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The ADL Could Focus on America’s Biggest Driver of Antisemitism. Instead, It’s Obsessed with Mamdani.

23 3
01.01.2026

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On January 1, Zohran Mamdani will be sworn in as the first Muslim mayor of New York City. Administering the oath in a public ceremony will be Bernie Sanders, among the most prominently Jewish senators in the country. For weeks, Mamdani has been meeting with constituents and leaders from every sector of New York Jewry to alleviate their concerns about his support for their safety and wellbeing. By nearly all accounts, these have been a great success. From the Reform Rabbi Amiel Hirsch—who had coauthored a widely circulated letter against Mamdani—to the Satmar Hasidim in Brooklyn, New York Jews expressed at least cautious optimism about their mayor elect, if not outright excitement.

During these same weeks, the most powerful Republican politicians and media personalities in the country have leaned deeply into open antisemitism. Two weeks ago, for example, the White House held its annual Hanukah party. In attendance was Rep. Paul Gosar, an open white nationalist who is deeply embedded in neo-Nazi, Holocaust denying spaces, including Nick Fuentes’. At the celebration, the President of the United States talked about the power of the “Jewish lobby” behind Israel and bragged about being funded by Jewish money.

A week later, Turning Point USA held their Americafest, where a parade of speakers defended the right of open Nazis to exist within the Republican Party. Tucker Carlson spewed a series of claims about a cabal fighting American national interests as he defended himself against Ben Shapiro’s criticism for platforming Nick Fuentes. Steve Bannon said to cheers that Shapiro—whose prominent Jewishness stood out at the affair—“is like a cancer, and that cancer spreads.” And JD Vance—the Vice President of the........

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