Letters to the editor

Give Mamdani a chance
Election Day 2025 was great for us Democrats, but our community is split over the resounding victory for self-declared Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani, the first Muslim to be elected as mayor of New York City.

Although the mayor-elect had significant support from many Jews, others are expressing grave concern about his upcoming four years of governance and are writing him off as an enemy.

Mayor-elect Mamdani was smeared throughout the campaign, most notably by his primary opponent, the ethically-tarred former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. I have been disappointed to see many hateful online posts designed to mock him, one of which has an AI photograph of New York City police riding camels.

I believe that Mr. Mamdani should be given a chance. He has said some disturbing things in the past, but has walked back many of them and he has gone to great lengths to mend fences with those whom he has offended. He reached out to and met with countless rabbis and assures us that his support of Palestinians in no way renders him an antisemite; rather, he proclaims that he values every Jewish life and our Jewish heritage. Time will tell.

New York city residents were faced with three major candidates, each one of which had baggage. They selected the articulate, charming member of the group, who promises that he will tackle the critical issue of affordability. Let us hope that he can unify and better the city that is home to the largest number of Jews outside of Israel.

Oren Spiegler
Peters Township