Concerns Mount Over NYC Mayor-Elect Zohran Mamdani's Transition Team Appointments 

New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has unveiled over 400 appointees to 17 transition advisory committees, drawing scrutiny for selections perceived as reflecting anti-Israel views and opposition to traditional law enforcement.

The committees, focused on areas like housing, community safety, and economic development, aim to guide policy and recruit talent as Mamdani prepares to assume office on January 1.

Among the notable picks on the Committee on Community Safety and other panels:

Tamika Mallory, a former co-chair of the Women's March who stepped down in 2019 amid allegations of antisemitism, including her praise for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan and statements linking Jews to the American slave trade.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) called her appointment "simply the wrong choice," citing her "highly insensitive remarks about Jews and money" that play into antisemitic tropes.

Mallory serves as a community safety adviser.

Ramzi Kassem, a CUNY law professor known for representing al Qaeda detainees at Guantanamo Bay and Columbia University pro-Palestinian encampment organizer Mahmoud Khalil during deportation proceedings under the Trump administration.

As a student, Kassem advocated against campus offerings like an "Israeli wrap" in dining halls, deeming it offensive.

He joins as a legal adviser.

Abby Stein, a transgender rabbi featured in Mamdani's "Jews for Zohran" campaign video, who was removed from a 2023 White House Pride event for anti-Israel protests.

Stein participated in an interfaith dialogue with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian in October 2024, shortly before Iran's missile attack on Israel.

Lumumba Bandele, an organizer with the Malcolm X Grassroots Movement and self-described "child of the Black liberation movement," who has campaigned for the release of convicted cop killers, including Black Liberation Army member Herman Bell, who confessed to murdering two NYPD officers in 1971.

Bandele has accused Israel of "genocide" and "apartheid," labeling Zionism a "crime against humanity."

Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) described his selection as a "nightmare," urging Gov. Kathy Hochul to intervene, framing it as evidence of "radical, dangerous politics."

He serves on the community organizing committee.

Alex Vitale, author of The End of Policing and a proponent of abolishing police, prisons, ICE, Border Patrol, and borders themselves, labeling cops as "violence workers" and the "natural enemy of the working class."

Vitale rejects police reform in favor of broader abolitionist approaches.

He is also on the community safety committee.

The appointments have sparked backlash from Jewish organizations, with the ADL launching a "Mamdani Monitor" to track decisions affecting Jewish New Yorkers, including education, budget, and security.

Critics argue the picks align with Mamdani's history of anti-Israel activism, though he has condemned antisemitism and emphasized delivering on promises like affordable housing and universal childcare.

Mamdani's team has also notified over 150 senior Adams administration officials to resign by January 1, signaling a major overhaul.

The mayor-elect's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the criticisms, but in announcements, Mamdani described the committees as focused on urgent challenges like housing costs and transportation.

These selections come amid broader tensions, including Mamdani's recent stronger condemnation of an antisemitic protest outside a Manhattan synagogue following community pressure.

As the transition progresses, advocacy groups continue to monitor for impacts on public safety and community relations in a city with one of the world's largest Jewish populations.

Sources: CBS, The Guardian, Free Beacon, Jewish Insider, NBC