The election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York City is total insanity. Electing a Muslim whose only regret about 9/11 is that his supposed aunt was uncomfortable wearing a hijab on the subway following the destruction of the World Trade Center by extremist Muslims says goodbye to the “We will never forget” slogan adopted by New Yorkers. We have forgotten.
The fact that he is a rabid hater of Israel in the city with the largest Jewish population outside of Israel defies all logic. Even more puzzling is the fact that about 30% of Jews voted for him. That’s nearly a third of the Jews in New York City. How naïve can they be?
Then there is the leaked document of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) that contains a big to-do list for the mayor-elect. It includes stopping all business with banks that are invested with Israel, boycotting all Israeli goods from the government-run grocery stores, arresting Netanyahu and all active members of the IDF, etc. Not a word about rent freezes, childcare, or free buses.
The prospect of a Mamdani mayoralty is frightening indeed. I was hoping against hope that with big voter turnout from the Jewish community we could overcome the Mamdani rage. But that was not to be. As big as the turnout for Cuomo was, Mamdani attracted an even bigger turnout.
I have seen the comparison of the DSA and the Democratic Party to that of the cuckoo bird. It seems that the cuckoo bird is in the habit of laying its eggs in other birds’ nests. The unsuspecting mother bird nests the cuckoo birds as though they were their own. By the time the chicks are big enough, it’s too late and the cuckoos kick out any hatchlings produced by the fooled birds.
The same is with the Democratic Socialists, as they completely overcome their hosts – the mainstream Democrats – and consume them alive.
So, Senator Schumer, who championed immigration, now runs terrified that he will be challenged by AOC for his Senate seat. It seems that about 67% of Mamdani voters are immigrants, born outside of the United States. Nice going, Dems.
No doubt we live in trying times, and there have been many comparisons to prewar Germany. Yet I don’t think I am being stubborn-headed by saying that it is not the same culture. We have to remain vigilant and even fight; but in the end, it is all in Hashem’s hands.
One last word based on a thought I heard from my good friend Rabbi Yaakov Luban. When the brothers of Yosef discover that he was the second in command in Egypt, they were naturally very nervous. After all, they did sell him into slavery. Yosef calms their fears by assuring them, “And now, do not be despondent that you sold me, because G-d sent me as a source of support for you” (B’reishis 45:5). The brothers thought they were doomed. Yet just the opposite was true, as proclaimed by Yosef.
We never know what Hashem has in mind for us. Yes, the specter of a Mayor Mamdani brings us great concern. But who knows? It may just turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Let us fervently hope and pray so.
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld is the Rabbi Emeritus of the Young Israel of Kew Gardens Hills, President of the Coalition for Jewish Values, former President of the Vaad Harabonim of Queens, and the Rabbinic Consultant for the Queens Jewish Link.