20% of Mamdani's Appointments Are Antisemites, Says ADL

A new report by the Anti-Defamation League says at least 20 percent of New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s transition appointees have documented ties to anti-Zionist activist groups or have publicly promoted rhetoric widely viewed as antisemitic.

The ADL said it reviewed more than 400 volunteers named to Mamdani’s transition committees and identified dozens with connections to organizations such as Students for Justice in Palestine, Jewish Voice for Peace, and other hardline activist groups active in New York.

According to the report, several appointees publicly endorsed what they described as Palestinian “resistance,” including posts made immediately after Hamas’s October 7 massacre. One appointee shared content calling such resistance “justified” the day after the attack.

The ADL also flagged social media posts by multiple appointees describing Zionism as racism or a genocidal ideology. In one case, an appointee shared content asserting that Zionists are worse than Nazis and claiming that “Zionists are never Jews.”

At least four appointees were found to have ties to Louis Farrakhan or the Nation of Islam, including praise posted online or attendance at related events.

One transition committee member joined a CUNY protest encampment and posted photos standing in front of a banner featuring an inverted red triangle, a symbol commonly used in Hamas propaganda, alongside the phrase “Long live the resistance.”

The ADL said many appointees did not raise concerns and noted that at least two dozen members of the transition team have past ties to Jewish organizations or a history of supporting the Jewish community.

Mamdani rejected the report’s conclusions, saying he opposes antisemitism and arguing that criticism of Zionism should not automatically be treated as hatred of Jews. He accused the ADL of blurring that distinction and diverting attention from rising antisemitic violence.

The report follows the resignation last week of Mamdani’s director of appointments after antisemitic remarks she made years earlier resurfaced. Jewish leaders say the findings raise serious concerns ahead of Mamdani’s inauguration, with tensions over antisemitism and Israel policy likely to remain unresolved as he enters office.