The Blogs_ The Imminent Danger of Zohran Mamdani _ Andy Blumenthal _ The Times of Israel.pdf

Article in The Times of Israel by Andy Blumenthal: The rise of radical socialism in New York threatens not only democracy but the safety of its Jewish community. As antisemitic incidents surge, Zohran Mamdani manipulates and gaslights the public, hiding behind claims of social justice and anti‑genocide rhetoric while refusing to condemn Hamas or calls for global intifada. His deception weaponizes resentment and division, turning ideology into an instrument of hate and racism. This escalating threat puts Jews and the city’s moral foundation at grave risk. If New Yorkers do not awaken quickly, history may again repeat its darkest chapters.

1. THE BLOGS
Andy Blumenthal
Leadership With Heart
The Imminent Danger of
Zohran Mamdani
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2. New York’s Jewish community is facing one of its most perilous moments in
decades. As radical socialist and accused anti-Semite Zohran Mamdani surges
toward the mayor’s office, the very people who helped shape this city now live
under the shadow of growing hostility and fear. For many of the 1.3 million Jews
across the five boroughs, the question is no longer political but existential: can
they live openly as Jews in the city they helped build, or must they once again
retreat behind locked doors and lowered voices?
This fear is grounded not in hysteria, but in experience. Over the past two years,
New Yorkers have seen pro-Hamas demonstrations turn violent, Jewish-owned
shops defaced, and synagogues vandalized with hateful graffiti. Jewish students
have been harassed on campuses and told to remove their Star of David
necklaces and stay silent if they wish to stay safe. These incidents have risen
alongside Mamdani’s ascent—a politician who cloaks ideological aggression in
the language of oppression and social justice.
Mamdani manipulates and gaslights the public by claiming he is merely
“criticizing policy” or “condemning genocide,” while branding anyone who
challenges him as Islamophobic. Yet antisemitic incidents in New York have
reached record highs. His refusal to condemn Hamas or to reject calls to
“globalize the intifada” reveals that his agenda is not about human rights—it is
about power, ideology, and the silencing of Jewish identity under the guise of
self-proclaimed virtue.
Let us not forget that this same city bore the brunt of the worst terrorist attack
on American soil—the September 11 massacre that took nearly 3,000 innocent
lives. That tragedy reshaped our nation and cost decades of blood and treasure.
Now, only twenty-four years later, a man who sympathizes with Hamas and
condemns Israel’s right to self-defense stands poised to lead the city that once
symbolized resilience against terror.

3. For New York’s Jews, the irony is devastating. Our families—Holocaust survivors
and exiles from Soviet oppression and pogroms—found refuge in America’s
promise of safety and equality. We built homes, businesses, and synagogues
from the Bronx to the Catskills, believing this land would never echo the hatred
we fled. Yet today, with the rise of ideologues like Mamdani who demonize
Zionism and legitimize those who seek the destruction of the Jewish state, that
promise feels fragile once more.
This dread now transcends the Jewish community. Millions of Americans—
honest, hardworking citizens—see the corrosion of democratic values beneath
the polished rhetoric of socialism. What began as the idealism of Sanders and
Ocasio-Cortez has darkened under Mamdani’s brand of populism: a toxic fusion
of Marxism, grievance, and ethnic resentment.
His approach follows a timeworn formula—vilify the successful, weaponize
grievance, and use charm to disguise intent. The echoes of history are chilling.
Beneath Mamdani’s disarming rhetoric lies the same seductive ruthlessness that
once convinced decent people to follow tyrants who promised justice but
delivered death and ruin.
For Jewish New Yorkers, the betrayal strikes deeply. Our parents and
grandparents fled lands where the words of radicals turned into policies of
persecution. They believed America’s institutions and culture were strong
enough to resist such hatred. Yet now, under Mamdani’s influence, that belief is
faltering.
More and more New Yorkers are beginning to see the danger—but they must
awaken faster. History rarely grants extra time to those who ignore its warnings.
The nightmare is no metaphor. I dreamt recently of being trapped in a gas
chamber, gasping for air as panic swallowed me. When I awoke, the terror
lingered—not as a delusion but as a memory carried in the blood of generations.

4. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader who writes frequently about Jewish life,
culture, and security. All opinions are his own.
It spoke of a truth our people know well: unchecked hate never stops with
words.
Polls may show Mamdani’s lead narrowing, and perhaps Governor Cuomo still
has time to reclaim the city’s moral center. But even if Mamdani loses, the
ideology he has unleashed will remain—a moral contagion that erodes truth and
glorifies cruelty. Extremism rarely arrives with noise; it seeps in quietly until
justice itself is redefined as hate and vengeance.
Let us pray that G‑d grants New Yorkers the clarity and courage to recognize
this danger before it consumes the city that once symbolized freedom itself.
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