Day: June 17, 2025

Zohran Mamdani Sparks Outrage After Refusing to Condemn ‘Globalize the Intifada’ Slogan Amid Rising Antisemitism Concerns

By: Fern Sidman

In a moment that has sent shockwaves through New York’s political and Jewish communities, City Council candidate and current State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani refused to condemn the controversial phrase “globalize the intifada” during a podcast interview released Tuesday by The Bulwark. His remarks have ignited a fierce backlash just one week ahead of the pivotal New York City mayoral primary, where Mamdani is polling in a strong second place behind former Governor Andrew Cuomo.

As reported on Tuesday by The Jewish Insider (jewishinsider.com), Mamdani’s comments came during a discussion with podcast host Tim Miller, who questioned the candidate about antisemitic rhetoric proliferating at anti-Israel demonstrations. The phrase “globalize the intifada,” which has been prominently displayed at such protests, is widely condemned by Jewish organizations for what they view as an incitement to violence against Jews and the Jewish state.

Rather than distance himself from the slogan, Mamdani offered a qualified interpretation. “To me, ultimately, what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights,” he said. “And I think what’s difficult also is that the very word has been used by the Holocaust Museum when translating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising into Arabic, because it’s a word that means struggle.”

The Jewish Insider report noted that Mamdani appeared to be referring to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, although there is no public record of the institution ever using the phrase “intifada” to describe the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising — a comparison that many Holocaust historians and Jewish leaders find deeply offensive and historically inaccurate.

The assemblyman, who represents parts of Queens and identifies as a Democratic Socialist, went on to describe his lived experience as a Muslim in post-9/11 America. “I’m all too familiar in the way in which Arabic words can be twisted, can be distorted, can be used to justify any kind of meaning,” Mamdani said. He acknowledged antisemitism as a “real issue” but remained deliberately vague on where he draws the line on incendiary rhetoric. “The question of the permissibility of language is something that I haven’t ventured into.”

For many in the Jewish community, that lack of clarity is not merely troubling—it is disqualifying. The Jewish Insider reported that several Jewish leaders and advocacy groups have decried Mamdani’s failure to unequivocally reject language that has been linked to acts of deadly violence against Jews. Earlier this month, the UJA-Federation of New York, along with a coalition of other Jewish organizations, issued a statement calling on all candidates to “unequivocally condemn dangerous rhetoric — such as ‘globalize the intifada’ — that has inspired deadly acts against Jews, most recently in Colorado, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania.”

Mamdani’s broader record on Israel has already drawn scrutiny during this election cycle. As The Jewish Insider has detailed in recent weeks, Mamdani has refused to affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, has pledged to support divestment from Israel, and has aligned himself with far-left activists who openly advocate for the dissolution of the Israeli state. His positions have alienated many moderate and Jewish voters, even as they have energized a younger, more radical segment of the city’s progressive electorate.

By contrast, Andrew Cuomo has made combating antisemitism a centerpiece of his campaign. In a statement responding directly to Mamdani’s comments, Cuomo condemned the slogan in no uncertain terms. “Calls to ‘globalize the intifada’ are not about justice—they are about giving license to come after Jews,” Cuomo said. “We have seen what that language leads to. It is not activism. It is hatred.”

As The Jewish Insider report observed, the contrast between the candidates on this issue could not be more stark. While Mamdani walks a rhetorical tightrope, Cuomo has courted Jewish voters by pledging increased security funding for synagogues, tighter regulations on antisemitic hate speech, and mandatory Holocaust education in public schools.

The stakes in this race are high. With antisemitic incidents in New York City reaching record highs, Jewish voters are looking for unequivocal allies, not evasive politicians. Mamdani’s refusal to condemn rhetoric associated with past violence may well prove a turning point in a race increasingly shaped by the politics of hate, memory, and survival.

As The Jewish Insider report underscored, the episode has raised urgent questions not only about Mamdani’s judgment, but about the direction of progressive politics in New York. At a time when Jewish institutions are pleading for moral clarity and leadership, Mamdani’s remarks have left many wondering: if he cannot speak unequivocally now, how will he lead if elected?

The post Zohran Mamdani Sparks Outrage After Refusing to Condemn ‘Globalize the Intifada’ Slogan Amid Rising Antisemitism Concerns appeared first on The Jewish Voice.