NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani: Why would anyone besides an antisemite not be done with Mamdani?

MISHPACHA
The Specter of a Mamdani Mayoralty
Yitzchok Landa
June 17, 2025

What started as an outlandish nightmare scenario for Jewish New Yorkers is becoming frighteningly plausible: Democratic state assemblyman and mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is surging in polls, closing the gap with presumed front-runner Andrew Cuomo. This week’s Public Policy Polling survey of 573 likely voters even shows Mamdani taking a slim lead of 35% to Cuomo’s 31%. It’s a safe bet that none of Mamdani’s growing support is coming from the Orthodox Jewish community. “Zohran Mamdani is running the most deceptive, divisive, and anti-Semitic campaign in the history of New York City,” says Queens state assemblyman Sam Berger. Born and raised as a Muslim in Kampala, Uganda, Zohran Kwame Mamdani moved to New York at age seven with his parents, extremist Columbia professor Mahmood Mamdani and filmmaker Mira Nair. They were expelled from Uganda by dictator Idi Amin over their Indian heritage. READ MORE

FEDERALIST If NYC Elects A Far-Left Socialist, Blame Ranked-Choice Voting New York City could sleepwalk its way into electing a socialist mayor, thanks to ranked-choice voting.

CANARY MISSION EXPOSED: NYC Mayor Candidate Zohran Mamdani’s Dangerous Agenda From embracing pro-Hamas rhetoric to pushing anti-American, anti-police policies, his agenda fuels antisemitic hate and endangers New York communities. NYC deserves better leadership.

NEW YORK POST NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani slapped down by Holocaust Museum for trying to ‘sanitize’ anti-Israel rally cry Democratic socialist mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani seemed to cry and talked about having faced discrimination himself — but refused to condemn the anti-Israel “globalize the intifada” rallying call Tuesday.

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In a world of diplomatic doublespeak, hypocrisy, and strategic ambiguity, Trump and Netanyahu simply said what they meant

THE FREE PRESS
The Ultimate Deception: How Trump and Bibi Outfoxed Iran
Michael Doran
June 13, 2025

They died in their own beds. Hossein Salami and Ali Shamkhani—Iran’s most senior military officers and the stewards of Iran’s nuclear weapons program—had spent years threatening Israel with destruction. They issued taunts, organized terrorist attacks, and orchestrated, since October 7, the encirclement of the Jewish state in a ring of fire of their terror proxies. And they knew—without the slightest illusion—that Israel had the capability and resolve to kill them. This cohort saw the Israeli air force bury Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah in his bunker, hundreds of meters beneath the streets of Beirut. They saw Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh vaporized in a presidential guesthouse—in Tehran, no less. Yet on Thursday night, they came home as usual and went to sleep—unguarded, unworried, carefree. Like insurance salesmen and bank tellers following their daily routines, it never occurred to them that they might not wake in the morning. But they didn’t. READ MORE

FREE PRESS WATCH: The Ultimate Deception: How Trump and Bibi Outfoxed Iran Bari Weiss and Michael Doran break down the success of Israel’s surprise attack, Iran’s failure, and what comes next.

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To Jews still on the fence, you don’t have to agree with every Israeli policy, but know this: When the knives come out, it’s not policy they hate. It’s you.

FUTURE OF JEWISH
Israel should make every Jew incredibly proud right now.
Joshua Hoffman
June 18, 2025

Every Jew should be incredibly proud of Israel right now. Not just for its innovations, its culture, its defense establishment, or its Nobel Prizes, but for its courage. For standing alone, again. For doing what every Jewish heart, no matter how secular or skeptical, has quietly hoped it would do: Defend us when no one else will. In making the first move to eliminate Iran’s nuclear program, Israel has done what the so-called “international community” refused to do…Some Jews in the Diaspora have the luxury of pretending they don’t need Israel. They’ve convinced themselves that their safety rests in “progressive” or “universal” values. But when the synagogue windows shatter and supposed allies keep their mouths shut as Jews are indiscriminately targeted, they are forced to remember, painfully, why Israel exists. READ MORE

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Medoff: “There is a common thread to all these attacks, whether the target is Jews in general, Jewish bankers, Jewish publishers or the Jewish state — no matter who happens to be Israel’s prime minister at any given time”

JEWISH JOURNAL
Are Jews Dragging America into a War?
Rafael Medoff
June 17, 2025

In strikingly similar language, prominent radical voices in Congress have been claiming that Israel is trying to “drag” the United States into war with Iran. “The U.S. must make it clear that we will not be dragged into another Netanyahu war,” Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) declared. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) warned: “We should not allow ourselves to be dragged into yet another conflict, against our will.” Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) said, “We cannot let [Israel’s prime minister] drag our country into a war with Iran.” And their fellow-“Squad” member Rep. Summer Lee (D-Pa.) asserted: “We cannot allow a war criminal to drag American troops and resources into another endless war.” The language used by these leaders of the far left is, ironically, reminiscent of what some of the most notorious figures on the far right were saying in the late 1930s and early 1940s. READ MORE

NATIONAL REVIEW The Horseshoe Coalition Against Israel on Iran With Donald Trump now loudly backing Israel’s war on the Iranian nuclear program and issuing increasingly hawkish warnings against the mullahs, there has been a lot of teeth-gnashing and garment-rending from the usual quarters — and these days, those usual quarters are a horseshoe-shaped alliance of doves and antisemites on the “restrainer” right and the progressive left. At times, it can be hard to tell their rhetoric apart. They form a uniparty of opposition to resisting America’s sworn enemies.

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“Lebanon’s domestic mood is also restraining Hezbollah. Most Lebanese — at least 70 percent — don’t trust the group and have raised post-war calls for its disarmament”

FDD
Hezbollah’s Role in the Israel-Iran War Is to Await Iran’s Orders
David Daoud
June 19, 2025

Hezbollah was supposed to be Tehran’s insurance policy if Israel contemplated attacking Iran — the group’s massive arsenal either deterring the Israelis or, failing that, acting as the Islamic Republic’s first line of response. But so far, even after the intense bombardment of Iranian targets as part of Operation Rising Lion, Iran’s star proxy is only offering rhetorical solidarity, its Secretary-General Naim Qassem’s official statement indicating Hezbollah is awaiting orders rather than rushing to join the fight. The Israelis inflicted a significant and unprecedented defeat upon the group during their recent war. They have eliminated most of Hezbollah’s top military and political leadership and a significant percentage of its missile stocks — though estimates vary on exact figures. The Israelis have barely let up since, targeting the group’s remaining assets and critical personnel almost daily. Hezbollah is therefore in no state to fight Israel, and renewed war would likely allow the Israels to further degrade the group. READ MORE

FDD As Israel and Iran Exchange Strikes, Qatar Wants Closer Ties With Tehran Qatar’s emir and Iran’s president are becoming friendlier amidst the war between Israel and Iran. On June 18, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani received a letter from Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian “pertaining to bilateral ties and the means to enhance them…The exchange between Al Thani and Pezeshkian demonstrates Qatar’s flourishing relationship with the Islamic Republic. While Doha persuaded Washington that it deserved recognition as a Major Non-NATO ally, it has been pursuing a working, if not warm, relationship with the regime in Iran.

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“Bush punted, Obama and Biden appeased, while Trump 2.0 played into Tehran’s hands by delaying a decision with futile diplomacy, leaving Netanyahu no choice but to act”

JNS
Two decades of American folly made Israel’s Iran strike necessary
Jonathan Tobin
June 13, 2025

Like many, if not most, wars, the conflict between Israel and Iran didn’t have to happen, and certainly, not in this way. But the blame for the hostilities now underway doesn’t belong to the Israeli government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who ordered the Israeli Air Force to undertake a pre-emptive strike on Iranian nuclear targets in the early morning hours of June 13. That won’t be the way the international media, as well as liberal legacy news outlets in the United States, report it. The same sources that have been demonizing Jerusalem’s efforts to eradicate the Hamas terrorists who launched the Gaza war with unspeakable atrocities on Oct. 7, 2023, will put all the blame on Netanyahu and the Israelis. READ MORE

TABLET MAG Can Israel End Iran’s Nuclear Program? Can Israel destroy Fordow without American help?  Yeah, I think so. They could mine it during a commando raid. They could potentially crack the ceiling or undermine the support structure of the halls. They can make it very difficult to get into. Effectively that’s destroying it, if you can’t get in without months and months of work. Then when you get in, it’s more than likely most of the centrifuges are going to be broken.

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“After embracing these four different denominations—all of which had been created in America within decades of each other—Cresson set sail for the Middle East, ultimately returning from Jerusalem an Orthodox Jew, predicting a Jewish return to the Holy Land”

COMMENTARY
The Sanity of John Fetterman
Meir Y. Soloveichik
June 2025

Let us ponder the strange similarities linking the striking stories of Warder Cresson and John Fetterman. Ostensibly these two individuals, whose lives are separated by more than a century, have nothing to do with each other. Yet both embody, in their own way, archetypal American tales, in that they reflect the bonds between this country and the Jewish people and the way these bonds have endured despite the efforts of some to undo them. Warder Cresson’s 19th-century tale has already been told in these pages (“The Forgotten Proto-Zionist,” December 2019). The first person appointed American consul to Jerusalem, he was born a Quaker and proceeded as an adult to join the Shakers, an ecstatic form of Christianity. He then embraced Mormonism, then adopted the teachings of Seventh-day Adventists and then the teachings of the frontier Restorationist movement. READ MORE

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From the Israeli Left: “The early Israeli successes in taking out top Iranian military leadership and anti-aircraft capabilities have left citizens delighted, and hopeful that elimination of Iranian nuclear capabilities through force is possible”

TIMES OF ISRAEL
When a Rising Lion Turns Doves into Hawks
Alon Tal
June 15, 2025

…I think about that discussion as I try to understand my response to the first two days of Israel’s military conflict with Iran. It is consistent with that of many friends associated with the country’s peace camp. For instance, Yair Golan, the leftist chair of Israel’s Democrats party, did not hesitate to support the IDF’s surprise attack – locally known as the “Rising Lion” operation. What is it that makes many of us, who over the years embraced a dovish, conciliatory perspective on regional conflicts, so comfortable with Israel’s present war against Iran? READ MORE

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The Jewish state begins to take out the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear facilities. Netanyahu: ‘If we don’t act now, there will not be another generation’; Sen. Lindsey Graham: “Game on. Pray for Israel”

NEW YORK POST
Israel launches air strikes on Iran’s nuclear program
Samuel Chamberlain, Caitlin Doornbos, Victor Nava and Anna Young
June 12, 2025

Israel launched air strikes inside Iran late Thursday in its latest effort to destroy Tehran’s nuclear program – an operation military leaders said they had “no choice” but to carry out. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Operation “Rising Lion” targeted several sites across the Iranian capital to dismantle the country’s nuclear infrastructure, ballistic missile factories and military – in a mission to “roll back” Iran’s threat to Israel’s “very survival.” Though the extent of damage remains unclear, the attack reportedly killed a high-ranking general and nuclear scientists as explosions boomed across Tehran…The Jewish state also targeted Iran’s main nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz — where black smoke was seen billowing from the building, Iranian state media showed. READ MORE

YOUTUBE Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Discusses Strike On Iran’s Nuclear Targets

TIMES OF ISRAEL Netanyahu thanks Trump for support; tells Iranians ‘your liberation from tyranny is closer than ever’ Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thanks US President Donald Trump “for his steadfast stance.” “Time and again, he made it clear: Iran must never be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons,” says Netanyahu in his video statement. “I thank him for his consistent support of our country throughout all the years of his presidency.”

ISRAEL HAYOM Iranian Chief of Staff, IRGC Commander eliminated According to an announcement in local media, Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Commander Hossein Salami has been killed, while conflicting reports have emerged regarding the condition of Iranian Chief of Staff Mohammad Bagheri… In addition, Iranian sources report that the commander of the “Khatam al-Anbiya” complex in Tehran, Maj. Gen. Gholam Ali Rashid, was also killed in the strike. According to these sources, Dr. Fereydoon Abbasi, a former head of Iran’s Atomic Energy Organization, was also killed in the attacks.

FRONT PAGE MAG Israel Strikes Back On Thursday evening, the long-anticipated Israel strikes began, targeting the Islamic Republic of Iran’s nuclear sites and other key military facilities. The objective of Operation Strength of a Lion is to end the Iranian nuclear threat once and for all, as well as to destroy, as much as possible, the Islamic Republic’s ability to continue to wage war against the Jewish state via its proxies, Hamas, Hizballah, and the Houthis. The entire state of Israel was on emergency alert; the Israeli Home Front Command issued instructions to all Israeli citizens to comply with guidelines that would be issued as part of “preparations for a significant threat.”

THE HILL Rubio: US ‘not involved’ in Israel’s strike inside Iran Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday evening the U.S. was not involved in Israeli strikes inside Iran in an effort to distance Washington from getting in between the two adversaries. “Tonight, Israel took unilateral action against Iran. We are not involved in strikes against Iran and our top priority is protecting American forces in the region,” Rubio said in a statement. “Israel advised us that they believe this action was necessary for its self-defense. President Trump and the Administration have taken all necessary steps to protect our forces and remain in close contact with our regional partners. Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel,” Rubio added.

JNS ‘We back Israel to the hilt’: Support for Israel pours in from Congress Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) was one of many members of Congress who stated that he supports the Jewish state as the Israeli Air Force launched what it said was a “preemptive” strike on Iranian military and nuclear targets. “Our commitment to Israel must be absolute, and I fully support this attack. Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel,” the Pennsylvania Democrat stated…Another outspoken pro-Israel Democrat, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), stated that “the Islamic Republic of Iran is the world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism…

JEWISH INSIDER Senior Republican senators, pro-Israel Dems express support for Israel’s strike against Iran Many of the highest-ranking Senate Republicans, along with leading pro-Israel Democrats, expressed support for Israel’s preemptive strikes on Iran, but a number of skeptical lawmakers — mostly Democrats — expressed concern that the strikes could set off a broader war in the region. Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said, minutes after reports of the operation began, “Proud to stand with Israel.” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) soon followed, saying, “Game on. Pray for Israel.”

FROM A FRIEND AND RABBI: What we ALL can do right now

As we watch the news and think of our brethren in Israel and throughout the world . . . we can take a moment(s) to daven/pray/reflect.

Tehillim/Psalms Ch. 121 – Attributed to King David
A song for ascents.
I turn my eyes to the mountains;
from where will my help come?
My help comes from Hashem,
maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot give way;
your guardian will not slumber;
See, the guardian of Israel
neither slumbers nor sleeps!
Hashem is your guardian,
Hashem is your protection
at your right hand.
By day the sun will not strike you,
nor the moon by night.
Hashem will guard you from all harm;
He will guard your life.
Hashem will guard your going and coming
now and forever.

Acheinu prayer: [As for] our brethren, the entire House of Israel who [still] remain in distress and captivity, whether on sea or on land, may G-d have compassion on them, and bring them from distress to relief, from darkness to light, from servitude to redemption, at this moment, speedily, very soon; and let us say Amein.

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“The GHF holds Hamas fully responsible for taking the lives of our dedicated workers who have been distributing humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people at the foundation’s sites in central and southern Gaza”

I24 NEWS
GHF says Hamas ‘brutally attacked’ aid workers, 10 reportedly massacred
June 11, 2025

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) accused Hamas of massacring its aid workers on Wednesday night, attacking a bus carrying more than 24 Palestinian employees working with the American company to bring aid to Gazans. The GHF said it knows of at least eight people killed, more wounded, and fears that others may have been abducted. i24NEWS learned from a Gazan source that the death toll had risen to 10. “We condemn this heinous and deliberate attack in the strongest possible terms,” the GHF said. The bus was on its way to one of the distribution centers in the southern Gaza Strip’s Khan Yunis. According to Hamas-affiliated media outlets, the terror group executed five fighters of the Popular Forces, a rival militia led by tribal leader Yasser Abu Shabab. Twelve others were shot in the legs. READ MORE

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