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In his debate appearances, mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani avoided answering questions on Israel by focusing on affordability as his top policy priority, but in the aftermath of the election, the cause that inspired him toward a political career is making headlines. Last week, the New York Post publicized an agenda list written by the Democratic Socialists of America’s city chapter, whose “anti-war working group” discussed severing the city’s ties with Israel on a dozen policies.

There are many former New Yorkers who feel connected to the city and want to weigh in on the mayoral election, but as they cannot vote where they do not live, they called on their family members and friends in the boroughs, donated, and canvassed for their preferred candidates. Having lived most of my life in Queens and commuting to the borough daily for work, I could not sit out the most consequential election in the city’s history.

When Barack Obama took over the Democratic Party 17 years ago, he opened the door to a new generation of Democrats. His policies on government overreach, massive regulation, restructuring American public life, and circumventing the legislative process were reminiscent of the Lyndon Johnson administration. This new generation of Democrats quickly rejected Obama, however, because his chosen successors didn’t double down on his policies. Instead, they found an old communist loon to lead them — Bernie Sanders.

Democrats have largely surrendered to the antisemitic left that many on the right pushed back against, including the lunatic fringe in the GOP tent.

(Nov. 4, 2025 / JNS) Recent events have been an object lesson in the basic truth of the “horseshoe theory” of politics. The theory argues that the far left and the far right are almost always closer to each other in their ideas and even their tactics than either is to the political center and the people who are presumably on the same side of the great issues of the day. Rather than a linear continuum, the political alignment is, in effect, a horseshoe-shaped diagram.

By the time this column appears, you will probably know the result of the election for Mayor. But even before the results are in, and viewing the situation from thousands of miles away, there are already some observations I want to make.

With his election as mayor of New York increasingly likely, the Democratic candidate is willing to finesse every issue except his opposition to the existence of a Jewish state

(Oct. 17, 2025 / JNS) With less than a week until Election Day in New York City, it’s clear that the hopes for preventing the election of Zohran Mamdani to be the next mayor are dwindling. That means it’s time to stop pretending that it won’t happen. Instead, what is needed most now is a sober assessment of how Jewish residents of the five boroughs will be affected by having an openly antisemitic mayor of the greatest Jewish city outside of Israel.