Major Jewish Groups Backed Cuomo Over Mamdani. Now They're In Political Limbo.

By Reuven Blau, The City

June 25, 2025, 4:47 p.m.

Before the Democratic Primary, Andrew Cuomo got the support from all the major Hasidic sects and large Jewish voting organizations.

It wasn’t enough to push the disgraced former governor over the top.

Cuomo conceded Tuesday night to Queens Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, who finished the first round with 44% of the vote, ranking him as Democrat’s first choice.

Now, up to 300,000 Jewish Democratic primary voters who look to religious leaders for voting guidance are up for grabs in the upcoming general election in November.

Key questions remain: Who will they support? And will it make a difference?

“The Jewish community came out to vote in numbers that we haven’t seen before,” said Syndey Altfield, the national director of Teach Coalition, an Orthodox Union group that pushes for added public funds for private yeshivas and Jewish day schools.

Voter turnout was especially high in Midwood and Upper West and Upper East Side — neighborhoods with large numbers of Jews, she noted.

Some of those areas include secular Jews who have vocally supported Mamdani.

“But what we learned is we need to continue building bridges with other organizations and communities that value certain things that we value,” Altfield added.

As for the general election, it all depends if Cuomo decides against running on an independent line — and if incumbent Mayor Adams can make a case to the Jewish groups that he has a viable chance at victory, said Nathaniel Deutsch, a professor at University of California, Santa Cruz, who specializes in Jewish Studies and the history of Hasidism.

“If Adams is perceived as being competitive, then I think most Haredi [ultra-Orthodox Jewish] voters will support him,” Deutsch told THE CITY.

“If Adams is viewed as non-competitive, however, I think Haredi community leaders will find themselves in an interesting position,” he added.

Mamdani has taken heat from many in the community and even been labeled antisemitic mostly for his stance on Palestinian independence.

He supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which pressures Israel to comply with international and human rights law, and is a staunch backer of the Palestinian cause and critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration.

The 33-year-old politician has also refused to denounce the slogan “globalize the intifada,” a phrase rooted in bringing worldwide awareness to the struggle for Palestinian freedom, but interpreted by some as a call to violence against Jewish civilians everywhere.

“To me, ultimately, what I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights in standing up for Palestinian human rights,” Mamdani has said.

Finding ‘a Way to Work With Whomever’

During the campaign and on primary night, Mamdani was cross endorsed and supported by city Comptroller Brad Lander, one of two Jewish candidates in the race and a self-proclaimed Zionist.

Meanwhile, Mamdani’s chief spokesperson, Andrew Epstein (who once worked for THE CITY), is also Jewish.

Additionally, on Tuesday, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, one of the most prominent Jewish elected officials in New York, endorsed Mamdani.

Before the Democratic primary, the leaders of many large Jewish voting blocs refused to even meet with the self-described socialist.

That may change in the coming weeks, according to multiple Jewish political insiders. Some will likely reach out to Mamdani and his team to try to gain favor, the insiders predicted.

An Orthodox Jewish man walks in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. May 27, 2025 Credit: Alex Krales/THE CITY

“Haredi political activists, known as askunim, are generally very pragmatic and have a history of figuring out a way to work with whomever gets into office,” said Deutsch.

Many Hasidic groups operate differently than Evangelical Christians who tend to be more ideologically driven, especially during presidential elections, he added.

“When it comes to local politics, Haredi political activists have continued to demonstrate pragmatism,” he said. “Whether they will go so far as to endorse Mamdani or whether they will endorse Adams while reaching out to Mamdani behind the scenes or whether they will withhold any endorsement remains to be seen.”

Meanwhile, former state Assemblyman Dov Hikind urged Cuomo and Adams to drop out of the race.

“You have no chance. You will only divide the vote,” he said in a video posted on X.

Cuomo last night said he wasn’t sure yet if he’d run in the general election.

Adams, though, appears to be all in on a re-election campaign on an independent line despite not raising much campaign cash yet.

During an interview on Fox and Friends, he slammed Mamdani, calling him a “snake oil salesman” who is making promises he can’t keep.

Behind the scenes, Menashe Shapiro, a Jewish political consultant on Adams’ team who moved over to City Hall after his election, has reached out to some of the major Jewish groups seeking their support, according to multiple political insiders.

This press release was produced by The City. The views expressed here are the author’s own.