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New data reveals how Jewish neighborhoods split between Cuomo and Mamdani
New data shows just how starkly New York City’s Jewish voters split in last week’s mayoral election — with Andrew Cuomo dominating in Hasidic and other Orthodox strongholds, while Zohran Mamdani swept progressive Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn and Manhattan on his way to a citywide win.
The analysis of election districts where at least 10% of voters have Jewish-identifiable surnames doesn’t show how individual Jews voted, but it offers one of the clearest proxies for Jewish political geography. The numbers were shared with the Forward by the Center for Urban Research at the CUNY Graduate Center.
Jews make up an estimated 10% to 15% of the New York City electorate.
In Borough Park, where the Hasidic community turned out at unprecedented levels, Cuomo received 88% of the more than 21,000 votes cast in those almost-Jewish districts alone. Just 6.6% went for Mamdani. In Midwood, Marine Park, and Seagate, neighborhoods with a significant Haredi population, Cuomo received between 79% and 65% respectively.
The Williamsburg neighborhoods with a large concentration of members of the Satmar Hasidic community voted largely for Cuomo, giving him 68% of the vote. Mamdani, who was endorsed by the leader of the Satmar Ahronim faction and published an open letter in Hasidic Yiddish, received 25% of the 9,175 voters there.
In the Crown Heights precincts with a significant Chabad presence, Cuomo, who has close ties with the Chabad-Lubavitch sect, received 75% to Mamdani’s 22%.
In other Brooklyn neighborhoods, the pattern completely flipped. In the Park Slope precincts with more progressive and liberal Jews, where turnout topped 17,000, 75.5% voted for Mamdani and 21.6% for Cuomo. The same trend held across Prospect Heights, Clinton Hill, Greenpoint, Fort Greene and parts of Brooklyn Heights, with Mamdani receiving between 60% and 72%.
Across the city, in Riverdale’s Modern Orthodox enclave of Fieldston and the Queens neighborhoods of Kew Gardens Hills and Fresh Meadows, Cuomo also won decisive margins, receiving between 57% to 77% of the vote.
Mamdani performed better in Manhattan than in the June Democratic primary. In the Upper West Side and SoHo Tribeca, the vote split 50-46 in Mamdani’s favor. In West and Central Village, Cuomo had a 49-47 advantage. And in Chelsea, Cuomo got 50% to Mamdani’s 45%. Mamdani won decisively in Morningside and Washington Heights. In the Lower East Side, the candidates received 46% of the vote.
The Upper East Side went for Cuomo 2 to 1.
“I’m so proud of the support that we received from the Jewish community,” Mamdani told the Forward on Monday. “It was support that animated every single part of the campaign that we ran.”
Voter turnout in Haredi neighborhoods
The mayoral election may also be remembered less for how Jews voted than how many Haredi voters showed up for the first time.
Election districts in Borough Park, Midwood and Williamsburg saw some of the biggest single-cycle turnout surges. One Borough Park election district jumped from 280 voters in 2021 to 1,046 this year — a fourfold increase.
Concerns about Mamdani’s rhetoric on Israel and his ties with left-wing groups associated with the boycott Israel movement energized many in the community. Local WhatsApp groups buzzed with reminders, rabbis sent out letters, and new voters rushed to register in the final weeks of the campaign.
Mamdani pledged to reach out to the community and assuage concerns by action once he takes office. “I’m committed to being a mayor for every single Jewish New Yorker, just like I’ll be a mayor for every single person that calls the city home,” he said on Monday. “That includes those who have concerns, those who didn’t vote for me, those who didn’t vote at all.”
The post New data reveals how Jewish neighborhoods split between Cuomo and Mamdani appeared first on The Forward.
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UK Prosecutors Try to Reinstate Terrorism Charge Against Kneecap Rapper
Member of Kneecap Liam O’Hanna, also known as Liam Og O hAnnaidh and performing under the name of Mo Chara, speaks to supporters outside Woolwich Crown Court, after a UK court threw out his prosecution for a terrorism offense, in London, Britain, Sept. 26, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Hannah McKay
British prosecutors sought to reinstate a terrorism charge against a member of Irish rap group Kneecap on Wednesday for displaying a flag of Iran-backed Lebanese terrorist group Hezbollah at a London gig, after a court threw out the case last year.
Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, whose stage name is Mo Chara, was accused of having waved the flag of the banned Islamist group Hezbollah during a November 2024 gig.
The charge was thrown out in September after a court ruled it had originally been brought without the permission of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney General, and also one day outside the six-month statutory limit.
But the Crown Prosecution Service said it would challenge the ruling and its lawyer Paul Jarvis told London’s High Court on Wednesday that permission was only required by the time Ó hAnnaidh first appeared in court, meaning the case can proceed.
Kneecap – known for their politically charged lyrics and anti-Israel activism – have said the case is an attempt to distract from what they described as British complicity in Israel’s so-called “genocide” in Gaza. Israel strongly denies committing a genocide in the coastal territory, where it launched a military campaign against Hamas after the Palestinian terrorist group invaded Israeli territory.
J.J. Ó Dochartaigh, who goes by DJ Próvaí, was in court but Ó hAnnaidh was not required to attend and was not present.
KNEECAP SAYS PROSECUTION A DISTRACTION
Ó hAnnaidh was charged in May with displaying the Hezbollah flag in such a way that aroused reasonable suspicion that he supported the banned group, after footage emerged of him holding the flag on stage while saying “Up Hamas, up Hezbollah.”
Kneecap have previously said the flag was thrown on stage during their performance and that they “do not, and have never, supported Hamas or Hezbollah.”
The group, who rap about Irish identity and support the republican cause of uniting Northern Ireland with the Republic of Ireland, have become increasingly vocal about the war in Gaza, particularly after Ó hAnnaidh was charged in May.
During their performance at June’s Glastonbury Festival in England, Ó hAnnaidh accused Israel of committing war crimes, after Kneecap displayed pro-Palestinian messages during their set at the Coachella Festival in California in April.
Kneecap have since been banned from Hungary and Canada, also canceling a tour of the United States due to a clash with Ó hAnnaidh’s court appearances.
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German-Israel Deal Strengthens Cyber Defense, German Minister Says
A German and Israeli flag fly, on the day Chancellor Friedrich Merz meets with Israeli President Isaac Herzog for talks, in Berlin, Germany, May 12, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Liesa Johannssen
A new German-Israel agreement aims to counter cyber threats and enhance security infrastructure, German Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt told parliament on Wednesday.
Dobrindt signed the agreement with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem over the weekend.
The collaboration includes the development of a joint “cyber dome” system, an artificial intelligence and cyber innovation center, drone defense cooperation, and improved civilian warning systems.
“We have already had a trusting partnership in the past, which we want to strengthen further,” Dobrindt said. “Israel has extensive experience in cyber defense. We want to benefit from that.”
The German Interior Ministry said on Monday the agreement would extend to protecting energy infrastructure and connected vehicle networks, in addition to enhancing collaboration in civil protection, counter-terrorism, and criminal prosecution.
European countries are facing increasing pressure to fortify their cyber defense systems against sophisticated attacks.
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France Explores Sending Eutelsat Terminals to Iran Amid Internet Blackout
French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noel Barrot attends the questions to the government session at the National Assembly in Paris, France, Jan. 13, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq
France is looking into sending Eutelsat satellite terminals to Iran to help citizens after Iranian authorities imposed a blackout of internet services in a bid to quell the country’s most violent domestic unrest in decades.
“We are exploring all options, and the one you have mentioned is among them,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot said on Wednesday in the lower house after a lawmaker asked whether France would send Eutelsat gear to Iran.
Backed by the French and British governments, Eutelsat owns OneWeb, the only low Earth orbit constellation, or group of satellites, besides Elon Musk’s Starlink.
The satellites are used to beam internet service from space, providing broadband connectivity to businesses, governments, and consumers in underserved areas.
Iranian authorities in recent days have launched a deadly crackdown that has reportedly killed thousands during protests against clerical rule, and imposed a near-complete shutdown of internet service.
Still, some Iranians have managed to connect to Starlink satellite internet service, three people inside the country said.
Even Starlink service appears to be reduced, Alp Toker, founder of internet monitoring group NetBlocks said earlier this week.
Eutelsat declined to comment when asked by Reuters about Barrot’s remarks and its activities in Iran.
Starlink’s more than 9,000 satellites allow higher speeds than Eutelsat‘s fleet of over 600, and its terminals connecting users to the network are cheaper and easier to install.
Eutelsat also provides internet access to Ukraine’s military, which has relied on Starlink to maintain battlefield connectivity throughout the war with Russia.
Independent satellite communications adviser Carlos Placido said OneWeb terminals are bulkier than Starlink’s and easier to jam.
“The sheer scale of the Starlink constellation makes jamming more challenging, though certainly not impossible,” Placido said. “With OneWeb it is much easier to predict which satellite will become online over a given location at a given time.”