Rabbi Joshua Davidson, senior rabbi of Temple Emanu-El, New York City’s flagship Reform synagogue, has publicly voiced concerns about mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, citing the potential impact of his statements on the safety and wellbeing of the city’s Jewish community.
In an essay published this week in the Times of Israel, Rabbi Davidson responded to a Saturday Night Live segment that depicted a fictional New Yorker, Rhonda LaCenzo, expressing anxiety about Mamdani becoming mayor. While the sketch leaned on Islamophobic tropes, Davidson highlighted that it did not address substantive concerns regarding Mamdani’s positions on Israel.
Davidson noted that his decades of experience in initiatives connecting American Jews and American Muslims have shown the communities share many commonalities, from cultural heritage to historical experiences as immigrant populations facing bigotry and exclusion.
“I believe it would be an extraordinary achievement for New York City, the most culturally diverse metropolis in the world, to elect a Muslim mayor,” Davidson wrote. “But Mr. Mamdani’s candidacy concerns me greatly. If he fails to appreciate the power of his bully pulpit as a candidate to ease or heighten the Jewish community’s fears, how can we expect him to embrace that power if elected?”
The rabbi cited recent increases in antisemitic violence and heightened security measures around Jewish institutions as evidence of the stakes for the community. He also pointed to Mamdani’s refusal, during a televised interview, to immediately confirm that Hamas should disarm following a ceasefire, only conceding the point later during a mayoral debate.
Davidson expressed particular concern over Mamdani’s statements regarding Israel. The candidate has said he does not believe Israel should be a Jewish state, arguing that no nation should prioritize the needs of one religious community over another. Davidson countered that such views do not reflect the historical necessity of a Jewish state as a refuge against global antisemitism.
“The physical and emotional wellbeing of the Jewish community is not just a legitimate priority. For me, entrusted with the leadership of a major metropolitan Jewish institution, it is my highest priority,” Davidson wrote. “I pray it will be among our next mayor’s as well.”
Rabbi Davidson’s essay has drawn attention in Jewish communal circles for its direct discussion of the intersection of municipal politics, Israel, and the security of New York’s Jewish population.
