Anti-Israel Democratic candidate for New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani is continuing his outreach to Jewish voters ahead of the election, now less than a month away. After attending progressive synagogues on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, Mamdani visited the sukkah of the Satmar Hasidic community in Brooklyn, where he received a warm welcome, despite the main faction’s official endorsement of his rival, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Rabbi Moishe Indig, a leading figure in the anti-Zionist community, called Mamdani “a dear friend of the Jewish people” and offered congratulations: “Why waste time? You’re already the mayor of New York,” he said. Mamdani, who currently holds a double-digit lead in the polls, replied simply: “Indeed.”
Zohran Mamdani in Satmar sukkah
The event was also attended by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, and several NYPD officers. Footage from the gathering showed Mamdani wearing a kippah.
Mamdani’s visit was seen as a symbolic win, given Satmar’s longstanding relationship with Cuomo. During his years as governor, Cuomo maintained close ties with the Hasidic leadership, granting leniency in education and funding regulations.
Mamdani’s harsh criticism of Israel has alarmed many in New York’s mainstream Jewish community, but for traditionally anti-Zionist Hasidic groups, those positions are less problematic as long as he pledges not to interfere in religious or educational matters.
A new Quinnipiac University poll—the first since Mayor Eric Adams’ resignation—shows Mamdani maintaining a double-digit lead, with 46% support compared to Cuomo’s 33% and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa’s 15%. The results offer some encouragement to Cuomo, who has consolidated much of Adams’ former base but still trails far behind.
The survey also found that 41% of voters agree with Mamdani’s critical stance toward Israel in its conflict with Hamas, compared with 26% for Cuomo and 13% for Sliwa, both staunchly pro-Israel. However, Mamdani’s statement that he would “arrest Netanyahu if he visits the city under an international court warrant” drew pushback: 43% of voters opposed the remark, while 38% supported it. Among Jewish voters, Cuomo leads comfortably with about 60% support, but across the city, sympathy for Palestinians is much higher—43% compared to just 22% for Israel.
The tension surrounding the Oct. 7 Hamas attack continues to haunt the campaign. On the anniversary of the assault, Mamdani called the massacre “a war crime,” expressed sorrow for the victims and called for the hostages’ release—but quickly accused Israel’s government of waging “a genocide” and blamed the White House for enabling it. His remarks went viral with more than 20 million views and drew sharp condemnation, including from Israel’s Foreign Ministry, which said: “Mamdani acts as a mouthpiece for Hamas propaganda, normalizes antisemitism, and stands with Jews only when they are dead.”
That same evening, Mamdani attended an event organized by “Israelis for Peace,” a group that holds joint memorials for victims on both sides and calls for a ceasefire and the release of all hostages. Lighting a memorial candle alongside Comptroller Lander, Mamdani listened to Israeli and Palestinian speakers. Tamar Glazerman, who lost her aunt in the Oct. 7 attack, told the crowd: “War crimes don’t justify other war crimes.” Behind her, a banner read: “Stop the genocide. Save Gaza. Free all the hostages.”