Exclusive: Inside Mamdani’s meeting with New York rabbis, as Jews remain divided over him
Mamdani was warmly received by tens of thousands of Satmar Hasidim in Brooklyn on Wednesday night
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on Dec. 11. Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh December 11, 2025
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met on Thursday with 10 diverse rabbis and community leaders, continuing months of outreach to clergy and prominent Jews, as many remain divided about him.
Rabbi Joe Potasnik, executive vice president of the New York Board of Rabbis, said in an interview that the 45-minute discussion was “candid” and “constructive.”
“Our officers candidly conveyed their feelings on a host of issues impacting the Jewish community,” said Potasnik, who is among 19 Jewish leaders on Mamdani’s transition team. “I was very happy that everybody could speak openly. The Mayor-elect heard them. The staff took notes, and we look forward to seeing the result of the conversation.”
Ammiel Hirsch, senior rabbi of Stephen Wise Free Synagogue and one of Mamdani’s loudest critics from the pulpit, was relatively complimentary of the mayor-elect in an interview. He said the meeting was “productive” and that Mamdani is “a good listener.”
“My impression was that the mayor-elect is focused now on governing, and I think that influences his demeanor, but also his decision-making,” Hirsch said.
Jason Herman, senior rabbi of the Hudson Yards Synagogue, wrote on Facebook that Mamdani stayed past his allotted time to extend the meeting, making himself late for another engagement — “not a small thing 3 weeks before inauguration,” he wrote.
Another vocal Mamdani critic, Park Avenue Synagogue’s senior rabbi, Elliott Cosgrove, confirmed that he was in attendance.
A spokesperson for the Mamdani transition team said before the meeting that the Mayor-elect planned to present his vision on public safety and affordability and engage in a discussion about common interests and potential areas of collaboration. “It was a very constructive exchange,” Potasnik said. He added that Mamdani and the rabbis agreed to “open the lines of communication and meet more times.”
Since his surprise primary victory in June, Mamdani has engaged in continuous Jewish outreach.
The city’s Jewish voters split in the competitive mayoral election last month — with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo receiving the support of most voters who identify as Jewish and dominating in Hasidic and Orthodox strongholds, while Mamdani got 31% of the vote and swept progressive Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Manhattan on his way to a citywide win. Some mainstream organizations have adopted a wait-and-see approach.
On Wednesday night, Mamdani was warmly received by tens of thousands of Satmar Hasidim in Brooklyn, attending the annual day of celebration by the sect, marking the day the late Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, was saved from the Holocaust. Mamdani was endorsed by the leader of the Satmar Ahronim faction, while the other faction remained neutral. The Satmar community is known for its staunchly anti-Zionist religious ideology.
Rabbi David Neiderman, leader of the Satmar sect known as the Zalonim, told the crowd in his introduction of the mayor-elect that its leadership “were left deeply impressed” after engaging in “meaningful conversations” with Mamdani, under the Rebbe’s guidance. “The mayor-elect has shown a genuine commitment to safeguarding our community — our safety, our religious rights, our yeshivas, and our way of life,” Niederman said, according to a recording shared with the Forward.
Mamdani, accompanied by his senior advisor Andrew Epstein, was acknowledged by Satmar leaders and shook hands with the Rebbe, Rabbi Aaron Teitelbaum shlita.
— Jacob N. Kornbluh (@jacobkornbluh) December 11, 2025
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Phylisa Wisdom, head of the progressive New York Jewish Agenda, said she is encouraged by Mamdani’s ongoing meetings with the full diversity of the Jewish community after his election. Wisdom said it’s important that the Mayor-elect is doing this even before he is inaugurated.
“I think it’s better for everyone if he comes into City Hall with respectful and warm relationships with lots of different leaders, including some of his critics,” Wisdom said.
JTA contributed to this report.
