Colbert presses NYC mayoral candidate Mamdani on Israel, antisemitism

“Late Show” host Stephen Colbert pressed New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani about his stance on Israel and how he’d combat rising antisemitism in the Big Apple. 

Mamdani, the Democratic Socialist member of the state assembly who has seen a surge in the polls ahead of Tuesday’s rank-choice primary, appeared on the CBS late night show alongside his fellow Democratic rival Brad Lander, who’ve both made headlines for giving each other their endorsements for second ranking in an effort to block ex-New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo from clinching the Democratic nomination.  

Colbert pointed to the ongoing war between Israel and Iran to ask both candidates whether Israel has “the right to exist” as a nation. 

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“I support the vision of Israel as a Jewish and Democratic State,” Lander responded. 

“Mr. Mamdani, same question,” Colbert turned to the 33-year-old hopeful. “Does the State of Israel have the right to exist?”

“Yes,” Mamdani responded. “Like all nations, I believe it has the right to exist and a responsibility also to uphold international law.”

The liberal late-night host, who repeatedly stressed he wasn’t offering any endorsement in the mayoral race, then pivoted to acknowledge the “elephant in the room,” noting the “fear” within the Jewish community about the rise in antisemitism and what would happen if New York City elected Mamdani, a far-left Muslim and an outspoken critic of Israel. 

“They’re very upset by some of the things that you’ve said in the past, and they’re afraid that your mayorship would actually lead to increased antisemitism, that they believe that would be more dangerous for them,” Colbert said to Mamdani. “What do you say to those New Yorkers who are afraid that you wouldn’t be their mayor, that you wouldn’t protect them?”

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“You know, I know where that fear is coming from,” Mamdani responded. “It’s a fear that is based upon the horrific attacks we’ve seen in Washington, DC, in Boulder, Colorado… and it’s a fear that I hear also from New Yorkers themselves.” 

“You know, just a few days after the horrific war crime of October 7, a friend of mine told me about how he went to his synagogue for Shabbat services and he heard the door open behind him, and a tremor went up his spine as he turned around not knowing who was there and what they meant for him,” he continued. “I spoke to a Jewish man in Williamsburg just months ago who told me that the door he left unlocked for decades is now one that he locks. And ultimately, this is because we’re seeing a crisis of antisemitism.”

Mamdani then touted his proposal committing an “800%” increase in funding for the Department of Community Safety’s anti-hate crime programming. 

“Because to your point, antisemitism is not simply something that we should talk about. It’s something that we have to tackle,” Mamdani told Colbert. “We have to make clear there’s no room for it in this city, in this country, in this world and-“

“And no justification for violence of any kind?” Colbert interjected.

“No,” Mamdani quickly responded. “There’s no room for violence in this city, in this country, in this world. And what I have found also, for many New Yorkers, is an ability to navigate disagreement.”

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Mamdani, who migrated to New York City when he was seven after living in Uganda and South Africa, recalled an exchange he had with an “older Jewish woman” following the Democratic Club forum who whispered to him, “I disagree with you on one issue. I’m pretty sure you know which one it is, and I agree with you on the others, and I’m going to be ranking you on my ballot.” 

“And I say this because I know there are many New Yorkers with whom I have a disagreement about the Israeli government’s policies, and also there are many who understand that that’s a disagreement still rooted in shared humanity, because the conclusions I’ve come to, they are the conclusions of Israeli historians like Amos Goldberg. They are echoing the words of an Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert, who said just recently what we are doing in Gaza is a war of devastation. It is cruel, it is indiscriminate, it is limitless, it is criminal killing of civilians. These are the conclusions I’ve come to,” Mamdani said. 

Colbert later asked Mamdani how he could “build a bridge of understanding” between the Jewish and Muslim communities as New York City mayor. He responded “by foregrounding that humanity.”

“For so many of us who’ve grown up in this city, difference is something that we celebrate. It’s something that we know is actually a part of the fabric of this place that we call home,” Mamdani said. “And you know, many years ago, I was the campaign manager of a Jewish candidate for State Senate, and I took him to a mosque in Bay Ridge, and after he gave his speech at Friday prayers, an older Palestinian man came over to him, and he looked at him and he said, ‘Cousins.’ And I think that there is this possibility of building a shared life in our city, because ultimately, that is the story of New York City. It’s a shared life of people from across the world, and it’s one that we know, even in the language of the hostage families themselves, everyone for everyone. We are tied together as one.”