ADL: nearly 20% of Mamdani transition team tied to anti-Zionist activism
According to the ADL, more than 80 individuals out of over 400 named so far were identified as having connections to such groups or having made statements the organization deems concerning.
A report released Monday by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) says roughly one in five members of New York mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition team and early administration appointees have ties to organizations described as anti-Zionist or have a public record of hostile statements toward Israel.
According to the ADL, more than 80 individuals out of over 400 named so far were identified as having connections to such groups or having made statements the organization deems concerning.
Among the organizations cited are Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, and Within Our Lifetime, a New York–based group known for organizing protests, including demonstrations outside synagogues.
The report also alleges that several transition team members have been linked, directly or indirectly, to Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has long faced accusations of antisemitism. One individual named in the report, Jacques Léandre, is said to have participated in a conference where Farrakhan delivered what the ADL described as virulent antisemitic remarks.
The ADL further points to social media posts and public statements by some appointees that it says appear to justify violence against Israel or the October 7 Hamas attacks. Among the examples cited is a message posted by Kazi Fouzia on the day of the attacks describing “resistance” as justified in the context of occupation, alongside videos from an anti-Israel demonstration in Manhattan.
Other members of Mamdani’s team are highlighted for rhetoric sharply critical of Zionism, including statements equating it with racism, describing Israel as founded on Jewish supremacy, or labeling Zionism a genocidal ideology. The report also cites an instance in which an appointee shared a post claiming “Zionists” were worse than Nazis, and another who posed with a symbol associated with Hamas accompanied by the slogan “Long live the resistance.”
In addition, the ADL notes that twelve members of the transition team publicly supported anti-Israel encampments on U.S. college campuses in spring 2024, with at least five allegedly taking part in them directly. One academic cited in the report was arrested during a protest at New York University and later said no hateful speech was present, a claim the ADL disputes, citing flyers that allegedly called for the destruction of Israel and the United States.
Mamdani, who is scheduled to take office on January 1, has repeatedly said during his campaign that he opposes antisemitism. The ADL acknowledged that many of the transition team members raise no concerns and noted that several appointees have publicly expressed support for New York’s Jewish community, including prominent religious, academic, and political figures.
Nevertheless, the organization said the overall composition of the team is troubling. “Many of these appointments are in tension with the mayor-elect’s stated commitment to prioritizing the safety and security of New York’s Jewish community,” the report concludes.