Mamdani says looking forward to being mayor of ‘Jewish NYers who may have concerns’; Cuomo mocks him as ‘savior of the Jewish people’

New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is asked about Jews who are alarmed by his harsh rhetoric against Israel and fear for their safety, in the final debate for the mayoral candidates ahead of the November 4 election.

Warnings about Mamdani poured in ahead of the debate, including a letter signed by more than 650 rabbis, some of whom are prominent leaders in the city.

“I look forward to being mayor for every single person that calls this city home, not just those who voted for me in the democratic primary, not just those that vote for me in the general election, but all 8.5 million New Yorkers, and that includes Jewish New Yorkers who may have concerns or opposition to the positions I shared about Israel and Palestine,” Mamdani says.

“I will be the mayor who doesn’t just protect Jewish New Yorkers but also celebrates and cherishes them, who doesn’t just increase funding to hate crime prevention programs by 800%, who doesn’t just ensure that the NYPD are outside of synagogue and temples on the High Holy Days, but also actually delivers on the implementation of the Hidden Voices curriculum in our school system, so that children in this city learn about the beauty and the breadth of the Jewish experience right here in the five boroughs,” he says.

Hidden Voices is a city educational project that teaches students about underrepresented groups.

Cuomo, a pro-Israel centrist, mocks Mamdani for his response.

“Not everything is a TikTok video. You’re the savior of the Jewish people? You won’t denounce ‘Globalize the intifada,’ which means ‘kill Jews.’ There’s unprecedented fear in New York,” Cuomo says.

Cuomo is asked about his policies toward anti-Israel protests in the city.

“That’s your right. Protest, demonstrate, disagree, God bless America, God bless New York City, and there’s no doubt that there’s two sides about what’s going on and the passions are very high. That doesn’t justify antisemitic behavior in New York, it doesn’t justify having a Jewish population that feels unprotected in New York, it doesn’t justify leaders who stoke the flames of hatred against Jewish people, which is what Zohran does,” he says.

“I’ve heard form Jewish New Yorkers about their fears about antisemitism in this city and what they deserve is a leader who takes it seriously, who roots it out of these five boroughs, not one who weaponizes it as a means to score political points on a debate stage,” Mamdani says in response.