On the popular television program ‘The Late Night with Stephen Colbert’, the host dedicated a segment to articulate the perspectives of New York City’s up-and-coming progressive mayoral candidates, Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander, about Israel and antisemitism on the brink of the closely-analyzed Democratic primary. Even though the segment was only about 21 minutes in total, nearly a third of the time was spent on these topics, with the young Democratic Socialist, Mamdani, receiving the majority of the screen time. As the second favorite in the polls behind former Governor Andrew Cuomo, a lot of the controversy surrounding the 33-year-old hinges on his support of the Palestinian cause that traces its roots back to the initiation of a campus group during his college years. Lander, who is Jewish and currently holds the position of the city’s comptroller, has been ranked third in polling estimates.
These political allies publicly endorsed each other earlier in the month with the goal of improving their odds in New York City’s ranked-choice voting system. When Colbert initiated the conversation, he asked each of them if they endorsed Israel’s right to exist. Lander, consistently with his previous stances, envisioned Israel as a ‘Jewish and democratic state.’ Mamdani concurred with regards to the nation’s right to exist, but emphasized its moral obligation to adhere to the rule of international laws with no explicit reference to the aspect of it being a Jewish state—an idea which he has previously expressed displeasure in supporting.
Throughout the discussion, Mamdani labelled the acts of aggression against Israel by Hamas on October 7, 2023, as ‘war crimes,’ a term he has invoked in various mayoral debates. He had faced discord concerning his lack of usage of this term earlier, and his first official declaration subsequent to the October 7 attacks majorly apportioned the blame for the aggression and consequential violence on the Israeli government.
During the conversation, Mamdani narrated an anecdote to Colbert, ‘After witnessing the appalling war crimes committed on October 7, a friend relayed his experience of attending synagogue for Shabbat services. He was startled by the opening of the door in the middle of the service, and the unknown person who walked in made him uncomfortable.’ Mamdani further stated, ‘Few months earlier, a Jewish resident of Williamsburg shared his fears with me, stating that he no longer felt safe leaving his door unlocked as he had done for decades. This is indicative of the growing wave of antisemitism.’
The state legislator emphasized an integral part of his political agenda is a plan for the establishment of a Department of Community Safety, which would essentially work towards boosting anti-hate programs. ‘The crisis of antisemitism isn’t something we can simply talk about, rather it needs to be proactively addressed,’ stated Mamdani. ‘It’s crucial to convey the message that such a negative force has no place here in our city or anywhere else within our nation.’
Some negativity arose on social media platforms in response to the abrupt shift in topic from discussing the mayoral candidates’ visions for New York to questions on Israel. There was also mention of the unequal distribution of air-time between the candidates, with Lander reportedly having lesser time to share his views on issues like Islamophobia in New York and Israel.
‘The aspiration is to helm the city of New York, not Tel Aviv,’ this was the top-most comment on the segment’s YouTube clip. ‘This tangent on Israel is preposterous’, was the common consensus among the viewers. During the segment, Colbert inquired Mamdani’s stance on the ‘justification for violence of any kind.’ ‘Absolutely not,’ was Mamdani’s impassionate response. ‘Our world, our country, our city has no place for violence.’
He went on to reference Ed Koch, the former mayor of NYC who was also Jewish, by reciting a popular quotation of the latter, ‘If you agree with me on nine out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree all 12 times, then you should consult a psychiatrist.’
Mamdani further stated that his perspective on the ongoing unrest in Gaza was not unique but echoed by several well-regarded Jews and Israelis. One supportive voice to this cause was former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert who recently acknowledged in his Haaretz column that Israel was culpable of committing war crimes.
Responding to this statement, Lander weighed in with his perspective. ‘No mayor can take responsibility for the happenings in the Middle East,’ he articulated. ‘However, it’s quite extraordinary to witness a Jewish New Yorker and a Muslim New Yorker come together and say, ‘Here’s how we’re going to ensure the safety of all New Yorkers.’ Our goal is to prevent the division among Jewish and Muslim New Yorkers. We aim to construct a city that offers affordable housing, quality education, and secure neighborhoods to everyone.’
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