NEW YORK, NY – Rabbi Marc Schneier, president of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding, has issued a sharp warning following a report by the Anti Defamation League alleging that more than 20 percent of New York City Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition committee appointees hold antisemitic views or maintain ties to organizations with documented histories of antisemitism.
In a statement responding to the ADL’s findings, Schneier said the conclusions should not come as a surprise and argued that Mamdani’s political worldview creates an environment in which antisemitism is minimized or rationalized.
“No one should be surprised by the ADL’s report that revealed over 20 percent of Zohran Mamdani’s transition team members hold extremist views and have ties with notoriously antisemitic organizations,” Schneier said.
The ADL report, which analyzed public statements, affiliations, and social media activity of transition team members, raised concerns about individuals who have endorsed or normalized antisemitic rhetoric while serving in advisory roles to the incoming mayor. The organization stated that the findings underscore broader challenges facing Jewish communities in progressive political spaces.
Schneier focused particular criticism on Mamdani’s repeated attempts to distinguish between antisemitism and opposition to Israeli policy.
“Mamdani is drawing a false distinction between antisemitism and criticizing the Israeli government,” Schneier said. “He is in no position to draw such a distinction when he will not even recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, which is antisemitic in and of itself.”
Jewish advocacy organizations have long maintained that criticism of Israeli government policy is legitimate when applied by the same standards used toward other democracies. However, they also argue that denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination or rejecting Israel’s existence as a Jewish state crosses into antisemitism, as defined by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance working definition.
Schneier emphasized that this distinction is not theoretical, particularly at a time of rising antisemitism in New York City. NYPD data and Jewish community monitoring groups have documented a sharp increase in antisemitic incidents in recent years, including assaults, vandalism, and threats against synagogues and Jewish schools.
“If a large portion of the Arab world can recognize the Jewish state of Israel, so can he,” Schneier said, referring to normalization agreements and diplomatic recognition extended by several Arab and Muslim majority countries. “You cannot stop antisemitism while being part of the problem.”
The remarks come amid heightened scrutiny of political leadership in major cities with large Jewish populations. New York City is home to the largest Jewish community outside Israel, making the tone and substance of its mayoral administration a matter of significant concern to Jewish organizations.
The ADL said its report was not intended to target political ideology, but to highlight patterns of rhetoric and affiliations that raise red flags when it comes to antisemitism. The organization called on the Mamdani transition team to review appointments and adopt clear standards rejecting antisemitism in all forms.
Mamdani has previously rejected accusations of antisemitism, stating that his criticism is directed at Israeli government policy rather than Jews as a people. However, critics argue that his refusal to recognize Israel’s legitimacy undermines that claim and aligns with positions historically used to marginalize Jewish national identity.
Schneier, whose Foundation for Ethnic Understanding has spent decades building bridges between Jewish, Muslim, Christian, and other communities, said the issue goes beyond partisan politics.
“This is not about left or right,” he said. “It is about moral clarity. You cannot combat hatred selectively. Antisemitism cannot be redefined or minimized to fit a political agenda.”
For pro-Israel and Jewish audiences, the controversy is seen as a test case for how antisemitism is addressed in progressive governance. Community leaders say leadership choices made during a transition period often signal priorities that will shape policy and civic culture once in office.
As Mamdani prepares to assume leadership of America’s largest city, Schneier and other Jewish leaders say the response to the ADL report will be closely watched, not only by New York’s Jewish community but by Jewish communities across North America who are grappling with a climate of growing hostility and ideological polarization.
The debate, they argue, is no longer abstract. It is about whether antisemitism will be confronted consistently or excused when it aligns with fashionable political narratives.
