Jewish students at New York City universities are expressing alarm over the election of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, citing concerns about campus safety and the potential impact on the Jewish community. They argue his democratic socialist views, including support for globalizing the Intifada and past inflammatory statements, pose a significant threat to their sense of security.
Students from Columbia University, Barnard College, and Baruch College sat down with Fox News Digital, revealing their major concerns about Mamdani’s potential influence on campus dynamics. Aidan Herlinger of Baruch College described Mamdani’s stance on the Intifada as dangerous and questioned the viability of socialist policies in the US. Eliana Birman of Barnard College expressed fears that Mamdani’s policies could lead to a ‘major downfall’ for the city.
Universities in New York City were host to some of the most heated protests in the country following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel. In April 2024, Columbia University saw an encampment take over the East Butler lawn, where hundreds of students and non-students chanted ‘from the river to the sea,’ calling for an end to the war in the Middle East and condemning Israel. In May, similar protests took over the Butler library, renaming the space ‘Basel Al-Araj Popular University.’ These demonstrations led to the arrests of hundreds of protesters.
NYU also experienced protests, including a demonstration outside the university’s library where protesters called for an ‘intifada revolution’ and claimed ‘Tel Aviv is stolen land.’ Mera Skobolo of NYU described the challenging environment for Jewish students, with instances of being screamed at, blocked from libraries during finals week, and facing disapproval from professors.
After his victory, Mamdani promised, ‘We will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism.’ However, students like TJ Katz from Columbia University believe Mamdani’s role as mayor could significantly affect campus attitudes towards the Jewish community, influencing others to take a stance based on his political rhetoric and proposed policies.