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question everything

(52,619 posts)
Wed Jun 24, 2026, 10:31 PM 2 hrs ago

Mamdani Sweep in NYC Adds to Strains Between Jews and Democratic Party

(snip)

What unsettled them was the scale of victory by a trio of left-wing candidates who were endorsed by Mayor Zohran Mamdani and had made criticism of Israel the emotional core of their campaigns.

One, Democratic Socialist Darializa Avila Chevalier, attended a pro-Palestine rally in Times Square a day after the Oct. 7 attack on Israel. Fellow Democrats denounced the rally as condoning Hamas’s massacre. Yet Avila Chevalier still managed to overtake incumbent Adriano Espaillat in New York’s 13th Congressional District, which includes Upper Manhattan and parts of the Bronx.

Watching the results on a television at the Goldman party, Rachel Lavine, a member of the Village Independent Democrats political club, was astonished. “This is about hating Jews,” said Lavine. “I feel like we have a problem within the Jewish community of not understanding how serious this is. At this point, Israel is a beard for antisemitism.”

New York City boasts the largest Jewish community outside Israel and stands as a metropolis where generations of Jews have thrived while leaving an indelible cultural mark. Yet Tuesday’s results—after campaigns that dwelled on Israel and, in the view of some, deployed antisemitic tropes—have scrambled their relationship to the city while exposing fractures within their own community.

(snip)

While Tuesday night’s New York City results felt seismic—not least as an expression of Mamdani’s growing power—some analysts questioned their breadth. Pro-Israel moderates also prevailed, including Micah Lasher, who won a hotly contested race to succeed Jerry Nadler in Manhattan’s 12th District.

Rep. Brad Sherman, a Jewish Democrat from California who has long been a leading pro-Israel voice in Congress, said the results reflected the particular politics of a few New York districts—not the country.

More..

https://www.wsj.com/politics/elections/mamdani-sweep-in-nyc-adds-to-strains-between-jews-and-democratic-party-986b15c7?st=zxtAYM&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

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appmanga

(1,577 posts)
3. "This is about hating Jews," said Lavine...
Wed Jun 24, 2026, 10:53 PM
2 hrs ago

...and this is what bothers me about some of these critics. Finding fault with Israel's approach to the Palestinians in Gaza isn't hating Israel; it's hating indiscriminate tactics against a population for no other reason than they're Palestinians. Anyone with an ounce of morality knows, and will say, what happened on October 7th was despicable and heinous, but the response was disproportion, wrong, inhumane, and not befitting of a country we choose to support. Calling out Israel isn't "hating" Israel, and I don't think I'm alone in rejecting that characterization.

No government, and no person, is above criticism.

hlthe2b

(115,169 posts)
4. Those who "can't" (won't) distinguish between the two are (IMHO) exploiting the conflation...
Wed Jun 24, 2026, 11:15 PM
1 hr ago

And to that, I mean that those who continue to conflate disdain for Netanyahu and his policies, including Gaza (after the initial quite justified response to Oct. 8) and indiscriminate killing of civilians in Lebanon, West Bank, and elsewhere--ignoring Iran for the moment-- as antisemitism, are simply exploiting ignorance or have a very indefensible agenda. That a very large proportion of Jews would (and DO) say the same-- and do not defend any of the previously mentioned, only underscores the point.

Bluetus

(3,282 posts)
8. Exactly the case. Exposing AIPAC for their dirty dealing in our politics
Wed Jun 24, 2026, 11:54 PM
1 hr ago

and exposing Netanyahu for the war criminal he is, SUPPORTS the lot of American Jews.

As long as AIPAC and Netanyahu are running our government, there is bound to be resentment against our Jewish population, and that is tragic. While there are some radical hard-line Jews living in the USA, most do not support Netanyahu. And this resentment is not just in the form of insults. It has often been violence of the worst kind against American Jews.

Put it this way, as a professional musician, I have supported many congregations over my lifetime. There has never been a time that I felt like I was placing myself in danger by joining in a Christian service. But sadly, when I join in Jewish services, it is clear that extra security is needed for good reason. OTOH, I gladly do that because I am not going to let terrorists run my life. If supporting my Jewish friends gets me killed, well, it is a matter of principles. But damn Netanyahu and AIPAC for putting so many people into danger.

I have not missed a Rosh Hashanah or Yom Kippur service in the past 5 years.

question everything

(52,619 posts)
9. Conveniently ignoring the first paragraph, about one of the winners paraticipated in a pro-Hamas
Thu Jun 25, 2026, 12:05 AM
1 hr ago

rally a day after the massacre?

FoxNewsSucks

(12,009 posts)
5. Maybe Jewish people
Wed Jun 24, 2026, 11:20 PM
1 hr ago

in Israel and everywhere else should get rid of Netanyahu.

The far-right Netanyahu is the problem, and it's what is opposed. Not the Jewish religion.

question everything

(52,619 posts)
10. This country has Trump and Israel has Netanyahu. But elections are planned later this year
Thu Jun 25, 2026, 12:09 AM
1 hr ago

But this country does not have neighbors from, say, Nexico constantly attacking communities he way Hezbollah has been doing.

Bluetus

(3,282 posts)
7. #1 AIPAC does not represent American Jews It is AIPAC that is strained
Wed Jun 24, 2026, 11:40 PM
1 hr ago

#2, what is this "a trio of left-wing candidates" bullshit? Tell me what is "left wing" about any of them?

As far as I can tell, their positions fall right in the middle of American (and NY) politics, which is why they won.

Let's stop this empty name-calling.

The headline should be, "AIPAC is strained because Americans are voting for people who will represent the interests of Americans, not the interests of AIPAC."

Or better yet, "AIPAC efforts to villify primary candidates backfires"

question everything

(52,619 posts)
12. Did you conveniently skip the first paragraph About how one of the winners participated in a peo Hamas rally
Thu Jun 25, 2026, 12:17 AM
55 min ago

the day after the massacre? Before Israel fired a single shot?

And, yes, they are left wing, that thankfully do not represent the Democratic Party.

Our party, the Democratic one, should have never allowed the socialist to run in Democratic primaries. Let them form their own party and then compete in the general elections. Like the Greens and others.

And, by the way, did you notice that this is the Jewish group, for Jews to feel safe from anti Jewish opinions like yours?

Please delete it.

Behind the Aegis

(56,315 posts)
11. Of course it does.
Thu Jun 25, 2026, 12:12 AM
1 hr ago

Thankfully, we have those who Gentilesplain' so that makes it all better.

We Jews need to get their shit together like the gay community did when we were the target. The problem is too many are not used to being on their heels. The heard about anti-Semitism from their parents/grandparents, some may have even experienced some, but not the levels other minorities saw. The past few years have been an earth-shattering experience for many who have only read about anti-Semitism, and a younger community has grown up hating themselves and their culture, while being completely ignorant of it.

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