Progressive politician Zohran Mamdani’s synagogue visits spark outrage among Jews, as his anti-Israel record overshadows attempts to court the community during the High Holy Days.
On Rosh Hashanah, Rabbi Sam Kates-Goldman of Kolot Chayeinu in Brooklyn publicly welcomed Zohran Mamdani, the New York mayoral frontrunner, alongside city comptroller Brad Lander. But the gesture has reignited tensions within the Jewish community, where many see Mamdani’s candidacy as deeply troubling given his hardline anti-Israel positions.
Mamdani, who has openly pledged to seek the arrest of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if elected, received warm applause at Kolot — a synagogue long associated with progressive politics and pro-Palestinian activism. Yet the scene quickly turned controversial. The New York Times reported that Mamdani would attend Yom Kippur services at a “mainstream” Manhattan congregation alongside Rep. Jerry Nadler, sparking outrage among congregants. B’nai Jeshurun (BJ), widely rumored as the host, swiftly issued a public rejection: “Yom Kippur is not a time for political campaigning.”
The backlash reflects a broader divide. While some progressive Jews, like Lander, embrace Mamdani, others bristle at his defense of extremist slogans like “globalize the intifada” and “from the river to the sea.” On social media, critics accused Kolot of whitewashing antisemitism. One Jewish user fumed: “History tells us a leopard doesn’t change his spots.”
Even Rabbi Kates-Goldman fueled debate by lamenting “tens of thousands of Palestinians killed” and warning against the “weaponization of antisemitism,” rhetoric that many saw as dangerously dismissing Jewish concerns while validating Mamdani’s positions.
Mamdani’s silence on social media about his synagogue appearances contrasted with his polished video message marking the Jewish New Year, in which he praised Jewish resilience but failed to address his own inflammatory record on Israel.
Meanwhile, other candidates — including Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Eric Adams, and Curtis Sliwa — joined services across the city, projecting solidarity without controversy. Mamdani’s synagogue tour, however, has highlighted a stark truth: Jewish New Yorkers remain deeply divided over whether he represents inclusion — or a dangerous normalization of anti-Israel hostility.
