NY Rabbi Warns: Mamdani's Victory Exposes Deep Fissures in Jewish Community

In a sobering address to the American Zionist Movement, Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Manhattan's prestigious Park Avenue Synagogue delivered a stark warning about the growing disconnect between Israel and American Jewish liberals, while calling for urgent soul-searching within the community.

Speaking at the biennial national assembly in Manhattan, Cosgrove, a prominent Conservative Jewish leader and steadfast Israel supporter, acknowledged the uncomfortable reality that 30 percent of New York Jews voted for anti-Zionist mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.

A Wake-Up Call for American Zionism

"You may not like the fact that 30 percent of New York Jews voted for Mamdani, but you shouldn't be surprised by it," Cosgrove declared. "For a liberal Zionist disillusioned by the Israeli government, Mamdani's anti-Zionism is a difference of degree, not of kind. He understood the fissures of our community better than we ourselves did."

The rabbi's frank assessment comes as Israel faces unprecedented challenges on multiple fronts, from Iranian threats to international pressure campaigns. His words underscore a growing concern among Israel's supporters about maintaining unity in the Jewish community during these critical times.

The Price of Internal Division

Cosgrove attributed the growing disaffection among liberal Jews to several factors, including what he described as the rightward drift of Israeli politics and intolerance within American Jewish circles toward differing political views. However, his analysis failed to acknowledge the existential security threats that have shaped Israeli policy decisions.

"I may be constitutionally incapable of walking away from Israel, but others have and will continue to do so," he warned, calling for what he termed "heshbon nefesh" or spiritual soul-searching within the community.

Herzog Sounds Alarm on Mamdani Threat

At the same assembly, Israeli President Isaac Herzog issued his own warning about Mamdani's dangerous rhetoric. Herzog specifically condemned Mamdani's recent attack on Park East Synagogue for hosting an immigration information event, calling it "utterly anti-constitutional."

"It worries me a lot. It should not have been in America," Herzog stated, highlighting how antisemitic discourse has become increasingly apparent in public forums.

The Mamdani Challenge

Mamdani, a far-left activist who openly identifies as anti-Zionist, represents a fundamental threat to Jewish security in America's largest Jewish community. His refusal to condemn the genocidal slogan "Globalize the intifada," his denial of Israel's right to exist, and his vows to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reveal the extremist ideology now governing New York City.

Recent polling shows that a majority of connected American Jews believe Mamdani will make the city less safe for Jewish residents and view him as antisemitic, despite his hollow pledges to protect Jewish communities.

A Test of Jewish Resilience

As Mamdani prepares to take office in January 2026, New York's over one million Jewish residents, the largest Jewish community in the diaspora, face an unprecedented challenge. This moment demands not internal division, but renewed commitment to the Zionist vision that has sustained the Jewish people through millennia of persecution.

The election of an anti-Zionist mayor in the world's largest Jewish city represents more than a political setback. It reflects a dangerous erosion of Jewish solidarity at a time when Israel faces existential threats from Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas.

Rather than accommodating those who would undermine the Jewish state, the community must rally around the fundamental truth that Israel remains the eternal homeland of the Jewish people, as promised in our sacred texts and realized through the courage of modern pioneers.

The path forward requires not compromise with anti-Zionist forces, but renewed dedication to Jewish unity, Israeli innovation, and the defense of our ancestral homeland against all who would destroy it.