing.
It expresses an undeniable truth that a political space large enough to hold the antisemitism promoted by Mamdani is one that can no longer include Jewish Americans.
Irit Tratt is a writer who resides in New York. Follow her on X @Irit_Tratt. Read more of her reports here.