New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who recently won the Democratic primary, is facing intensifying scrutiny over comments made by his father, Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani, that appear to justify suicide bombings as a form of political violence.
Mamdani, 33, is poised to become the city’s first Muslim mayor and its youngest, having emerged as a leading progressive voice. But recent resurfaced writings and public statements by his father have sparked backlash among Jewish leaders and political opponents.
In his 2004 book "Good Muslim, Bad Muslim", Professor Mahmood Mamdani wrote: “We need to recognize the suicide bomber, first and foremost, as a category of soldier,” and argued that “suicide bombing needs to be understood as a feature of modern political violence rather than stigmatized as a mark of barbarism.”
Those quotes, widely circulated on social media, have drawn condemnation. Billionaire investor Bill Ackman reposted the passage online with the caption: “The apple @ZohranKMamdani doesn’t fall far from the tree,” warning that Mamdani’s policies “would be disastrous for all New Yorkers, especially the most vulnerable.”
Mamdani’s mother, Indian filmmaker Mira Nair—known for "Monsoon Wedding" and "Salaam Bombay!"—also made headlines in 2013 when she declined to attend the Haifa International Film Festival, calling Israel an "apartheid state." “I will go to Israel when the state stops privileging one religion over another,” she said at the time.
Mamdani;s father, a Uganda-born scholar of Indian Muslim descent, has accused Israel of being worse than apartheid South Africa and has written that Zionism “was inspired by America’s treatment of Native Americans,” which he called “murderous.” Following Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, he posted online: “We are witnessing … the birth of the third intifada against settler colonialism.”
In the days that followed, he was filmed physically blocking Jewish students attempting to enter a pro-Palestinian protest encampment at Columbia University.
Candidate responds amid rising tensions
Zohran Mamdani, a New York State Assembly member from Queens, has not publicly commented on his father’s statements. He has previously pledged to combat antisemitism and protect Jewish New Yorkers if elected.
Still, some critics accuse Mamdani of moral ambiguity, pointing to his refusal to denounce slogans such as “globalize the intifada” chanted by some of his supporters. Others defend him, saying the criticism amounts to guilt by association.
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Mamdani and his parents
(Photo: Michael M. Santiago / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / AFP)
Mamdani’s campaign, meanwhile, has leaned on support from Jewish progressives, including a newly formed group, “Jews for Zohran,” launched by several of his senior advisors.
“I don’t have to look far to get feedback from Jewish New Yorkers,” Mamdani said recently. “My campaign is largely run by New York Jews.”
The campaign has released a line of merchandise that includes a $36 baseball cap labeled “New York Jews for Zohran,” a $28 baby onesie, and a $45 tote bag featuring a bagel with lox and cream cheese.
A Jewish-led inner circle
Among Mamdani’s closest advisors is Andrew Epstein, his communications director, who helped shape the candidate’s digital presence. Epstein, who grew up in a Jewish household, has focused on softening Mamdani’s public image through podcast appearances, community outreach, and viral content.
Also on the team is Julian Gerson, 28, a former staffer for Rep. Jerry Nadler. Gerson, who organized a symbolic Friday march through Manhattan days before the primary, is credited with positioning Mamdani’s progressive message to appeal to broader liberal and Jewish constituencies.
Media consultant Morris Katz, son of Ray Donovan creator David Bar Katz, joined the campaign when Mamdani was polling at just 1 percent. He wrote campaign ad scripts and helped secure prime-time media coverage. Initially skeptical, Katz said he changed his mind after meeting Mamdani personally.
Mamdani’s personal aide, Spencer Goldberg, known internally as the campaign’s “shadow man,” accompanies the candidate at all times and is involved in real-time strategic decisions.
City Comptroller Brad Lander, who competed against Mamdani in the Democratic primary, endorsed him during the final week, calling their alliance a “values-based partnership.”
“This was a moment that went beyond politics,” Lander said. “A Muslim and a Jew walking together—it’s a sign that something different is possible.”
Progressive base, conservative backlash
The candidate also has backing from Jews for Racial and Economic Justice (JFREJ), a progressive organization that mobilized hundreds of volunteers on his behalf.
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Mamdani argues that criticizing Israeli policies does not equate to antisemitism or threaten Jewish safety in New York.
But some Jewish leaders disagree. “The ideology shared by both generations of the Mamdani family is dangerous and divisive,” said Brooke Goldstein, CEO of The Lawfare Project, which litigates antisemitism and opposes the BDS movement. “It contradicts American values and the spirit of coexistence in this city—regardless of whether a handful of Jews support it.”