NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani compares Intifada to Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, drawing fire
US Holocaust Memorial Museum says likening calls to ‘globalize the Intifada’ to Jewish rebellion during World War II is ‘outrageous’
Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
NEW YORK — The US Holocaust Memorial Museum on Wednesday condemned any comparison between World War II’s Warsaw Ghetto Uprising and the term “Globalize the Intifada,” a day after New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani cited museum materials while drawing such a correlation.
It was the latest controversy over Jewish issues for Mamdani, an anti-Israel activist who is polling in second place for New York City’s Democratic Party mayoral primary.
Early voting is underway in the primary, which could decide the next mayor in the mostly Democratic city that is home to the world’s largest Jewish population outside of Israel.
On Tuesday, Mamdani was asked about the phrase “Globalize the Intifada” during an interview on the podcast “The Bulwark.”
“Intifada” literally means “uprising” or “shaking off.” But it is mainly associated with the Second Intifada in the early 2000s, when Palestinian terrorists killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings. “Globalize the Intifada” is a common refrain for protest groups calling for Israel’s destruction and the ostracization of Zionists in the US.
Mamdani declined to condemn the phrase and, in its defense, evoked the Holocaust’s Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, a last stand against the Nazis by Jews in the ghetto who were set to be deported and killed. His comments were first reported by Jewish Insider.
“Ultimately, what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights,” Mamdani said. “The very word [Intifada] has been used by the Holocaust Museum when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic because it’s a word that means struggle.”
On Wednesday, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, based in Washington, DC, condemned the comparison, without naming Mamdani.
“Exploiting the museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize ‘Globalize the Intifada’ is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors,” the museum said in a statement. “Since 1987, Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history.” (The First Intifada against Israel began in 1987.)
The museum did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether its Arabic materials do indeed translate “uprising” as “intifada,” but in any case, the context for the terms would be radically different. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising saw Jews fighting against lethal Nazi oppression, and the Second Intifada was marked by the terrorist organization Hamas bombing Jewish Israelis.
The comparison also implicitly compares Israelis to Nazis, a form of Holocaust inversion that the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism defines as antisemitic. New York City Mayor Eric Adams ordered the city to use the IHRA definition of antisemitism earlier this month.
The museum rarely weighs in on politics.
Mamdani’s statement also drew fire from Jewish leaders, including the head of the Anti-Defamation League, Jonathan Greenblatt; Ted Deutch, the CEO of the American Jewish Committee; and Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, the head of New York City’s Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and a prominent figure in the Reform Movement.
Anti-Zionist rhetoric has become a major issue in recent months after a string of violent attacks against Jews by anti-Israel activists in Pennsylvania, Washington, DC, Colorado, and Massachusetts.
Jews are targeted in hate crimes in New York City more than all other groups combined. Mamdani has acknowledged the problem of antisemitism in the city, has conducted some outreach to Jewish groups, and released a plan for combating anti-Jewish discrimination.
Last year, the left-wing New York City Councilmember Shahana Hanif apologized to Jewish constituents for sharing a social media post that said “Globalize the intifada.” Hanif and Mamdani have both endorsed each other’s run for office.
Mamdani, 33 and of Indian-Ugandan origin, is a state assemblymember representing part of Queens who has said pro-Palestinian activism is central to his identity. He has repeatedly voiced harsh criticism of Israel, alarming Jewish groups, and has identified himself as an anti-Zionist.
During his mayoral campaign, he has also been accused of not signing onto New York State resolutions commemorating the Holocaust, which he has denied.
He is a member of the far-left Democratic Socialists of America party, which has made anti-Israel activism one of its party planks and backed a widely condemned anti-Israel celebratory rally in Times Square that took place a day after the October 7, 2023, massacres.
Mamdani is trailing former New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo in the primary, though he has been gaining ground. Cuomo has said combating antisemitism is a priority and has repeatedly voiced support for Israel and worked to win over Jewish voters during the campaign.
Early voting in the primary started on Saturday and election day is June 24. The mayoral election itself is set for November 4.
The Times of Israel Community.