By Hank Russell
With one week before he starts his new term as mayor, Zohran Mamdani has shaped his new administration and transition team. But some of his picks have been called out for their antisemitic views — which, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman contends, Mamdani seems to condone.
Blakeman, who is running on the Republican ticket for governor — and the only Jewish candidate in the governor’s race — criticized Mamdani for what he called a clear pattern of bad judgment when it comes to antisemitism and extremism inside New York City government.
Blakeman pointed to two recent Mamdani appointments that sparked outrage:
- Ramzi Kassem, Mamdani’s chief counsel, who previously defended an al-Qaeda terrorist convicted of bombing a civilian oil tanker, represented a leader of a pro-Palestinian encampment, and has a public record of excusing terrorism, minimizing the September 11 attacks, accusing Israel of “ethnic cleansing,” and saying Israel has no right to defend its people from terror attacks.
- Catherine Almonte Da Costa, Mamdani’s director of appointments, was forced to resign after antisemitic social media posts resurfaced.
“These weren’t low-level hires,” Blakeman said. “These were senior positions picked by Mamdani himself. And their records scared a lot of Jewish families — with good reason.”
Blakeman said these hires are part of a larger pattern, pointing to several figures Mamdani placed on his transition committee, including:
- Waleed Shahid, who on October 7 justified the Hamas attacks as a “byproduct” of Israel and has mocked Jews online — a pick the Adams administration itself said confirmed Mamdani’s silence on antisemitism.
- Jenna Hamed, who accused Jews of “exploiting” Holocaust grief.
- Tamika Mallory, who resigned from the Women’s March amid her controversial antisemitic remarks, defended Louis Farrakhan, and claimed white Jews “uphold white supremacy.”
- Shafeka Hashash, a former leader of Students for Justice in Palestine, an organization now facing a federal lawsuit alleging support for Hamas.
A New York Post article recently featured a report from the Anti-Defamation League which found that 20% of the members on Mamdani’s transition team are linked to radical anti-Zionost groups that the organization said “openly promote terror and harass Jewish people.”
“I’m Jewish, and I’m going to say this plainly: antisemitism is antisemitism,” Blakeman said. “It doesn’t matter if it comes from a protest, a classroom, or a political movement. Making excuses for terror or spreading hateful stereotypes crosses a line.”
New York is home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. Blakeman said the government should be protecting people, not making them feel uneasy or unsafe.
“If you’ve got a history of justifying terrorism, brushing off 9/11, or attacking Jews, you won’t work in my administration,” he said. “Taxpayer dollars won’t go to extremists, and government power won’t be handed to people who hate the communities they’re supposed to serve.”
Assemblyman Daniel Norber (R,C-Great Neck) agreed with Blakeman’s assessment of Mamdani and his team.
“Bruce Blakeman is right: Zohran Mamdani’s decision to align himself with individuals who have expressed openly antisemitic views is alarming and unacceptable,” Norbe said. “Extremism has no place in any level of government. New Yorkers deserve leaders who confront hate head-on and stand with our Jewish communities.”
As governor, Blakeman said he will not “side with radicals who think violence and hate are acceptable. New Yorkers deserve common sense and basic decency from their leaders — and that’s what I’ll bring as governor.”