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Jewish teens see a generational split in their own families over Mamdani
This article was produced as part of the New York Jewish Week’s Teen Journalism Fellowship, a program that works with Jewish teens around New York City to report on issues that affect their lives.
Sixteen-year-old Chase, who lives on the Upper East Side, is close with his grandparents. They talk about school, work and national politics, but there’s one topic he avoids discussing with them: the New York City mayoral election.
He and his grandparents, who are all Reform Jews, have split views on the 34-year-old democratic socialist frontrunner, Zohran Mamdani. Chase, who did not want his last name included so his views would not be searchable to the public, has positive feelings about the candidate, while his grandparents are strongly opposed to him.
Though Chase thinks Mamdani has “good intentions and questionable execution,” he thinks he would probably vote for Mamadani if he could.
His grandparents, on the other hand, have called Mamdani antisemitic — though they don’t go into much detail beyond that, Chase said. While he thinks their perspective lacks nuance, Chase recognizes that his grandparents faced antisemitism when they were growing up in Brooklyn in the 1950s and 1960s, and were sometimes afraid to be openly Jewish. They see Mamdani’s support of Palestine and harsh criticism of Israel as a rejection of Jews. “To them, Israel is supposed to be a bastion against antisemitism,” Chase said.
Chase’s family is just one example of the generational divide among Mamdani’s supporters and detractors. A poll conducted earlier this month by Beacon Research and Shaw & Company Research found that 73% of voters under 30 support Mamdani compared to just 15% for Andrew Cuomo. For voters in the oldest bracket, 65 and older, Cuomo led Mamdani by 43% to 27%.
For New York City Jews, Mamdani’s candidacy also laid bare divisions. An October 29 poll by Quinnipiac University found 60% of Jewish voters supporting Cuomo and 16% of Jewish voters supporting Mamdani. A different poll from July by Zenith Research and Public Progress Solutions found 43% of Jews support Mamdani with the other votes spread across all other candidates. Mandani’s support in this poll came primarily from younger Jews, with two-thirds of Jews aged 18 to 44 supporting Mamdani compared to just a quarter of older Jews.
At issue for many of New York’s Jews is Mamdani’s commitment to anti-Zionist views, which some classify as a threat to Jews. Mamdani has ties to the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanction) movement, and started the first Students for Justice in Palestine chapter at Bowdoin College, where he graduated in 2014. During his campaign for mayor, he has claimed Israel committed genocide, and that while he believes Israel has a right to exist as a state, he is “not comfortable supporting any state that has a hierarchy of citizenship on the basis of religion or anything else.”
Mamdani’s stances on Israel are a quandary for many liberal New York City Jews, many of whom support his domestic policies, like building affordable housing and raising the minimum wage, but are concerned about Jewish safety and the future of the state of Israel.
Sam Rosberger, a 16-year-old Jew from Harlem who sees himself “in the middle” between Reform and Conservative, supports Mamdani’s domestic policies. “I think generally all his ideas are good, I think rent control is good. The 2% tax on people [making] over a million [dollars] is good,” he said. Although Rosberger admits that some of Mamdani’s statements about Israel have been “possibly troubling,” he does not believe the candidate is antisemitic.
However, his parents had a different first impression of Mamdani. They were “worried about him being antisemitic,” based on information and opinion pieces that circulated online, Rosberger said. Once they started listening directly to Mamdani and his messaging, their views began to change. “I don’t think it was something in specific,” Rosberger said. “They saw his actions and they saw what he said, watching debates and hearing his voice [directly].”
Rosberger’s parents also disliked the other candidates running. They thought former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was “not an appealing person on a personal level,” he said, and they have contrasting policy priorities to Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa, the radio personality and founder of the Guardian Angels. As a result, Rosberger said his parents supported Mamdani in the primary, and he thinks they will likely vote for him in Tuesday’s general election.
Gershon Leib, a junior at a Manhattan Jewish day school, said his older brother is an anti-Zionist who has canvassed for the Mamdani campaign, something that Leib said his parents are not happy about.
“There was definitely some tension in the family over his decision to do so [to canvas], I could definitely feel that,” Leib, 16, said.
Leib, a former New York Jewish Week Teen Fellow, said both of his parents disapprove of Mamdani. While his stance on Israel-Gaza is part of the problem, he said they are primarily concerned by the state assemblyman’s lack of experience and policy platform, which they disagree with.
Leib, on the other hand, sees Mamdani as “the least bad option.” He’s encouraged by what he sees as the success of other progressive mayors such as Boston’s Michelle Wu — who has implemented free buses and expanded free pre-k — to be a positive sign for Zohran’s policies.
Leib said his parents are concerned that his brother has not done enough research into Mamdani’s policy platform and is only supporting Mamdani because of his anti-Zionist stance.
In the Leib family, the generational divide extends upward to the grandparents as well. Like Chase’s grandparents, they are concerned with Mamdani’s history with the BDS movement. The whole dynamic “has been causing some friction, even at the dinner table,” Leib said.
With the election one day away, the situation with his brother is still a bit of an open wound. “Obviously they [Gershon’s grandparents] did not shut him out entirely,” Leib said, “but I could see tension boiling over who he was willing to support.”
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The post Jewish teens see a generational split in their own families over Mamdani appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.
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Katz: ‘Israel’s Goal in Lebanon is to Disarm Hezbollah’
Then-Israeli transportation minister Israel Katz attends the cabinet meeting at the Prime Minister’s office in Jerusalem, Feb. 17, 2019. Katz currently serves as the foreign minister. Photo: Sebastian Scheiner/Pool via REUTERS
i24 News – Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz held a situation assessment Friday with senior military and defense officials, reiterating that the country’s policy in Lebanon remains focused on disarming Hezbollah by military and political means. Katz emphasized that the goal applies “regardless of the Iran issue” and pledged continued protection for Israeli northern communities.
Katz said the Israel Defense Forces are completing ground maneuvers up to the anti-tank line to prevent direct threats to border towns. He outlined plans to demolish houses in villages near the border that serve as Hezbollah outposts, citing previous operations in Rafah and Khan Yunis in Gaza as models.
The Defense Minister added that the IDF will maintain security control over the Litani area and that the return of 600,000 residents of southern Lebanon who had evacuated north will not be permitted until northern communities’ safety is ensured. Katz also reaffirmed that the IDF will continue targeting Hezbollah leaders and operatives across Lebanon, noting that 1,000 terrorists have already been eliminated since the start of the current campaign.
“We promised security to the northern towns, and that is exactly what we will do,” Katz said. He further warned that the IDF will act decisively against rocket fire from Lebanon, stating that Hezbollah “will pay heavy prices.”
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Pope Leo Urges Israel’s Herzog to End Iran War in Phone Call, Vatican Says
Pope Leo XIV delivers a homily during the Palm Sunday Mass in Saint Peter’s Square at the Vatican, March 29, 2026. Photo: REUTERS/Remo Casilli
Pope Leo spoke on the phone with Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Friday and urged him to “reopen all paths of dialogue” to end the Iran war, the Vatican said.
The pope, who has emerged as a sharp critic of the regional conflict, also urged Herzog to protect civilians and promote respect for international and humanitarian law, the Vatican added.
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Iran Leaders Join Crowds on Tehran’s Streets to Project Control in Wartime
Iranians gather at a park on Nature Day, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Tehran, Iran, April 2, 2026. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
After more than a month of being stalked by targeted assassinations, Iran’s leadership has adopted a new tactic to show it is still in control – with senior officials walking openly in the streets among small crowds who have gathered in support of the Islamic Republic.
In recent days, Iran’s president and foreign minister have separately mixed with groups of several hundred people in central Tehran. On Tuesday, state television aired footage of the two posing for selfies, talking to members of the public and shaking hands with supporters who had gathered in public areas.
According to insiders and analysts, the appearances are part of a calculated effort by Iran’s theocratic leadership to project resilience and authority — not only over the vital Strait of Hormuz but also over the population — despite a sustained US-Israeli campaign aimed at “obliterating” it.
One insider close to the hardline establishment said such public outings are intended to show that the Islamic Republic is “unshaken by strikes and that it remains in control and vigilant” as the war grinds on.
The US-Israeli war on Iran began on February 28 with the killing of veteran Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and several senior military commanders in waves of strikes that have since continued to target top officials.
Iran’s new Supreme Leader, Mojtaba Khamenei, has not been seen in public since taking over on March 8 from his father. Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi, meanwhile, was removed from Israel’s hit list amid mediation efforts last month, including by Pakistan, to bring Tehran and Washington together for talks to end the war.
Talks aimed at ending the war have since appeared to have petered out, as Tehran brands US peace proposals “unrealistic.” Against that backdrop, recent public appearances by President Masoud Pezeshkian and Araqchi appear designed to project defiance, if not a convincing display of public support.
A senior Iranian source said officials’ public presence demonstrates that “the establishment is not intimidated by Israel’s targeted killing of top Iranian figures.”
Asked whether Iran’s foreign minister or president were on any sort of kill list, an Israeli military spokesperson, Nadav Shoshani, said on Friday he would not “speak about specific personnel.”
NIGHTLY RALLIES TO SHOW RESILIENCE
Despite widespread destruction, Tehran appears emboldened by surviving weeks of intense US-Israeli attacks, firing on Gulf countries hosting US troops and demonstrating its ability to effectively block the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump vowed more aggressive strikes on Iran, without offering a timeline for ending hostilities. Tehran responded by warning the United States and Israel that “more crushing, broader and more destructive” attacks were in store.
Encouraged by clerical rulers, supporters of the Islamic Republic take to the streets each night, filling public squares to show loyalty even as bombs rain down across the country.
Analysts say the establishment is also seeking to raise the “political and reputational” cost of the strikes at a time when civilian casualties are deeply disturbing for Iranians.
Omid Memarian, a senior Iran analyst at DAWN, a Washington-based think tank, said the decision to send officials into gatherings reflects a layered strategy, including an effort to sustain the morale of core supporters at a moment of acute pressure.
“The system relies heavily on this base; if its supporters withdraw from public space, its ability to project control and authority weakens significantly,” Memarian said.
Speaking to state television, some in the crowds voice unwavering loyalty to Iran’s leadership; others oppose the bombing of their country regardless of politics; and some have a stake in the system, including government employees, students and others whose livelihoods are tied to it.
Hadi Ghaemi, head of the New York-based Center for Human Rights in Iran, said the establishment is using such loyal crowds as human shields to raise the cost of any assassination attempts.
“By being in the middle of large crowds they have protections that would make Israeli-American attacks against them very bloody and generate sympathy worldwide,” he said.
POTENTIAL PROTESTERS STAY OFF STREETS AT NIGHT
The Islamic Republic emerged from a 1979 revolution backed by millions of Iranians. But decades of rule marked by corruption, repression and mismanagement have thinned that support, alienating many ordinary people.
While there has been little sign so far of anti-government protests that erupted in January and abated after a deadly crackdown, the establishment has adopted harsh measures – such as arrests, executions and large-scale deployment of security forces – to prevent any sparks of dissent.
Rights groups have warned about “rushed executions” during wartime after Iran hanged at least seven political prisoners during the war.
“Many potential protesters are frightened by the continuing presence of armed men and violent crowds in the streets and largely stay at home once darkness falls,” Ghaemi said.