Antisemitism watchdog issues scathing 'alarm bell' report on Mamdani as NYC election nears

"It is incumbent on voters to understand the ideological context that Zohran Mamdani comes from and espouses," said Charles Asher Small, founding director of The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), told Fox News Digital. 

The report concludes with a section that explores the implications of Mamdani's agenda.

The report states that Mamdani "downplayed" the Oct. 7 massacre carried out by Hamas while characterizing Israel's response as "genocide," and hits him for introducing a bill to "punish New York charities that support Israel." 

"The normalization of antisemitism and anti-democratic rhetoric is now mainstream," Small told Fox News Digital. 

"The radical left, the extreme right and radical political Islam are attacking the democratic center, and these different political movements use antisemitism as a core element of their ideology, to scapegoat and blame the Jews for all that is wrong," he said. "It is essential to understand that words and ideas lead to action. The antisemitic discourse of Mamdani will inevitably lead to increased hate and violence."

Despite the fervent opposition from many in the Jewish community and numerous viral clips showing Mamdani - in his own words - using inflammatory language toward Israel, he holds a commanding lead in the polls heading into the election, and has also drawn support from some Jewish leaders. 

"There are significant levels of economic, social and political marginalization in New York and throughout the nation," Small told Fox News Digital about Mamdani's popularity. "People are frustrated as their needs are not being met. In stressful times, populism and extremism become more appealing. Mamdani appears to be addressing the disenfranchised, especially the young. He gives fantastical policies that are appealing, yet will be impossible to deliver."

In the conclusion of the report, ISGAP Action makes the case that a Mamdani victory could potentially "shatter the city's fragile communal trust and roll back decades of hard-won progress in protecting Jewish life."

"Zohran Mamdani's rise is not simply the story of an ambitious local politician riding a wave of discontent over rents and inequality," the report states.

"It is the story of how radical anti-Zionism has been repackaged as socialist, populist, progressive politics - and how this ideology now threatens to erode the sense of security for New York's Jewish community, the largest Jewish community outside of Israel, and whitewash and legitimize anti-Zionism, support for terrorism, and even antisemitism."

Fox News Digital reached out to the Mamdani campaign for comment.