Mamdani nods to Jewish, Palestinian New Yorkers during swearing-in speech

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is sworn into office on the steps of City Hall.

US Sen. Bernie Sanders, whom Mamdani has said is his political hero, swears Mamdani into office, the mayor taking the oath with his hand on a Quran held by his wife.

In his speech, promising a “new era,” Mamdani vows to adhere to his radical policy proposals, set an example by governing from the left, and represent all New Yorkers, including Jews, Palestinians, and those who oppose him.

“I know there are some who view this administration with distrust or disdain,” he says. “I promise you this: if you are a New Yorker, I am your mayor.”

Listing the array of New Yorkers who he will represent, he mentions “Yiddish speakers,” those who attend “shuls,” and “Russian Jewish immigrants in Brighton Beach.”

“They will be Palestinian New Yorkers in Bay Ridge who will no longer have to contend with a politics that speaks of universalism but makes them the exception,” he says to applause.

“It will be loud, it will be different, it will feel like the New York we love,” he says.

“Where else could a Muslim kid like me grow up eating bagels and lox every Sunday?” he says, referring to a stereotypical Jewish American dish.

Mamdani says he will “transform the culture of City Hall to one of ‘no’ to one of how.'”

“I was elected as a democratic socialist and I will govern as a democratic socialist,” he says. “I will not abandon my principles for fear of being deemed radical.”

“There are many who will be watching. They want to know if the left can govern. They want to know if the struggles that afflict them can be solved,” he says. “So standing together with the wind of purpose at our backs, we will do something that New Yorkers do better than anyone else — we will set an example for the world,” he says.