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A Tale of Two Cities: Vienna’s Historical Warning to New York on Mamdani
Candidate Zohran Mamdani speaks during a Democratic New York City mayoral primary debate, June 4, 2025, in New York, US. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/Pool via REUTERS
The likely ascension of Zohran Mamdani to the New York City Mayorship brings uncertainty and unease to the city’s Jewish community, and for good reason.
Mamdani’s rhetoric is rabidly anti-Israel, both in its war in Gaza and in its existence as a Jewish State. How might this manifest itself should he become mayor? A historical analogy comes to mind in Vienna, Austria — more than a century ago — when another so-called populist reformer rose to power and paved the way to normalizing Jew hatred in central Europe.
Indeed, the Vienna of 1900 and New York City of 2025 share several similarities. Both Vienna’s population then and New York’s now is approximately 10% Jewish. In 1900, Jews had lived in Vienna for generations, just as they do in New York City today. In Vienna, Jews such as Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Gustav Mahler, Stefan Zweig, and Victor Adler had achieved significant roles in finance, culture, and politics. The same is true of countless titans of business, politics, fashion, and culture in modern-day New York.
However, one powerful mayor was instrumental in dramatically changing the lives of Jews in his city.
Karl Lueger was elected mayor of Vienna five times, serving from 1897 to 1910. His antisemitic views, which vilified Jews, blamed them for social and economic issues, and promoted boycotting Jewish businesses, were so extreme that initially, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph refused to support him. Ultimately, after Lueger’s fifth election, the Emperor conceded and offered his support.
With Lueger in power, it became socially acceptable — perhaps even trendy — to be an antisemite. Lueger’s influence on Vienna was tremendous. Lueger took latent antisemitism that existed and made it socially acceptable to express openly. He would give speeches, blaming the Jews for Vienna’s financial problems, rousing crowds with his antisemitic fervor.
He normalized antisemitism and successfully poisoned the minds of Vienna’s population against the Jews. Adolf Hitler himself credited Lueger as someone who helped shape his views on Jews, and he wrote in Mein Kampf that he became an antisemite in Vienna.
While Lueger himself was dead by 1910, the wicked flame that he helped light ultimately resulted in the eradication of Vienna’s Jews in the Holocaust, while the non-Jewish residents of the city largely watched or (in many cases) actively took part in their destruction.
Simon Wiesenthal lived in Vienna after World War II, and remarked later that, “Austria was about 8.5 percent of the population of greater Germany. Nazis from Austria, in positions of responsibility in the machine, were responsible for half the crimes of the Holocaust.”
Lueger deserves historical blame for much of the hatred he sowed. Lueger was not Hitler. But he created an environment in Vienna where violence against Jews was socially acceptable, giving rise to leaders who took his antisemitism to the next level.
Zohran Mamdani, in New York City today, is heading in the same direction.
Mamdani supports Within Our Lifetime (WOL), a New York-based organization that seeks to create support for Palestinian aspirations within New York. On their website, they recommend chants like “Occupation is a crime, From New York to Palestine!” Or “From New York to Gaza, Globalize the Intifada!” “Globalize the Intifada” can reasonably be interpreted as a call to violence against Jews in New York and beyond.
WOL protested at Columbia University, with some people yelling at Jewish students, “Never forget the 7th of October! That will happen … 10,000 more times!” WOL has posted maps online revealing locations of Jewish organizations, stating “they have blood on their hands.” This is not only outrageous, but also a direct threat. Yet, Mamdani stands alongside them.
During his college years, Mamdani co-founded a chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP). This organization has become infamous for fostering an atmosphere of intimidation towards Jewish students on campuses all over the country. SJP currently faces bans on multiple campuses. Yet Mamdani continues to support them staunchly.
Labeling Israel as a genocidal state, which Mamdani does, perpetuates harmful blood libels against Israel and pro-Israel Jews. This kind of rhetoric creates a toxic environment where intimidation against Jews and Jewish organizations becomes acceptable and legitimate. Mamdani’s threats to arrest Netanyahu are not merely illegal under Federal law; they invite further hostility and unrest for Jewish New Yorkers.
Although Mamdani claims to have Jewish supporters, in this he echoes Vienna’s Mayor Karl Lueger, who also had Jewish “friends.” When confronted about this contradiction to his antisemitic views, Lueger infamously declared, “I decide who is a Jew.” This attitude reflects Mamdani’s own selective acceptance: as long as one is not a pro-Israel Jew, they are welcome in his circle.
The position of Mayor of New York City does not include dictating international policy. Yet, Vienna’s Jewish history has shown us that antisemitic rhetoric can have a global impact.
Rabbi Menachem Levine is the CEO of JDBY-YTT, the largest Jewish school in the Midwest. He served as Rabbi of Congregation Am Echad in San Jose, CA, from 2007 to 2020. He is a popular speaker and writes for numerous publications. Rabbi Levine’s personal website is https://thinktorah.org
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Iran Opposes Grossi’s UN Secretary-General Candidacy, Accuses Him of Failing to Uphold International Law
UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi holds a press conference on the opening day of the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) quarterly Board of Governors meeting in Vienna, Austria, Sept. 8, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Elisabeth Mandl
Iran has publicly opposed International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi’s potential appointment as UN Secretary-General next year, accusing him of failing to uphold international law by not condemning US and Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear sites during the 12-day war between Iran and Israel in June.
During a UN Security Council meeting on Monday, Iran’s Ambassador to the UN, Amir Saeid Iravani, sharply criticized Grossi, calling him unfit” to serve as UN Secretary-General next year, Iranian media reported.
“A candidate who has deliberately failed to uphold the UN Charter — or to condemn unlawful military attacks against safeguarded, peaceful nuclear facilities … undermines confidence in his ability to serve as a faithful guardian of the charter and to discharge his duties independently, impartially, and without political bias or fear of powerful states,” the Iranian diplomat said.
With UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ term ending in December next year, member states have already begun nominating candidates to take over the role ahead of the expected 2026 election.
Since the start of the war in Gaza, Israel’s relationship with Guterres has spiraled downward, reaching a low point last year when then-Foreign Minister Israel Katz labeled the UN “antisemitic and anti-Israeli” and declared Guterres persona non grata after the top UN official failed to condemn Tehran for its ballistic missile attack against the Jewish state.
Last week, Argentina officially nominated Grossi to succeed Guterres as the next UN Secretary-General.
To be elected, a nominee must first secure the support of at least nine members of the UN Security Council and avoid a veto from any of its five permanent members — the United States, China, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France.
Afterward, the UN General Assembly votes, with a simple majority needed to confirm the organization’s next leader.
As head of the UN’s nuclear watchdog since 2019, Grossi has consistently urged Iran to provide transparency on its nuclear program and cooperate with the agency, efforts the Islamist regime has repeatedly rejected and obstructed.
Despite Iran’s claims that its nuclear program is solely for civilian purposes rather than weapons development, Western powers have said there is no “credible civilian justification” for the country’s nuclear activity, arguing it “gives Iran the capability to rapidly produce sufficient fissile material for multiple nuclear weapons.”
With prospects for renewed negotiations or nuclear cooperation dwindling, Iran has been intensifying efforts to rebuild its air and defense capabilities decimated during the 12-day war with Israel.
On Monday, Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), declared that the IAEA has no authority to inspect sites targeted during the June war, following Grossi’s renewed calls for Tehran to allow inspections of its nuclear sites and expand cooperation with the agency.
Iran has also announced plans to expand its nuclear cooperation with Russia and advance the construction of new nuclear power plants, as both countries continue to deepen their bilateral relations.
According to AEOI spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi, one nuclear power plant is currently operational, while other two are under construction, with new contracts signed during a recent high-level meeting in Moscow.
Kamalvandi also said Iran plans to build four nuclear power plants in the country’s southern region as part of its long-term partnership with Russia.
During a joint press conference in Moscow on Tuesday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi reiterated Iran’s commitment to defending the country’s “legal nuclear rights” under the now-defunct 2015 nuclear deal, noting that Tehran’s nuclear policies have remained within the international legal framework.
Iran’s growing ties with Russia, particularly in nuclear cooperation, have deepened in recent years as both countries face mounting Western sanctions and seek to expand their influence in opposition to Western powers.
Russia has not only helped Iran build its nuclear program but also consistently defended the country’s “nuclear rights” on the global stage, while opposing the imposition of renewed economic sanctions.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has described the reinstatement of UN sanctions against Iran as a “disgrace to diplomacy.”
In an interview with the Islamic Republic of Iran News Network (IRINN), Lavrov accused European powers of attempting to blame Tehran for the collapse of the 2015 nuclear deal, despite what he described as Iran’s compliance with the agreement.
Prior to the 12-day war, the IAEA flagged a series of Iranian violations of the deal.
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Eurovision Host Says It Will Not Drown Out Any Boos During Israel’s Performance
ORF executive producer Michael Kroen attends a press conference about the Eurovision Song Contest in Vienna, Austria, Dec. 16, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Lisa Leutner
The host broadcaster of the next Eurovision Song Contest, Austria’s ORF, will not ban the Palestinian flag from the audience or drown out booing during Israel’s performance as has happened at previous shows, organizers said on Tuesday.
The 70th edition of the contest in May will have just 35 entries, the smallest number of participants since 2003, after five national broadcasters including those of Spain, Ireland, and the Netherlands said they would boycott the show in protest at Israel’s participation.
What is usually a celebration of national diversity, pop music, and high camp has become embroiled in diplomatic strife, with those boycotting saying it would be unconscionable to take part given the number of civilians killed in Gaza during Israel’s military campaign following the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, invasion of and massacre across southern Israel.
“We will allow all official flags that exist in the world, if they comply with the law and are in a certain form – size, security risks, etc.,” the show’s executive producer, Michael Kroen, told a news conference organized by ORF.
“We will not sugarcoat anything or avoid showing what is happening, because our task is to show things as they are,” Kroen said.
AUSTRIA SUPPORTED ISRAEL PARTICIPATING
The broadcaster will not drown out the sound of any booing from the crowd, as happened this year during Israel’s performance, ORF’s director of programming Stefanie Groiss-Horowitz said.
“We won’t play artificial applause over it at any point,” she said.
Israel’s 2025 entrant, Yuval Raphael, was at the Nova music festival that was a target of the Hamas-led attack. The CEO of Israeli broadcaster KAN had likened the efforts to exclude Israel in 2026 to a form of “cultural boycott.”
ORF and the Austrian government were among the biggest supporters of Israel participating over the objections of countries including Iceland and Slovenia, which will also boycott the next contest in protest. ORF Director General Roland Weissmann visited Israel in November to show his support.
This year’s show drew around 166 million viewers, according to the European Broadcasting Union, more than the roughly 128 million who Nielsen estimates watched the Super Bowl.
The war in Gaza began after Hamas-led terrorists killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and seized 251 hostages in an attack on southern Israel.
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Antisemitism Allowed to Fester in Australia, Says Daughter of Wounded Holocaust Survivor
Victoria Teplitsky, daughter of a Holocaust survivor who was wounded at the Bondi shootings, stands at a floral memorial in honor of the victims of the mass shooting targeting a Hanukkah celebration on Sunday, at Bondi Beach, in Sydney, Australia, Dec. 16, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Jeremy Piper
Government authorities have not done enough to stamp out hatred of Jews in Australia, which has allowed it to fester in the aftermath of Oct. 7, said the daughter of a Holocaust survivor who was wounded at the Bondi shootings on Sunday.
Victoria Teplitsky, 53, a retired childcare center owner, said that the father and son who allegedly went on a 10-minute shooting spree that killed 15 people had been “taught to hate,” which was a bigger factor in the attack than access to guns.
“It’s not the fact that those two people had a gun. It’s the fact that hatred has been allowed to fester against the Jewish minority in Australia,” she told Reuters in an interview.
“We are angry at our government because it comes from the top, and they should have stood up for our community with strength. And they should have squashed the hatred rather than kind of letting it slide,” she said.
“We’ve been ignored. We feel like, are we not Australian enough? Do we not matter to our government?”
The attackers fired upon hundreds of people at a Jewish festival during a roughly 10-minute killing spree, forcing people to flee and take shelter before both were shot by police.
RISING ANTISEMITIC ATTACKS
Antisemitic incidents have been rising in Australia since the war in Gaza erupted after Palestinian terrorist group Hamas killed 1,200 Israelis in an attack on Oct. 7, 2023.
A rise in such incidents in the past sixteen months prompted the head of the nation’s main intelligence agency to declare that antisemitism was his top priority in terms of threat.
“This was not a surprise to the Jewish community. We warned the government of this many, many times over,” Teplitsky said.
“We’ve had synagogues that have been graffitied, graffiti everywhere, and we’ve had synagogues that have been bombed,” she added, referring to a 2024 arson attack in Melbourne in which no one was killed.
Teplitsky’s father Semyon, 86, bled heavily after being shot in the leg, and now is facing several operations as doctors piece bone back together with cement, then remove the cement from the leg, which he still may lose, she said.
“He’s in good spirits, but he’s also very angry. Angry that this happened, that this was allowed to happen in Australia, the country that he took his children to, to be safe, to be away from antisemitism, to be away from Jew hatred.”
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese “did nothing” to curb antisemitism.
Albanese repeated on Tuesday Australia‘s support for a two-state solution. Anti-Israel, pro-Hamas protests have been common in Australia since Israel launched its offensive in Gaza.
At a press briefing on Monday, Albanese read through a list of actions his government had taken, including criminalizing hate speech and incitement to violence and a ban on the Nazi salute. He also pledged to extend funding for physical security for Jewish community groups.