Brad Lander, Jewish Mamdani ally, downplays being berated as a ‘Zionist’ at protest

Brad Lander, a Democratic candidate for Congress in New York City and prominent Jewish ally of far-left Mayor Zohran Mamdani, downplays an incident over the weekend in which he was berated as a “Zionist” at a protest opposing a right-wing Hindu group.

Lander is a longtime leader in the city’s progressive politics and is expected to win the congressional election in his deep blue district. Lander is vocally critical of Israel, accusing it of genocide, but also acknowledges Israel’s right to exist and identifies as a liberal Zionist.

Tensions around that identity spilled out when Lander attended a protest against a right-wing Hindu group, RSS, which was holding a rally at Madison Square Garden.

Several other protesters at the anti-RSS rally berated Lander, with one shouting, “Fuck you ballsack Zionist.”

“Here’s another paid Zionist,” the man screamed. “You little Zionist bitch.”

Another group of protesters wearing keffiyehs shouted at Lander to leave, chanting, “We don’t want no Zionists here” and beating drums while Lander tried to speak.

“No Zionists. Self-described Zionist. Brad Lander supports a two-state solution, one protester said.

“Liberal Zionists are Zionists. You support genocide. This guy’s a liberal Zionist. There’s no such thing as a good Zionist. Only good Zionist is a dead Zionist,” one man shouted.

Other protesters took Lander’s side and thanked him for coming to the rally, sparking a shouting match between the two sides.

Clips of the altercation have spread on social media, leading Lander to release a video statement decrying the protesters as “a few loudmouths” and doubling down on his decision to attend the rally.

I want to address what happened over the weekend outside Madison Square Garden.

A few loud numbskulls must not deter us from building multi-faith, multi-racial coalitions for justice. pic.twitter.com/i7uLuZQT5n

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) August 31, 2026

“I won’t stop joining rallies against hate in India, in Israel and Palestine, or in New York City, because of a couple of loud numbskulls,” he says.

“I was proud to attend. As a Jewish New Yorker, I protest when I believe people are perverting Judaism to justify ethnic cleansing and exclusion, and I feel solidarity for Muslims who are doing the same,” he says, also accusing Israel of “genocide” and “apartheid.”

He acknowledges taking fire from the left for his “Zionism,” and from the right and center for his anti-Israel rhetoric.

“Those conversations aren’t always easy but I try to take them seriously, to listen in good faith and to build coalitions,” Lander says.