YU Students Concerned Over Mamdani's Win in NYC Mayoral Primary
YU students expressed mixed reactions, including safety concerns, following State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the June 25 Democratic primary for New York City mayor.
Mamdani, a 33-year-old state assemblyman originally from Uganda, defeated former Governor Andrew Cuomo. He won 432,305 votes to Cuomo’s 361,840 in initial voting and carried Washington Heights — home to YU’s Wilf Campus — by 17 percentage points. Cuomo will now run as an independent in the general election.
Mamdani has, in the past, said he would have Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrested in New York and was in favor of legislation against charity organizations that help West Bank settlements. He has also aligned himself with a movement that seeks to harm Israel's economy through boycotting and divesting from it and through placing sanctions — BDS.
“#BDS is a righteous movement for liberation,” Mamdani said on X in 2020.
On Oct. 8, 2023, Mamdani wrote on X that he “mourn[s] the hundreds of people killed across Israel and Palestine in the last 36 hours … The path toward a just and lasting peace can only begin by ending the occupation and dismantling apartheid.” In a June 17 podcast, he also justified the phrase “Globalize the Intifada,” which evokes the First and Second Intifadas, two series of bloody terrorist attacks in Israel.
Mamdani’s campaign did not respond to repeated requests for comment.
YU students from both campuses see his victory as a potential threat.
“I’m not sure how much of an impact this will have on the broader YU community, but it could pose a serious threat to Jewish students and the surrounding community, given Mamdani’s strong support for pro-Palestinian causes,” Jonathan Werta (YC ‘26) told The Commentator. “In the past, law enforcement has managed to keep pro-Palestinian protests near YU under control. However, if Mamdani takes office, we may see these rallies become more frequent and less regulated.”
“As mayor, he would have the authority or at least the influence to scale back police presence or response, which could make it harder to maintain safety and order during such events,” Werta added.
Chloe Baker (SCW ‘26), co‑president of YU’s J.P. Dunner Political Society, echoed those concerns. “The potential of Mamdani being elected as mayor of NYC could have many implications on the broader Jewish community of NYC and, as a result, the YU community,” she told The Commentator. “One specific thing that is worrisome to me is the fact that Mamdani has spoken multiple times about wanting to defund the police.”
“It worries me that our streets will not be as safe as they should be, and that as a result of it, we, as visibly Jewish students, will be affected by it,” Baker said. “Additionally, having a mayor like Mamdani would affect the morale of the city, and change the environment tremendously… His anti-Zionist and Israel-hating rhetoric will create a more hostile environment in the city, and is just another way to promote Jew hatred and make Jewish people — and us as YU students — feel attacked, threatened and alienated."
Not everyone is worried. Dov Pfeiffer (YC ‘26) told The Commentator that he “highly doubt[s] it [Mamdani's nomination] will” impact YU. When asked if he thinks YU's security will be compromised, he said, “I see no reason whatsoever to assume that.”
In a July 3 WhatsApp message, Ronnie Hidary (YC ‘27) urged students to encourage others to vote in the general election.
“It’s each of our responsibility to register our people to vote right now to set us up for November to give ourselves a shot at beating Zohran,” read the message forwarded to the group of students graduating in 2027. “[There is] no excuse for any of our people not to vote come November.”
The general election will take place on Nov. 4. Mamdani will face incumbent Eric Adams (independent), Andrew Cuomo (independent) and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Early in-person voting runs Oct. 25 - Nov. 2.
Photo Caption: Zohran Mamdani
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons
