Zohran Mamdani speaks at a mayoral forum on Jan. 29, 2025. | Cris Seda Chabrier/POLITICO
Published originally by POLITICO (May 16, 2025)
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani declined to sign onto a state Assembly resolution this week recognizing Israel on the 77th anniversary of its founding — four months after the lawmaker passed on signing a separate resolution condemning the Holocaust.
Those choices are almost certain to make waves in this year’s mayoral race, where Mamdani is running second to Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary.
Mamdani’s critics laced into him for his decision against signing the ceremonial gestures in the Assembly, saying they’re evidence of a trend.
“He condemned Israel the day after October 7th, regularly gives interviews on unapologetic antisemitic platforms, and just proudly accepted an endorsement from a disgraced former fire-alarm pulling Congressman who denied October 7th rapes before walking that back,” said Assemblymember Sam Berger, referencing Mamdani’s recent endorsement from Jamaal Bowman.
“His plan to ‘combat’ antisemitism is tossing more money at the Jews. At what point do we acknowledge that if it walks like a duck, talks like a duck, and quacks like a duck — it’s a duck?”
The annual resolutions honoring Israel and condemning the Holocaust have historically been among the most uncontentious events in Albany. Mamdani was one of only five members in the 150-person Assembly who did not sign onto at least one of the two resolutions this year.
“He absolutely supports the Holocaust Memorial Day resolution,” said campaign spokesperson Andrew Epstein, who noted that Mamdani has regularly commented on the remembrance day and condemned the genocide of Jewish people on social media.
“He had to narrow down the capacity” as he’s running for mayor and working as a legislator, Epstein explained. “He’s a very careful legislator,” he added, “so he has not put his name on any resolutions” this session.
Epstein did not know why Mamdani declined to sign onto a similar resolution on the Holocaust in 2024, well before he started to run for mayor.
Mamdani’s name has been added to dozens of resolutions in recent years, on subjects such as Neurodiversity Pride Day, Juneteenth, Police Memorial Day, Lunar New Year, Black History Month, Women’s History Month, Disabilities Awareness Day, Transit Equity Day and Korean American Day. But Epstein said each of the eight he’s signed onto in 2025 were ones that he was automatically added to.
According to Epstein, Mamdani does not support the Israel measure due to language that says the country “continues to strive for peace with security and dignity for itself, its neighbors and throughout the world in order to fulfill the prophecy of becoming a light unto the nations.”
“I think that is belied by the conduct of the right-wing government over the past 18 months,” Epstein said.
Other Democrats in the state Legislature disagreed.
“At a time when Democrats should be coming together to fight the very real threat from the Trump Administration and Republicans in Washington, some candidates seem more inclined to try and divide our party,” said Assemblymember Nily Rozic, the sponsor of both resolutions and the first Israeli-born member of the Assembly.
“Supporting Israel’s right to exist is a fundamental American value — one that goes back more than 77 years and that an overwhelming majority of Jewish New Yorkers support. This is not something Democrats should be relitigating now when our resources and energies are greatly needed elsewhere.”
New York City is home to nearly 1 million Jews, making it the second most populous Jewish community after Tel Aviv. Cuomo has framed antisemitism as “the most important issue” in the campaign for City Hall. And Mayor Eric Adams, who opted out of the Democratic primary in favor of running as an independent in the general election, has also focused on antisemitism as he vies for a second term. On Thursday, Adams announced a plan to ban masks as part of an attempt to curb college protests over the Israel-Hamas war. Both Adams and Cuomo have been critical of Mamdani for his stances on Jewish issues.
Mamdani was not actually spotted in Albany’s legislative chamber at all Wednesday, when the Israel resolution was formally approved by the full chamber.
Instead, he spent at least part of the day in Co-op City, where his mayoral campaign picked up the endorsement of Bowman, who lost his congressional seat last year in large part due to his harsh criticisms of Israel following the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas — and the pro-Israel funding those remarks motivated.