There are more places where information can be disseminated than in the past. It was not too long ago when getting your message out was limited to print media and rallies. On the other hand, the number of individuals and organizations trying to put out content has grown exponentially. It is hard to compete with influencers and others who have an online following. Thus, it is a great accomplishment when a statement becomes noticed, is covered by the media, and results in an elected official being asked about it. I give kudos to Elizabeth Forspan, president of the Brandeis Association of Queens, for being able to pull off that feat. As an aside for Jewish geography, my wife babysat for Elizabeth’s husband and sister-in-law.
A copy of the letter that she wrote to the mayor, along with three other Jewish bar associations, was published as part of Shabsie Saphirstein’s article “Zero out of Nineteen” in the July 31 edition of the Queens Jewish Link. For those who did not read the article and are not familiar with the brouhaha, the mayor did not put one Jew on the Mayor’s Advisory Committee for the Judiciary. The committee advises the mayor as to the appointment of judges to the Family Court and Criminal Court and the appointment of interim Civil Court judges. One of those who was not selected to be on the committee was retired Jewish Appellate Division Judge John Leventhal. The excuse given was that he had some involvement with an appeal concerning Ghislaine Maxwell. That was a pretext. There was at least one other individual on the committee who represented defendants who ended up being convicted of worse crimes. In any event, it should not matter. Every defendant, no matter who they are, is entitled to representation. Lawyers who represent unpopular defendants should not be ostracized and punished for doing what is right. Moreover, I had argued appeals before Judge Leventhal and saw that he had the ability to be an asset to the committee.
The Brandeis Association is an organization of Jewish lawyers and judges with a connection to Queens. It was started close to sixty years ago to address antisemitism. I have been an officer in the association, and I am still on its board, so I know of the important work that it has done throughout the years. Thus, it was appropriate that Brandeis was at the forefront of presenting an objection to the formulation of Mamdani’s committee.
My feeling is that Mamdani could not care less that Jewish organizations consisting of judges and lawyers are criticizing him. He is who he is. However, it still serves an important purpose. It shows that Mamdani is antisemitic and that he was using anti-Zionism as a cover. I do not expect any significant immediate change from those Jews who voted for Mamdani and did not believe claims of Mamdani’s antisemitism. As I have said regarding other individuals whom many in the Jewish community supported, it is hard to admit that you have made a mistake.
It is also about showing the hypocrisy of the progressives. Imagine if any other group with the level of representation that Jews have in the legal field had been excluded from the committee. They would have been outraged, screaming sexism, racism, homophobia, etc. Yet, when it comes to Jews, who make up a smaller portion of the United States population than most, if not all, of those groups, they are silent.
There has also been a push by some to have qualified Jews apply for judicial appointments over which the mayor has control, such as appointments to the Family Court, Criminal Court, and interim Civil Court. As a practical matter, if Mamdani is not even going to bother putting a Jew on the committee that advises him as to whom to appoint, there is no reason to believe that he will appoint any Jewish judges. Nevertheless, it is a smart idea to apply. Like the letter concerning Mamdani’s lack of Jews on the panel despite there being qualified individuals, Mamdani’s failure to appoint any Jewish judges despite qualified candidates applying can be used against him.
It is important to play the long game and look at it as if you are knocking down a wall. Unless you have dynamite or a heavy-duty machine, it is going to be impossible to knock down a high wall in one shot. You need to do it slowly, brick by brick. This is how to deal with Mamdani. The goal is to make sure that he is a one-term mayor. The way to do it is to knock him down, brick by brick, with a drumbeat of information showing his biases and prejudices, such as publicizing his failure to select any Jews for the committee. It is not going to be easy, and there will be times when you might feel like you are hitting your head against the wall. What the Brandeis letter shows is that you should never give up. You never know what effect something you do or say will have.
Warren S. Hecht is a local attorney. He can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.