For Jewish New Yorkers clinging to hope that Gov. Kathy Hochul, D-N.Y. will hold New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani accountable for his antisemitic leanings, the first few days of the Democratic Socialist's term offer fresh evidence on how the state's top executive plans to cede the radical reins over to the 34-year-old Ugandan-born politician.
Minutes after placing his hand on a Quran and assuming office while standing in a damp decommissioned Manhattan subway station, Mamdani put pen to paper and reversed several of his predecessor's executive orders (EOs) on antisemitism and Israel.
One of his first acts as Mayor was repealing the EO signed by former New York City Mayor Eric Adams last June, which adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism.
The newly minted mayor also revoked other Adams-era directives, including an order that prohibited city entities from boycotting or divesting from Israel.
One prominent politician who is notably absent and refusing to weigh in on Mamdani's disturbing actions targeting the city's Jewish community is Gov. Hochul.
Her endorsement of Mamdani in September soaked of a politically calculated move designed to fend off an attack from her progressive base, which consists of Hochul's handpicked left wing lieutenant governor,
Antonio Delgado, launching his own bid for Governor of New York.
Hochul governs with cowardice, granting lefty activists like Mamdani the courtesy and latitude to implement a far-reaching and dangerous agenda.
She neither possesses the political will nor the personal courage to temper Mamdani's antisemitic impulses.
Gov. Hochul's deceit runs especially deep among New York's approximately 1.6 million Jewish residents.
Hochul has spent years cavorting around the state speaking to Jewish audiences.
Yet, she has done little to blunt the rise of anti-Jewish hate crimes in New York, with her pro-criminal policies only emboldening Jew-hating disruptors.
The most recent audit of antisemitic incidents released by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) reveals that New York leads the nation in antisemitic incidents.
In Gotham, Jews comprise approximately 12% of the population, yet account for nearly half of the region's hate crimes.
Hochul would like Jewish New Yorkers to believe that she's responding to the spike in anti-Jewish violence with the urgency and care it warrants.
For years, Hochul has tried to dupe Jewish voters by sprinkling her tenure with announcements calling for increased security funding for hate crimes prevention and using financial incentives as a foil for a crisis that could be quelled by a principled governor who demonstrated a bit of grit.
Even before Mamdani's victory, Hochul showcased her desire to preserve the anonymity of pro-Jihadi protestors by rejecting steps to reinstate an anti-masking law, a measure implemented in 2024 by Republican-led Nassau County.
Her response to the spate of pro-Hamas demonstrators descending on NYC synagogues varies from issuing statements denouncing the genocidal group as a terrorist organization to sticking with performative
Democratic Party talking points by suggesting that "Hate has no Place" in New York.
Now that Mamdani is in office, Hochul appears delighted to ride the mayor's fanatical coattails.
New Yorkers can dispense with the faulty idea that the Governor's endorsement of the young socialist was rooted in a half-hearted commitment to keep his radical policies in check.
On the contrary, Hochul seemed to bask in the leftist limelight during Mamdani's inauguration, even donning a scarf that bore a curious resemblance to a keffiyeh for the festivities.
The governor is emerging as Mamdani's dutiful sidekick.
She smiles, applauds, and remains mum as the new mayor stacks his administration with anti-American ideologues and utilizes his first minutes in office to rescind critical protections for Jewish New Yorkers.
Her quiet complicity caters to an influential and burgeoning population of nearly one million Muslim Americans currently residing in the Big Apple.
Declaring January Muslim American Heritage Month, Hochul's latest decision to light up New York landmarks in green, including One World Trade Center, to celebrate the culture and contributions of Muslim Americans, was a feckless affront to the victims and families impacted by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Absent a backbone and a belief system, Hochul chooses instead to evolve alongside demographic shifts and a party that has gone public with its anti-Jewish animus.
Her statements condemning antisemitism almost always accompany a mention of decrying Islamophobia, a distorted equivocation given past statistics released by the New York Comptroller's office showing that 88% of religious-based hate crimes in the state targeted Jewish victims.
Kathy Hochul will continue to try to placate Jewish New Yorkers with phony platitudes revolving around antisemitism.
She will work tirelessly to deflect attention away from her coddling of Mamdani by releasing cringe-inducing videos of her cheering on the Buffalo Bills rather than focusing on the serious issues at hand.
The governor's embrace of Mamdani is growing tighter.
Far from being a check on the new mayor's frightening platform, Kathy Hochul is leaning into his extremist orthodoxy and proving that she may be the shrewdest buffer Mamdani could ever have hoped for.
Irit Tratt is a writer and former Co-Chair of the Trump47 National Women’s Leadership Coalition. Read more Irit Tratt Insider articles — Click Here Now.
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