New York was once the beating heart of Jewish life in the Diaspora. Today, the city that created the Salute to Israel Parade in the 1960s is becoming one of the main political fronts in the campaign against Israel.
The Democratic primaries in New York marked a powerful show of force by the progressive left, led by figures tied to the Democratic Socialists of America and a hard anti-Israel line.
For generations, New York’s Jewish community produced national leaders who placed the US-Israel alliance at the center of their public mission. Senator Chuck Schumer became the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in American history, but even he has been forced in recent years to navigate growing pressure from inside his own party.
That pressure has now become an open political movement. The rise of Zohran Mamdani, a DSA figure elected mayor of New York, reflects a deeper transformation. Mamdani has refused to take part in the Israel parade, called for Netanyahu’s arrest, vetoed city legislation meant to prevent threatening demonstrations outside Jewish schools, and last week attacked AIPAC as a “monster.”
