The ADL doesn’t speak for New York Jews’ concerns, says Zohran Mamdani
The Democratic nominee for NYC mayor said he will engage with other Jewish leaders to address concerns and ensure their safety
New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Sept. 19. Photo by Jacob Kornbluh
By Jacob Kornbluh September 26, 2025
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Zohran Mamdani, in an interview this week, panned Anti-Defamation League chief Jonathan Greenblatt, who said the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor has failed to meet with or address the concerns of most Jewish New Yorkers.
“I think there are far better representations of the concerns of Jewish New Yorkers than the ADL and Jonathan Greenblatt,” Mamdani said in an interview with Zeteo’s Mehdi Unfiltered.
Greenblatt, last month, sharply criticized Jewish leaders who met with Mamdani, a persistent Israel critic who has faced scrutiny for refusing to outright condemn the “globalize the intifada” slogan. Greenblatt also wrongly claimed that the mayoral hopeful hasn’t visited a single synagogue or any mainstream Jewish institutions during the campaign.
The ADL released a list of questions for Mamdani to answer, and Greenblatt said he’d only meet with Mamdani “under clear circumstances,” including the discussion being a public meeting. “I won’t be used by Mamdani,” he said.
The advocacy organization has taken an increasingly hard line against anti-Zionism and criticism of Israel, especially since the Oct. 7, 2023 terrorist attacks. Greenblatt has also praised the Trump administration’s crackdown on pro-Palestinian protesters and universities accused of fomenting campus antisemitism.
An ADL spokesperson didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mamdani, favored to win November’s election according to recent polls, rejected Greenblatt’s criticism and said he would not seek a meeting with him. In the interview with journalist Mehdi Hasan, Mamdani recalled a recent Rosh Hashanah visit to the progressive Kolot Chayeinu synagogue in Brooklyn, where a woman handed him stickers she had made featuring bagels and lox with the message: “Reject the smear campaign — join the schmear campaign.”
Mamdani has met privately with rabbis and Jewish political leaders in an effort to reach out to Jewish New Yorkers concerned about his positions amid rising antisemitism. He said that, in those conversations, he assured them he would increase police protection outside houses of worship and Jewish institutions and invest in hate crime prevention programs.
Still, many remain skeptical about Mamdani, as his chief rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo — now running as an independent — seeks to narrow the field and broaden his appeal to defeat the democratic socialist who bested him in the primary.
Mamdani is trailing Cuomo among Jewish voters, according to recent polls. A survey by the New York Solidarity Group, a pro-Israel political organization, found that 58% of Jewish voters believe Mamdani’s leadership would make the city less safe for Jews. Another poll showed that 75% of Jewish voters hold an unfavorable view of Mamdani.
Will Mamdani arrest Israel’s Netanyahu?
In the interview, Mamdani appeared to back off from his pledge to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu, in compliance with an International Criminal Court warrant, if the Israeli Prime Minister comes to New York. Such an arrest would likely be unlawful, experts say. The Israeli leader visits the city every September to attend the United Nations General Assembly.
“To be clear, I’m going to operate within the bounds of the law,” Mamdani said. “I am not Donald Trump seeking to create my own legal system as I make my own decisions.” Nonetheless, Mamdani doubled down on his criticism of Netanyahu, an unpopular figure within the Democratic Party, and said the era when city leadership celebrates and embraces Netanyahu “has to come to an end.”
Mayor Eric Adams is scheduled to attend Netanyahu’s address at the UN on Friday morning.
