Mamdani has thus far earned over 50.4% of the vote and nearly has a double-digit lead over former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo who has garnered 41.6%. Even with Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa's 7.1% of the vote, it does not overcome Mamdani's share of the popular vote thus far.
The city with the world's second largest Jewish populace has voted for a man who seeks to "globalize the intifada" . That Mamdani now says he would discourage its use is meaningless as one cannot bottle the genie. After all, Mamdani could not see fit to condemn Hamas in the hours after the October 7th attacks. This is a man who claims he will look for Jews "after the mezuzah falls". Mezuzahs do not fall unless by force.
And yet there are Jews who saw fit to vote for Mamdani including Israeli Jews. For his part, President Trump described such Jews as "stupid". Of course, Trump also said Jews who voted for Kamala Harris "ought to have their head examined." I might take Trump more seriously if he and MAGA didn't pal around with Holocaust deniers.
Jews who voted for Mamdani aren't stupid. But they are foolish. For Jews to pretend that Mamdani doesn't harbor anti-Semitic views because they hope he will freeze the rent, lower food prices with government run grocery stores or perhaps spare them from harm because they want him to arrest Benjamin Netanyahu are not only engaging in wishful thinking but their naivete is breathtaking.
New Yorkers can expect far more frequent and larger anti-Semitic gatherings along the lines of what we see London where so-called protesters chant "Zionist scum off our streets" while the authorities look the other way. Such gatherings will invariably lead to violence against Jewish New Yorkers with the authorities either turning their backs or joining in the carnage.
Sometime between 2026 & 2030, I expect Mamdani's mayoralty to lead to October 7th style attacks against Jews. Such an attack or attack would make the October 7th attacks look small by comparison.
With this in mind, it will be interesting to see how Trump responds to a Mamdani mayoralty. Given how Trump sees fit to put troops in our streets, I have no doubt he'll set his sights on New York and make a bad situation worse. There is also the possibility that New Yorkers could elect Republican Congresswoman Elise Stefanik as Governor, and she could try to see fit to curb Mamdani's powers although I'm sure Democratic control in Albany would keep her in check.
Then there the further possibility that someone could try to take matters into their own hands and put a permanent stop to Mamdani. We cannot discount the possibility that someone might seek vengeance for the assassination of Charlie Kirk. While there might be other left-wing public figures who could be targeted, I suspect Mamdani is probably close to the top of the list.
Notwithstanding my contempt for Mamdani, this cannot and must not come to pass. The best possible scenario is for Mamdani to be so incompetent (and possibly corrupt) that he alienates his core base because he cannot deliver on his promises and they move onto someone else.
Of course, Trump's malignancy hasn't cost him support. Perhaps Mamdani will be similarly immune. And if he isn't then there is no guarantee, those who now embrace Mamdani will embrace someone whose anti-Semitism is even deeper rooted than his own.
On a personal note, for those who read this dispatch, I lived in New York for just over 2 years. While I am grateful not to live there now, the fact remains Dad is still there and intends to remain. My Dad can take care of himself about as well as an 84-year-old man can. Nevertheless, I still fear for his well-being.
In electing an openly anti-Semitic mayor, New York City is entering unchartered territory. However, the path to that uncharted territory has been in years in the making. When I attended the New York Anti-Semitism March and Rally in January 2020, I pointed out that if Jews weren't safe in New York, they weren't safe anywhere. Unfortunately, I think New York Jews (especially those who voted for him) are going to learn about Mamdani the hard way.
No comments:
Post a Comment