With Yiddish insult, synagogue speech, NYC mayoral candidates spar over antisemitism
Former governor Andrew Cuomo lashes opponents in address on antisemitism, drawing fierce pushback from Jewish city comptroller Brad Lander
Luke Tress is The Times of Israel's New York correspondent.
NEW YORK — Andrew Cuomo, the leading candidate for New York City mayor, took to the stage at the West Side Institutional Synagogue on Tuesday night to make a campaign pitch to Jewish voters.
Wearing a yellow pin in support of Israeli hostages in Gaza, Cuomo, the former New York governor, said combating antisemitism was “the most immediate and essential” priority for the city. He highlighted his past support for Israel, vowed to crack down on antisemitic crime, and lamented the “pain and anguish” caused by the October 7 attack on Israel.
“No one should feel they should take off their yarmulke to walk down the street. No one should think they should put the Star of David inside their shirt,” Cuomo said, according to a transcript of his speech Cuomo’s office shared with The Times of Israel. “This city must ensure that you feel safe on every street every day, every hour.”
Cuomo also trained fire on some of his opponents in the race, setting off a vitriolic back-and-forth that put Jewish issues at the forefront of a tumultuous race.
Cuomo said city council speaker Adrienne Adams was “the first city council speaker to fail to visit Israel.” He accused city comptroller Brad Lander, who is Jewish, of divesting from Israel bonds. He attacked the far-left Zohran Mamdani for targeting “any organization that aided Israel.”
“These are New York City officials who are aiding and supporting the most aggressive anti-Israel policies,” Cuomo said, putting himself on the battlefield on the side of the Jewish community.
“The enemy is organizing, fundraising and mobilizing, so we have work to do,” he said.
Furious backlash came swiftly.
In a Wednesday morning speech, Lander, the highest-ranking Jewish official in the city government, lashed Cuomo with the Yiddish insult, “A beyzer gzar zol er af dir kumen,” which literally translates to, “May an evil decree come upon him.”
“For the non-Yiddish speakers, that roughly translates as, ‘Get the fuck out of here,'” Lander said. “Andrew Cuomo doesn’t get to tell me how to be Jewish.”
Lander, the city’s chief financial officer, defines himself as a progressive Zionist and has been a longtime activist in leftist, Jewish spaces. Some of Lander’s opponents have condemned his ties to left-wing critics of Israel, saying those progressives fostered a hostile environment for Jews. Cuomo is Catholic.
“Not only does Andrew Cuomo have a long history of weaponizing antisemitism to advance his own personal ambition, he also has a very disturbing record that he has to answer for,” Lander said, citing lawsuits against Cuomo from Jewish congregations for restrictions he enacted as governor during the COVID pandemic. Cuomo’s crackdown on religious gatherings during the pandemic remains a bone of contention for Haredi communities.
Lander also criticized Cuomo for setting up a pro-Israel organization that did little after its launch, and for reportedly disparaging Sukkot festivities as “these people and their fucking tree houses,” a comment he has denied.
“We have a Sukkah in my backyard every year, Andrew, and I plan to have one at Gracie Mansion. I’m sorry if that bothers you,” Lander said, referring to the mayor’s official residence.
Mamdani told Pix 11 he would welcome the chance to speak at the same synagogue, and also accused Cuomo of weaponizing antisemitism.
“Andrew Cuomo’s framing of it reveals something clear about himself, which is that he cares about only one thing, and that is himself, and he’s willing to weaponize every issue,” Mamdani said.
Mamdani is a New York State assembly member and harsh critic of Israel who has drawn the ire of mainstream Jewish organizations. He is affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America; the group’s New York branch backed a rally on October 8, 2023, celebrating the Hamas invasion of Israel. Mamdani’s own statement that day focused on criticism of Israel and blamed Israel for the violence. Mamdani has said that, if elected mayor, he would arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he travels to New York City.
Cuomo scorned the DSA in his Tuesday speech, highlighting the October 8 rally and lashing Mamdani as a “DSA devotee.”
“New Yorkers must understand the very real threat they pose,” Cuomo said. “The DSA advocates that Israel is a racist apartheid state that is engaged in ethnic cleansing. On October 7th, they proclaimed, ‘Long live the resistance.”
He did not identify the other candidates, who are not part of the DSA, as affiliated with the party, but his criticism of them was sandwiched between condemnations of the group. He also lumped Adams’ non-visit to Israel and Lander’s Israel bonds policies in with anti-Israel politics. Adams, however, supported the Israel trip but declined to participate due to city budget activities, and Lander has said he does not invest city funds in any foreign sovereign debt and is explicitly against the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement. The city has more than $400 million invested in Israeli companies.
Mamdani’s “Not on our Dime” bill, referenced by Cuomo, would not target any nonprofit that aided Israel, but any that have ties to settlements. The bill was still fiercely opposed by Jewish groups because it would harm groups that are not pro-settlement, such as social services organizations helping marginalized populations, including in the West Bank.
The public exchange of fire between the candidates brought Jewish issues to the fore ahead of the June democratic primary, which will likely decide the election in the mostly blue city. Jews are around 12% of the population in New York City and the majority are Democrats, although political leanings on Israel, antisemitism and other domestic issues vary widely between different Jewish communities. No candidate is a clear favorite for Jewish voters.
Jewish issues are expected to play a large role in the mayoral election given how news about Israel and Gaza has dominated the headlines and activist spaces over the past year-plus, and due to the host of issues at play for Jews, such as masking legislation, street protests and yeshivas. Jewish New Yorkers are also disproportionately targeted in hate crimes in the city, giving rise to fears for safety.
Candidates, including Lander and Mamdani, have released detailed public security plans that include measures to combat antisemitism. Jewish activists have launched new campaigns to rally voters for city elections in the past year.
“We knew that antisemitism and Jewish issues broadly would play a significant role in this race, but the way it’s been used as a wedge issue is beyond what we imagined,” said Phylisa Wisdom, the head of the New York Jewish Agenda liberal advocacy group, adding that there are real fears about antisemitism and both differing views and overlap on antisemitism and Israel.
“But Jewish voters, like all New York voters, are also thinking about safety more broadly: subways we can ride without fear, schools where students can learn, clean air, etc.,” Wisdom said. “And I’m hearing a lot of concern about our very real pain being weaponized by those who seek to divide us to score political points.”
The candidates, some of the leading contenders in a crowded field, have been angling for Jewish voters in recent weeks in other forums. The leftist group Jews for Economic and Racial Justice endorsed Lander and Mamdani last month. Cuomo, who resigned as governor amid sexual harassment allegations in 2021, has repeatedly spoken out on Jewish issues. New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who shares a centrist base with Cuomo and has long ties to Jewish communities, participated in a Passover food distribution event over the weekend.
Scott Stringer, the Jewish former city comptroller who is also running, at a City Hall presser last month highlighted his Jewish background and accused Cuomo of “using Jewish fears to score cheap political points.”
The Times of Israel Community.