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Why Jeremy Corbyn’s support for Zohran Mamdani is fueling antisemitism fears
Jeremy Corbyn, the former British Labour leader ousted from his party over accusations of antisemitism, joined a phone bank for New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani on Sunday. Corbyn’s participation quickly drew backlash.
Mamdani “will ensure that the world doesn’t pass by on the other side while the terrible genocide goes on in Gaza, which has been so terrible for the Palestinian people,” Corbyn said on the Zoom call, organized by the Democratic Socialists of America’s New York City chapter.
Critics said it confirmed what they see as Mamdani’s alliances with antisemites — at a moment when the Democratic frontrunner is trying to reassure Jewish New Yorkers ahead of Tuesday’s election. Mamdani has at once struggled to earn the trust of many Jewish New Yorkers and built a broad base of Jewish support.
“Having Jeremy Corbyn — someone whose party was found to have committed unlawful acts of discrimination against Jewish people under his leadership — phone-banking for @ZohranKMamdani says everything you need to know,” Andrew Cuomo, who is running in the mayoral election as an Independent, posted to X. “New York doesn’t need politics of moral compromise. We need leadership that rejects antisemitism, extremism, and division in every form and in every corner.”
“You. Can’t. Make. It. Up.,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, who has previously clashed with Mamdani over his views on Israel and whether the ADL represents the views of New York Jews.
What are the antisemitism allegations against Corbyn?
Corbyn, a British politician known for his far-left politics and pro-Palestinian activism, drew scrutiny in 2015 for referring to representatives of Hamas and Hezbollah as his “friends” in the context of peace talks in 2009. He later said he regretted the phrasing.
Further controversy erupted in 2018 after reports surfaced that in 2012, Corbyn had commented approvingly on a Facebook post featuring a mural depicting caricatured Jewish bankers with hooked noses playing Monopoly. He later said he should have “looked more closely at the image” before posting his support.
That same year, Corbyn became a central figure in a debate over whether the Labour Party should adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, which classifies most expressions of anti-Zionism as antisemitic. Corbyn argued the definition could restrict legitimate criticism of Israel.
Corbyn introduced an amendment to clarify that “it cannot be considered racist to treat Israel like any other state or assess its conduct against the standards of international law.” That addition did not pass, and Labour adopted the IHRA definition.
Allegations of antisemitism within Labour escalated in 2019, when the Equality and Human Rights Commission found the party had committed “unlawful acts of harassment and discrimination” against Jews under Corbyn’s leadership and failed to properly investigate complaints. Corbyn rejected the findings as politically motivated.
“One antisemite is one too many,” he said at the time, “but the scale of the problem was also dramatically overstated for political reasons by our opponents inside and outside the party, as well as by much of the media.”
The Labour Party suspended Corbyn in 2020 after those remarks. He was reinstated three weeks later after walking back those comments, saying that concerns about antisemitism were “neither ‘exaggerated’ nor ‘overstated.’”
But last year, Corbyn was expelled from the Labour Party on the same basis, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer – whose wife and children are Jewish – telling Sky News he wanted to “tear antisemitism out of our party by the roots.”
On Sunday’s phone banking call, Corbyn said he was “very excited” by Mamdani’s campaign, describing the mayoral candidate as “a voice for justice around the world.”
Corbyn told volunteers he had spoken at 32 national pro-Palestinian demonstrations since October 2023 and would keep protesting “for as long as it takes to bring about justice for the Palestinian people.” That, he added, included ending arms shipments to Israel and halting the Royal Air Force’s cooperation with the Israeli military.
“So there’s so much that we can work together on,” Corbyn said.
Corbyn also said he had sent Mamdani two gifts: a book called Poetry for the Many, a poetry anthology co-authored by Corbyn; and an Arsenal shirt for the fellow soccer fan.
“I look forward to meeting Mayor Zohran, and when he comes over here, we’ll go to an Arsenal game,” Corbyn said, later adding, “I’ll be staying up very, very late on Tuesday night to hear the results.”
Mamdani, the DSA, and antisemitism
Mamdani’s positions on Israel have roiled Jews across the country, and he’s often had to defend himself against allegations of antisemitism for: refusing to outright condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada;” reiterating support for Palestinians in his statement on the Gaza ceasefire; vowing to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York; and saying he doesn’t recognize Israel as a Jewish state.
Mamdani has also been criticized for his affiliation with the DSA, a socialist political organizing group that describes itself as anti-Zionist and endorses the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement.Mamdani has said that pro-Palestinian activism and his commitment to BDS was “the crux of the reason” why he joined DSA in 2017.
But as the DSA has taken an increasingly hard line on Israel, it has found itself at odds with even progressive politicians.
Last year, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez lost the DSA’s endorsement over her position on Israel. The DSA took issue with Ocasio-Cortez hosting an online panel discussion with two leading Jewish experts on antisemitism, and for voting in favor of a resolution that condemned Hamas and equated the denial of Israel’s right to exist with antisemitism.
In August, the national DSA passed a resolution that said “making statements that ‘Israel has a right to defend itself’” and “endorsing statements equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism,” would be considered an expellable offense.
The DSA’s New York City chapter, of which Mamdani is a member, faced broad condemnation for celebrating the attacks of Oct. 7 at a demonstration in Times Square on Oct. 8. Mamdani has distanced himself from that rhetoric, condemning the Oct. 7 attack by Hamas as a “horrific war crime” and describing the celebration of the killing of civilians by some of the rally’s attendees as “not befitting of a movement supporting universal human rights.”
He has also sought to distance himself from aspects of the DSA’s national agenda, telling the New York Times that the group’s platform was not the same as his.
Jacob Kornbluh contributed reporting and writing.
The post Why Jeremy Corbyn’s support for Zohran Mamdani is fueling antisemitism fears appeared first on The Forward.
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UNC Student Newspaper Publishes Tropes About Jews and Money
In May 2024, Students for Justice in Palestine poured red paint which resembles spilled blood on the steps of the South Building, an office for administrative staff and the chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Photo: UNCSJP/Screenshot
The Daily Tar Heel, the student-led newspaper of the University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill, recently featured commentary that some view as antisemitic.
On Feb. 26, Kyle Bublic began a column by writing, “The 2022 congressional race for North Carolina’s 4th District was puppeteered by the wallet of Benjamin Netanyahu, as he whisked away the last of our previously honest lawmakers with American Israel Public Affairs Committee money.”
The American Jewish Committee explains why it is antisemitic to allege that Jews are political puppet masters:
Myths of control portray Jews as secret puppet masters, ruling over others and manipulating the world’s economies and governments. For centuries, Jews were blamed for controlling world events behind the scenes, leading “blind” leaders into wars and debt to enrich themselves and further their own hidden agenda …
The imagery of Jewish leaders pulling the strings of politicians was featured in Nazi propaganda … Antisemitic propaganda continues to spread the idea that rich or influential Jews are behind the scenes conspiring to further their plans of world domination.
It is a serious matter to state or imply that the Prime Minister of Israel is in any way financing or directing an American election. According to Congress, “Federal campaign finance law and regulation prohibits foreign money in U.S. elections.”
I reached out to five of the paper’s editors for comment. None responded.
Later in his column, the op-ed’s author repeated the antisemitic puppet master trope, writing:
While I would like to imagine Israel’s investment into Durham and Orange County was driven by their prime minister’s love for Cosmic Cantina [a local restaurant], it seems like his motivation was more nefarious. Nida Allam, Foushee’s most fearsome competitor in the 2022 election, represented everything that makes our puppet masters shudder — a principled and young candidate fighting under a truly progressive ticket.
The student column focused on the primary election in NC’s 4th Congressional district held last week between Democratic Congressional incumbent Valerie Foushee and her challenger, Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam. Israel became a major focus of this Democratic primary, with anti-Israel radicals embracing Allam.
I previously reported that in 2018, Allam tweeted, “This is the United States of Israel,” which is consistent with centuries-old antisemitic propaganda that Jews seek to dominate the world. Allam ended up issuing a public apology for her antisemitism.
The Daily Tar Heel endorsed Allam in the Nov. 3 primary. Foushee narrowly beat Allam in the election.
UNC Professor of Medicine and longtime Jewish communal leader, Dr. Adam Goldstein, told me:
It’s truly disappointing to see the UNC student newspaper endorsing a partisan description of a Congressional race in 2026 as “puppeteered by the wallet of Benjamin Netanyahu’” in 2022, with references to “Bibi’s pockets.”Such descriptions echo longstanding antisemitic tropes portraying Jews as secretly controlling political systems through money. This moves beyond criticism of a current candidate’s policies into shameful demonization of a longtime progressive Congresswoman, and those that support her, through language that is itself manipulative and corrupting.
The Daily Tar Heel’s policy page claims that it seeks “to be a leader in espousing the ethical standards of the industry [and] to serve as a beacon of journalistic integrity.” Yet, the paper fails UNC students, our community, and the people of North Carolina, by allowing these tropes about Jews and money in its pages.
Peter Reitzes writes about antisemitism in North Carolina and beyond.
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CNN Shames Itself By Shilling for Iran
Images of Iran’s new supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei and late Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei are displayed at a gathering to support Mojtaba Khamenei, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, March 9, 2026. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
There’s a reason why the Iranian regime, which murdered thousands of its own citizens just months ago, only allowed one American network access to the country. It picked CNN, because it thought it would get coverage either that was favorable in some way, or at least not critical.
We are no longer in the era of Mike Wallace. Not long after Ayatollah Khomeini took over in 1979, Wallace interviewed him in Iran. Wallace had the guts to mention that Egyptian leader Anwar Sadat called him a disgrace to Islam and a “lunatic.” The Ayatollah responded by saying that Sadat was not a Muslim and was united with their enemies. He called for the people of Egypt to overthrow Sadat. Sadat was assassinated two years later.
Wallace sat on the floor during the interview, as did the Ayatollah, and asked if he could go visit the American hostages and talk to them. He was refused.
Back to now. CNN’s Frederik Pleitgen interviewed shopkeepers who said they were scared for their lives because there were bombs.
Of course, none of the people Pleitgen would interview are capable of criticizing the regime, or they’d be beaten or killed. Pleitgen himself might be killed if he reports anything the regime doesn’t want. The reports do include the line: “CNN operated in Iran only with government permission.” But that’s meaningless.
There is value to being on the scene in a war zone, but CNN, which gets much of its ratings from bashing Trump, will no doubt find citizens who will curse Trump. And no one they talk to will support the war in any way. Is simply putting in a line that you are reporting only with the permission of the government good enough? Do the ends justify the means in this case?
Pleitgen reported that “oil-filled rain” is falling from the sky. Is he able to report on what the true process was for the appointment of Mojtaba Khamenei as the new leader? Doubtful. What about the real number of its citizens they killed? Of course, they won’t get that. What about why they apologized for striking Gulf countries, and then continued to do so? If we won’t get any real answers to real questions, why is CNN really there — other than to do the bidding of the Iranian regime?
What is surprising is that I thought they’d send the CNN reporter to the girls school that was said to have been hit by American forces. Why not let him speak with some of the parents whose children have been killed? One would think this is exactly what Iran would want. That they have not done so raises suspicions. Was it a school not marked as a school, as part of an Revolutionary Guard Corps facility? Are there some discrepancies Iran doesn’t want the world to know?
It goes without saying that there is propaganda from every country in a war. It’s not always easy to get to the truth, and all countries only want certain information to be public. I’d like to know more about the Iranian ship sunk by America. Was it really unarmed when it was coming back from exercises with India? That’s what Iran says, but the US says that’s a lie. How about an interview with one of the 32 who survived? That would be an interesting interview.
If you’re going to report from an enemy country in war, can you at least have some unique and engaging content? It will be interesting to see if CNN decides to leave Iran, realizing their reputation will be hurt and it’s not worth it to aid an enemy’s propaganda war.
The author is a writer based in New York.
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Self-Reliance Is Israel’s Strategic Imperative
A US Marines F-35C Lightning II is staged for flight operations on the flight deck of the US Navy Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln in support of the Operation Epic Fury attack on Iran from an undisclosed location March 3, 2026. Photo: US Navy/Handout via REUTERS
History has taught the Jewish people many painful lessons, but perhaps the most enduring one is this: survival can never depend entirely on the goodwill of others. Alliances matter. Partnerships strengthen nations. But the responsibility for defending the Jewish state ultimately rests with Israel itself.
For decades, the alliance between Israel and the United States has been a cornerstone of Israel’s national security. This partnership has saved lives and deterred wars. Yet responsible leadership requires looking forward, not backward.
The global order is shifting. The United States faces growing domestic polarization, rising debt, and strategic competition with China that increasingly dominates its foreign policy priorities. Within parts of American political discourse, support for foreign aid in general, and Israel in particular, is no longer a consensus issue. While bipartisan support for Israel remains somewhat in place at the institutional level, the tone and intensity of the debate have changed.
This does not mean America is abandoning Israel. But it does mean that Israel cannot afford complacency.
The Jewish State was founded in the shadow of embargoes and isolation. In 1948, when the newborn nation faced invasion, it did not enjoy the luxury of dependable suppliers. Those early experiences forged a national doctrine of self-reliance. Over the decades, Israel built one of the most advanced defense industries in the world — precisely because it understood that sovereignty without military independence is fragile.
Today, Israel produces cutting edge missile defense systems such as Iron Dome, David’s Sling, and Arrow. It leads globally in unmanned aerial systems, cyber capabilities, electronic warfare, and advanced battlefield technologies. Israeli defense exports reach Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, including countries that once viewed Israel as an adversary. Innovation is not merely an economic asset for Israel. It is a strategic necessity.
However, critical dependencies remain. Israel does not manufacture its own fifth generation fighter jets. Its air force relies heavily on American platforms such as the F-35 and F-15. Certain precision munitions and key components are sourced from abroad. Moreover, financial frameworks tied to foreign military assistance inevitably create political considerations beyond Israel’s direct control.
If the geopolitical winds shift, even slightly, those dependencies could become vulnerabilities.
Recognizing this reality does not diminish the importance of Israel’s alliances. It strengthens them.
Israel must accelerate investment in domestic production of critical munitions, expand its aerospace capabilities, and secure independent supply chains for raw materials and advanced components. It must ensure that during prolonged conflict, it can sustain itself without waiting for external political approvals. This is not an act of isolation. It is an act of national responsibility.
Israel cannot gamble its security on the internal debates of other nations, however friendly they may be. The Jewish people returned to their homeland to reclaim agency over their destiny. That agency must extend to every dimension of national defense.
In a region where weakness invites aggression, strength guarantees peace. The strongest message Israel can send to both allies and adversaries is clear: we value partnership, but our security will never be outsourced.
Sabine Sterk is the CEO of Time To Stand Up For Israel.