Mamdani’s political appointments show his true governing intent

The Wrong Stuff

Here is a sampling of individuals mentioned in the ADL report, their positions, and what they’ve put on the public record.

Rhetoric is cheap.

The first real indication of how an executive intends to govern is the staff he assembles — or better, the people tasked with finding that staff.

The New York City mayor’s office has a staff of 1,200. The vast majority of those employees have yet to be hired, but Mamdani has appointed 400 people to 17 transition committees. These will set agency policies and hire the vast staff.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) did a deep dive into those appointees and released a report last week detailing the results.

How’s it looking? Not great. Quite a few sport résumés boasting of anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist, or anti-Israel activities and of ties to groups that do it professionally.

1. Catherine Almonte Da Costa

Position: Director of Appointments

Status: Appointed to paid senior administration role, resigned in December after exposure by the ADL

Powers and Responsibilities: Tasked with staffing the entire future administration and City Hall — a powerful post that would have allowed her to continue to install like-minded individuals in roles of authority.

On the Record: Numerous uses of anti-Semitic language and tropes, including: “Money hungry Jews smh”; “Far Rockaway train is the Jew train”; “these rich Jewish peeps.”

2. Mohammed Karim Chowdhury

Position: Member of the Transition Committee on Worker Justice

On the Record: shared: “Zionists are worse than Haman of ancient times, the Inquisition, and the Nazis.”

3. Kazi Fouzia

Position: Member of the Transition Committee on Worker Justice

On the Record: Defended Hamas on October 7, 2023, posting “Resistance are Justified when people are occupied,” with a video of an anti-Israel demonstration that day.

4. Youssef Mubaraz

Position: Member of the Transition Committee on Small Business

On the Record: Dismissed reports of Hamas atrocities as “propaganda”; organized a rally in support of the cleric Siraj Wahhaj, implicated in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing with a history of anti-Semitic and bigoted rhetoric.

5. Jacques Léandre

Position: Member of the Transition Committee on Legal Affairs

On the Record: Praised Louis Farrakhan for “courage, integrity and compassion,” defended Farrakhan’s bigoted positions as “pure love and truth,” proudly shared photographs of himself with Farrakhan and attending such events as one where Farrakhan railed against “the Jews and their power.”

6. Gianpaolo Baiocchi

Position: Member of the Transition Committee on Community Organizing

On the Record: Stated “there was no expression of anti-semitism [sic], bigotry, or any hate speech” at the encampment; but the ADL documented slogans there such as: “Destroy Zionist business interests everywhere,” “Death to Israeli Real Estate,” “Enough with De-Escalation Trainings: Where are the Escalation Trainings!” and “Death to America.”

7. Alina Shen

Position: Member of the Transition Committee on Housing

On the Record: As senior leader of the Committee Against Anti-Asian Violence (CAAAV), she bears responsibility for its support of violence against Israel, including statements like: “Organized defense — in all of its forms against a settler colonial state is justified. We support the Palestinian revolt against the zionist [sic], colonial power of israel [sic]…CAAAV stands in solidarity with the people of Palestine, the freedom fighters who are fighting for their future.”

It’s Not All Bad

There are some bright spots in Mamdani’s transition team. At least 25 members have a history of supporting the community of Jewish New Yorkers. These include Joseph Potasnik, Felix Matos Rodriguez, Wayne Ho, John King, and Jerry Goldfeder.

By the numbers

80

have ties to groups that support Hamas, such as Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP), and Within Our Lifetime (WOL)

13

have a history of anti-Semitic or anti-Israel public rhetoric

5

joined anti-Israel campus encampments

12

expressed support for the anti-Israel campus encampments

4

have ties to the Nation of Islam (NOI) or its longtime leader, Louis Farrakhan, known for his history of anti-Semitic rhetoric

So What Does Zo Say

Asked about the report at a press conference, Mamdani resorted to his insistence that anti-Israel activism bears no relationship to anti-Semitism.

“We must distinguish between anti-Semitism and criticism of the Israeli government,” he said. “The ADL’s report oftentimes ignores this distinction, and in doing so, it draws attention away from the very real crisis of anti-Semitism we see not only just in our city but in the country at large.”

He went on to legitimize anti-Zionism: “When we’re thinking about critiques of Zionism and different forms of political expression, as much of what this report focuses on, there’s a wide variety of political opinion, even within our own 400-plus transition committee.”

After Da Costa resigned, Mamdani promised to improve his vetting process. Are these appointments the product of continued bad vetting, or intentional staffing? In the worst-case scenario, Mamdani’s appointments thus far indicate his intent to govern much as we feared.

In the worst case, they indicate — as we already knew — that he continues to move largely in circles antithetical to our worldview.

(Originally featured in Mishpacha, Issue 1093)