July 15, 2026 — New York
This column appeared in AM NY.
“These monsters take many forms today, in AIPAC... They move millions in dark money to accomplish a single goal: to preserve their power.”
For generations, antisemites have portrayed Jews as shadowy figures wielding outsized financial and political power. While the language evolves, the trope remains the same. This recent declaration is especially alarming because it did not come from the political fringe, rather it came from New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The danger today is not merely silence in the face of classic antisemitism or double standards against Israel. It is elected officials reinforcing these narratives and creating an environment in which hostility toward Jews becomes easier to justify and more difficult to challenge.
The problem extends beyond words. Consider Darializa Avila Chevalier, who defeated Rep. Adriano Espaillat in the recent Democratic primary, and her decision to attend a rally on October 8, 2023—celebrating Hamas’ slaughter of 1,200 people in Israel on October 7, the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust.
Rather than distancing herself from her attendance, she defended it.
When elected leaders lend credibility to these ideas, they shift the boundaries of what society is willing to accept. During the campaign, Rep. Dan Goldman was told he was not welcome at a Brooklyn coffee shop because of his support for Israel, support which was a factor in his failed reelection. It was a litmus test that effectively excludes most American Jews, for whom support for Israel is central to their identity.
When Israel is singled out for relentless demonization, Jewish New Yorkers inevitably bear the consequences. The obsessive, double-standard focus on the world's only Jewish state often leads to the social isolation of Jews and leaves many feeling targeted.
We are seeing the consequences in real time. According to NYPD data, there were 178 anti-Jewish hate crimes reported between January and June this year. While hate crimes against nearly every other protected group declined, anti-Jewish incidents rose.
American Jewish Committee's State of Antisemitism in America 2025 Report found 62% of New York Jews believe Jews in America are less secure than they were a year ago—up dramatically from 35% in 2021. For many Jews, the question is no longer whether antisemitism is limited to the fringes. Instead, they are asking how deeply it will entrench in our political establishment, and whether anyone is willing to confront it.
This trajectory is not inevitable, but reversing it requires leadership.
Antisemitism should be confronted with the same moral clarity afforded to every other form of hatred. When antisemitic incidents occur, public leaders must speak out clearly, quickly, and unequivocally.
Generations of Jews helped build this city and proudly called it home. They should not have to question whether there is still a place for them here.
We cannot allow toxic rhetoric to push our city toward greater division and intolerance.
The time to act is now, before the normalization of antisemitism becomes one of New York City's defining failures.
Brandon Pinsker is Acting Director of AJC New York.
