{"id":7933,"date":"2025-11-04T07:59:46","date_gmt":"2025-11-04T07:59:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/natharatmouchrika.net\/home\/?p=7933"},"modified":"2025-11-04T07:59:46","modified_gmt":"2025-11-04T07:59:46","slug":"im-a-jewish-israeli-new-yorker-and-im-voting-for-zohran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/natharatmouchrika.net\/home\/?p=7933","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019m a Jewish Israeli New Yorker\u2014and I\u2019m Voting for Zohran"},"content":{"rendered":"

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My message to my fellow Jews in this city is: Don\u2019t believe the lies you\u2019re hearing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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wo weeks ago, while I was canvassing for Zohran Mamdani in Brooklyn, a Jewish woman opened the door, saw my campaign flyers, pointed at the Mezuzah attached to her doorframe, and closed the door. If she had only given me a minute, I would have told her that I, too, am Jewish, and that I was born and raised in Israel. I would have explained why I support Mamdani, and why some of the things she has read about him aren\u2019t true.<\/p>\n

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I have spoken with dozens of Jews who are excited to vote for Mamdani\u2014young parents who support his plan for free childcare, tenants longing for him to freeze their rent, or people who want to ride the bus for free and buy cheaper groceries. These are policies that would probably be just as popular in Tel Aviv, another city growing unaffordable for its residents.<\/p>\n

Yet, since\u00a0Mamdani\u2019s decisive win<\/a>\u00a0in the June primary elections, the media and political establishment have fixated on one thing: his supposed antisemitism. Even now, when the campaign is almost over, journalists are\u00a0badgering Mamdani<\/a>\u00a0about Israel.\u00a0Rabbis are warning<\/a>\u00a0that New York will no longer be safe for Jews. Republicans and Democrats alike accuse him of \u201csupporting global jihad<\/a>\u201d and \u201ccalling for violence against Jewish people<\/a>.\u201d Some, like Mamdani\u2019s main opponent, Andrew Cuomo, have even\u00a0insinuated<\/a>\u00a0that Mamdani would celebrate another 9\/11.<\/p>\n

Earlier this summer, Democrats like Senator Kirsten Gillibrand were\u00a0forced to apologize<\/a>\u00a0after it became obvious that they were, undoubtedly, lying about Mamdani\u2019s views. But the ease with which public figures jump to make up stories about Mamdani, while fully knowing that they\u2019re lying to the public, is concerning. Make no mistake\u2014they\u2019re relying on people being so scared of a Muslim man that they\u2019ll happily believe all allegations of terrorism without any need for proof. This isn\u2019t just Islamophobic; it\u2019s an outright insult to our intelligence.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s be clear about Mamdani\u2019s actual record. The claims that he supports violent jihad are baseless. He has never spoken negatively about Jewish people. On the contrary, he consistently calls antisemitism a serious problem and has released extensive policy proposals to protect Jewish New Yorkers. His platform includes\u00a0increasing funding to prevent hate crimes<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0appointing a senior adviser in City Hall to tackle antisemitism<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Moreover, he has specifically\u00a0condemned the killing of Israeli civilians, including on October 7<\/a>, and has consistently\u00a0advocated for nonviolent political resistance<\/a>. A couple of weeks ago, he\u00a0attended a vigil<\/a>\u00a0for Israeli and Palestinian victims and condemned Hamas\u2019s violations of international law. But Israel\u2019s defenders are still furious because Mamdani also centers the\u00a067,000 Palestinians Israel killed in Gaza<\/a>\u00a0in the last two years, and calls for Israel to end its illegal occupation of Palestinian land and uphold equal rights for all its citizens.<\/p>\n

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In interview after interview, Mamdani faces the same questions: \u201cWhat about Hamas?<\/a>\u201d (he condemned them). \u201cDoes Israel have a right to exist?<\/a>\u201d (yes, but not as an ethnonationalist state). \u201cWhy won\u2019t you travel to Israel as mayor?<\/a>\u201d (because that\u2019s not the mayor\u2019s job).<\/p>\n

This isn\u2019t a good-faith discussion, and Mamdani\u2019s refusal to play along reflects a wider rejection of electoral politics where the Israel lobby acts as a kingmaker. Mamdani is making headlines by challenging a system in which the city\u2019s mayor\u2014a domestic position\u2014must pledge allegiance to a foreign country before he is deemed an acceptable leader.<\/p>\n

This entire spectacle also comes with glaring double standards. While Mamdani is relentlessly interrogated, Andrew Cuomo is never pressed about his support for a government accused of systematic war crimes. Considering Cuomo\u2019s history of\u00a0supporting Benjamin Netanyahu<\/a>\u00a0at the ICC, why isn\u2019t he repeatedly asked in interviews about Israel\u2019s violations of international law, or his decision to join Netanyahu\u2019s legal team? It is a clear signal about who is presumed guilty and who is given a pass.<\/p>\n

As an Israeli, the only \u201cterrorist sympathizer\u201d I see in this race is the man who won\u2019t condemn the\u00a0killing of thousands of children<\/a>, and who thinks Israel can bomb civilians indiscriminately\u2014not the man demanding that Israel allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. And as a woman, the only candidate who threatens my safety is the former governor who\u00a0harassed multiple women<\/a>\u00a0and was forced to resign.<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve never seen Israelis so fixated on a New York City election. Family members are calling to ask for my take, my Twitter feed is filling up with Hebrew commentary on Mamdani (with even some of the leftists running scared), and Israeli journalists claim his election threatens their entire country. God forbid a man who thinks Israel should be an \u201call-its-citizens\u201d state become the mayor of a city 9,000 kilometers away.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, Mamdani will likely win because no amount of baseless attacks can compete with the popularity of policies that make the city more affordable\u2014and because people see his principled stand on Gaza and Israel as a good thing, not a reason to fear him. But Israelis watching from afar seem bewildered at the idea that their warnings haven\u2019t worked, and that so many New Yorkers remain unfazed by the manufactured hysteria over Mamdani\u2019s views. Failing to understand why New Yorkers would prioritize their own material basic needs over a country oceans away that repeatedly violates international law might explain why Hasbara is losing its grip over American voters.<\/p>\n

Link : https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/politics\/im-a-jewish-israeli-new-yorker-and-im-voting-for-zohran\/#<\/p>\n