Opinion: Does the Democrat Nominee for NYC’s Mayor Promote Antisemitism?

I overheard a conversation. I didn’t mean to, but it was a little loud and heated. And it was about antisemitism. And it was about the Democrat Party nominee for the mayor of New York City. One person claimed he is an antisemite, the other said they never heard him say or stand for anything that is antisemitic and being pro-Palestine is not antisemitic.

I longed to jump into that conversation, but it was private, and I was with another group. So, I am jumping into that conversation now.

Is Zohar Mamdani an antisemite? Does he promote antisemitism? Is he “just” pro-Palestine? Luckily, he will be New York City’s problem, not Boulder’s. However, let us look at the record:

There are three ways being pro-Palestinian is antisemitic in nature and intent and those are: support for the Boycott, Divest, and Sanction (BDS) campaign; supporting the ideas behind the slogans “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free;” and “Globalize the Intifada.”

Why is BDS antisemitic? These are the demands of the founders of BDS, primarily Omar Barghouti: That Israel must: end its occupation and colonization of all Arab lands and dismantling the Wall; Recognize the fundamental rights of the Arab-Palestinian citizens of Israel to full equality and; Respect, protect and promote the rights of Palestinian refugees to return to their homes and properties as stipulated in UN Resolution 194.

Two of these demands call for the destruction of Israel as a state, a state that was created as a refuge for all Jews if and when needed. That is the reason for the law of return, allowing any Jew to come to Israel and be a full citizen, with caveats.  The Palestinian Arab belief is that all of the Palestinian region, including all of Israel, is Arab land. The second issue that leads to the end of Israel as the state of the Jews and ends the law of return is that the demand that the state allow the 5 to 7 million descendants of the Arabs who left Israel between 1947 and 1949, for whatever reason, be allowed to settle in Israel as full citizens of the state.

The practical end point of when those two demands are met will, at first, be a state of Palestine consisting of Judea, Samaria, Gaza, and half of Jerusalem. The Golan Heights will be returned to Syrian control. Israel will have an Arab Muslim majority, and Israel will then be democratically joined to the new Palestine and the entirety of what was once British Mandate Palestine will be just named Palestine. The law of return for Jews will be democratically eliminated. That UN resolution 194 does not grant any of that is beside the point. The UN and the Palestinian people believe it does.

The New York Post reported that Mamdani stated on May 25, 2025 that, “My support for BDS is consistent with my core of my politics,” and “I think that it is a legitimate movement.” The NYP also reported that Mamdani “led the chants in favor of the “boycott, divestment and sanctions” movement during a May 11, 2021 pro-Palestinian rally.”

So far, it does not look good for mayoral candidate Zohar Mamdani. But six hundred words are enough for now. Stay tuned to part two when the heat gets turned up.