I'm a Zionist Jew from New York; I Had to Vote Mamdani
For weeks I struggled with one of the hardest choices I've faced: deciding who should lead New York City through such difficult times. As both a lifelong Zionist and a New Yorker, the decision carried deep personal weight.
The moment of clarity came after a long conversation with a respected family friend, an Israeli who has lived in New York for twenty-five years. His blunt assessment of Andrew Cuomo, a man I already distrusted for being arrogant, too old, and notorious for his behavior with women, struck me:
“I'd vote for Bibi, who you know I despise, before I'd vote for Cuomo.”
This same friend also noted how many Israelis, who warned me that Mamdani was antisemitic and would ruin Jewish life in America, lacked the cultural or political context to grasp the nuances of our mayoral race. Ironically, this mirrored how Americans often fail to understand Israeli perspectives on conflict and security, particularly when they back the Palestinian cause without firsthand experience of the region.
Many Americans, supportive of Palestinian slogans like “From the river to the sea,” had never visited Israel. They did not grasp how narrow the country’s borders are, or how its citizens live under the constant threat of attacks. Nor do they fully comprehend how Hamas has for decades hidden fighters and weapons in schools, hospitals, and mosques, disregarding the safety of its own civilians—while the Netanyahu government underestimated the potential for a devastating assault like that of October 7.
Author’s Summary
A Zionist New Yorker recounts his moral struggle over a mayoral vote, torn between loyalty to his heritage and confronting political realities at home and abroad.