New York City is experiencing a surge in antisemitism, with recent incidents and a new report from the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism & Policy (ISGAP) drawing connections between Mayor Zohran Mamdani's political rhetoric and a heightened risk for the city's Jewish community. The ISGAP report, published in 2025, alleges that Mamdani's worldview and associations are linked to Muslim Brotherhood ideology, a sentiment amplified by escalating violence in the city.
On Tisha B'Av, a day of mourning in the Jewish calendar, two men were stabbed on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Witnesses reported the assailant shouted "Allahu Akbar." The victims survived, and a suspect was taken into custody. The incident occurred just one day after Mayor Mamdani released a video accusing Israel of war crimes and genocide and stating that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested, a move considered outside the legal authority of a municipal leader.
Jewish organizations had previously voiced concerns about the increasingly hostile climate in the city, warnings that critics say have become tragically prophetic. The report contends that political rhetoric branding the Jewish state as genocidal or apartheid, and treating "resistance" as a virtue, creates a permissive environment for such violence.
ISGAP's research traces Mamdani's political origins to his time at Bowdoin College, where he co-founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine. The report states that following the Oct. 7 attacks, Mamdani downplayed the event while characterizing Israel's response as genocide. He repeatedly declined to condemn the slogan "globalize the intifada," which critics view as a call for anti-Jewish violence in the U.S.
Further connections are drawn to Mamdani's legislative actions and associations. He reportedly introduced legislation to penalize New York charitable institutions supporting Israel and, as his first act as mayor, removed the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism from the city's lexicon. The report also highlights a $100,000 donation from the Council on American-Islamic Relations, an organization identified as an unindicted co-conspirator in a terrorism-financing case, and Mamdani's association with figures such as Imam Siraj Wahhaj, who previously served as a character witness for an individual convicted in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.
According to ISGAP, Mamdani's words and actions form a pattern consistent with the Muslim Brotherhood's strategy of "civilization jihad," a long-term campaign to influence Western democracies from within. Front organizations associated with this ideology advise governments, shape policy, and cultivate media presence, often presenting a moderate facade. Groups like Students for American Muslims for Palestine and Hamas are cited as operating within this ecosystem.
The report argues that Mamdani's adoption of a political map where Israel is the aggressor and its enemies are aggrieved aligns with this ideology, translating it into a progressive idiom that resonates in Western societies. This, the report claims, is why the antisemitism inherent in Mamdani's politics cannot be dismissed as mere progressive ideology.
Moreover, the report draws parallels between Mamdani's rhetoric about wealth and power in New York City and historical antisemitic tropes, suggesting a shared origin with hostility toward the Jewish state. This perspective, the report asserts, attacks not only Jews or Israel but the foundational principles of American society, including commerce, contract, and pluralism.
As Mayor Mamdani prepares for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to the city for the U.N. General Assembly in September, he has called for demonstrations. This has drawn criticism from law enforcement, with the New York City Police Benevolent Association president expressing concern that such mayoral calls could embolden violent agitators and place officers in a difficult position.