{"id":90375,"date":"2025-11-16T19:47:55","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T00:47:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=90375"},"modified":"2025-11-17T06:48:33","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T11:48:33","slug":"he-was-zohran-mamdanis-jewish-wingman-whats-next-for-brad-lander","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/he-was-zohran-mamdanis-jewish-wingman-whats-next-for-brad-lander\/","title":{"rendered":"He was Zohran Mamdani\u2019s Jewish wingman. What\u2019s next for Brad Lander?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By JOSEPH STRAUSS<\/p>\n

(JTA) \u2014 When Brad Lander and Zohran Mamdani were jointly honored at a left-wing Jewish event in September, the two politicians\u2019 alliance was at the center of the evening.<\/p>\n

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Zohran Mamdani and Brad Lander were co-honored at the Jews For Racial And Economic Justice’s Mazals Gala, Sept. 10, 2025, New York City. (John Lamparski\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Lander, who had cross-endorsed Mamdani in the Democratic primary months earlier, said he was \u201cproud to be a Jew for Zohran\u201d during his speech at the Mazals gala, hosted by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice. The pair hugged onstage as comedian Ilana Glazer introduced them. The mood was celebratory, albeit sprinkled with cautious reminders that there was still a general election to win.<\/p>\n

Nearly two months later, Mamdani fulfilled expectations with an election win. Lander would attend his election night rally, celebrating Andrew Cuomo\u2019s loss with a T-shirt that read \u201cGood f\u2014ing riddance.\u201d<\/p>\n

But his future in the city\u2019s new order was uncertain. After Lander reportedly angled for a top position in Mamdani\u2019s City Hall, Mamdani filled out his leadership team with others, leaving Lander in the cold when his tenure as comptroller ends next month. Now, he appears to be considering a run for Congress in his district, setting up a potential rare instance of a Jewish progressive challenging a Jewish centrist.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t be making any news tonight,\u201d Lander warned with a smile at an event Wednesday night for Standing Together, an Israel-Palestinian peace-building organization. Supporters greeted him after the event, many saying they\u2019d be happy to canvass and vote for him should he run for Congress. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere are many ways to serve, and I will have more to say about the ones that I am looking forward to in the future,\u201d Lander said in an interview after the event.<\/p>\n

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Brad Lander, left, and Dan Goldman speak outside the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on Aug. 7, 2025, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Lander told Crain\u2019s New York Business last week that he is \u201cvery seriously considering\u201d challenging Rep. Dan Goldman in New York\u2019s 10th Congressional District in next year\u2019s midterm Democratic primary. A poll taken last month suggests that he could stand a strong chance \u2014 though the likely entrance of a democratic socialist, Alexa Aviles, would complicate the picture.<\/p>\n

Israel would likely weigh heavily in a Lander-Goldman matchup. Lander is a self-described liberal Zionist whose criticism of Israel has intensified since his alliance with Mamdani, a longtime anti-Zionist. Goldman is a moderate who did not endorse in the general election for mayor, saying he was \u201cvery concerned about some of the rhetoric coming from Zohran Mamdani,\u201d and that he wanted to see Mamdani condemn \u201cviolence in the name of anti-Israel, anti-Zionism.\u201d<\/p>\n

The New York Times reported on Friday that Mamdani had urged Lander to challenge Goldman \u2014 in the same conversation where he told Lander he wouldn\u2019t be hiring him at City Hall.<\/p>\n

The 10th Congressional District covers Lower Manhattan, as well as parts of western and central Brooklyn, where Lander was a three-term City Council member. While Lower Manhattan was more split in the general election, most of the district\u2019s Brooklyn neighborhoods voted overwhelmingly for Mamdani. The district also includes part of Borough Park, a neighborhood with a large Orthodox Jewish population that strongly supported the centrist mayoral candidate, Andrew Cuomo.<\/p>\n

There has been an appetite in progressive circles for Goldman to be replaced in 2026 by a candidate more aligned with their politics. \u201cDump Dan\u201d flyers were handed out to people lining up for Wednesday\u2019s event with Lander, held in a Brooklyn Heights church that falls within the district.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would love to see Brad in Congress,\u201d said Arlene Geiger, founder and coordinator of the Upper West Side Action Group, which endorsed Lander in the Democratic mayoral primary. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s progressive and Dan Goldman is very tied to AIPAC,\u201d she continued, referring to the Israel lobby that is seen as increasingly toxic by Democrats. \u201cI don\u2019t like his position on the Middle East at all. He\u2019s more of a centrist.\u201d<\/p>\n

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NYC Council Member Alexa Avil\u00e9s escorts an individual out of immigration court at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Building on June 18, 2025. (Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Geiger\u2019s group is based outside the district, but she said in an interview that it \u201cwould be happy to be working\u201d on Lander\u2019s campaign to challenge Goldman. <\/p>\n

A September poll by Data for Progress surveyed voters in the 10th congressional district; in a two-man race between Goldman and Lander, the poll found that Lander would win 52-33. <\/p>\n

But Democratic strategist Trip Yang advised pumping the brakes, pointing out that polls taken so far in advance of an election \u201cdon\u2019t matter as much\u201d and that incumbents bring an advantage. Plus, he noted, City Council member Alexa Aviles, who\u2019s reported to have interest in the seat, could pose an obstacle for Lander.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn a lot of ways, Alexa Aviles has a higher ceiling as a congressional candidate than Brad Lander,\u201d Yang said, pointing out that 20% of the district is Latino, and that she would likely have the Democratic Socialists of America\u2019s endorsement, giving her more of \u201cthe Zohran imprint.\u201d <\/p>\n

At first, the DSA privately committed not to endorse any of Lander\u2019s hypothetical opponents, but \u2014 after Lander held out on entering the race while awaiting a potential job under Mamdani \u2014 has since voted to back Aviles, a longtime member. The group distributed an email sharing the endorsement over the weekend, confirming a report in the New York Times, which reported that multiple sources said Mamdani, himself a DSA member, has said he would back Lander.<\/p>\n

The endorsement sets up the potential for a repeat of 2022, when a progressive split across multiple candidates delivered the seat for Goldman.<\/p>\n

While already a known quantity as the city\u2019s top financial officer, Lander gained \u201cthe Zohran imprint\u201d himself by closely associating with the mayoral frontrunner since June. Lander also gained recognition over his recent protests against ICE, for which he was arrested by federal agents at an immigration court. (Goldman and Aviles both visited immigration courts to monitor ICE at the same time.)<\/p>\n

After finishing third in the ranked-choice primary, Lander actively stumped for Mamdani throughout the general election campaign to help defeat Cuomo a second time. <\/p>\n

\u201cI was proud to do that \u2014 I have been proud all the way through the general election campaign to campaign with him, side by side,\u201d Lander said this week. He added that he would \u201ccontinue to work in close partnership\u201d with Mamdani to achieve his campaign goals.<\/p>\n

Throughout the election, Lander worked to ease concerns from many Jewish New Yorkers about Mamdani\u2019s position on Israel, including his support for the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. Lander sought to reinforce Mamdani\u2019s commitment to the safety of Jewish New Yorkers, and showcased the democratic socialist\u2019s engagement with Jewish communities. <\/p>\n

He brought Mamdani to the progressive synagogue Kolot Chayeinu, where Lander is a member, for Rosh Hashanah services, and accompanied Mamdani for Kol Nidre services at another progressive congregation. <\/p>\n

He spoke highly of Mamdani at the Mazals. \u201cHaving an immigrant Muslim mayor with a genuinely inclusive vision \u2014 and that brilliant smile \u2014 it offers us a chance for us to strengthen what is, for so many of us, so deeply Jewish about this city,\u201d Lander said. \u201cAnd that\u2019s why I\u2019m proud to be a Jew for Zohran.\u201d<\/p>\n

Critics said Lander\u2019s efforts merely \u201ckosherized\u201d antisemitism at a time when fierce reaction to the war in Gaza led to Jews feeling unsafe and isolated, and anti-Jewish attacks rose.<\/p>\n

\u201cLander is part of a larger story of the collapse of New York\u2019s Jewish-political establishment, which has forced Jews to seek representation in non-Jewish politicians who inevitably get told to mind their business when they criticize anti-Semitism,\u201d the conservative pundit Seth Mandel wrote in Commentary in June. \u201cLander has played an important role in this collapse by being a sherpa of sorts for rising Jew-baiters.\u201d<\/p>\n

And as the election wore on, Lander seemingly moved closer toward Mamdani\u2019s positions; he began using the term \u201cgenocide\u201d to describe Israel\u2019s military campaign in Gaza \u2014 a term he had previously refrained from using \u2014 during a Yom Kippur service in October.<\/p>\n

Lander credited that shift in terminology to conversations he had with his daughter, who had read Raphael Lemkin \u2014 the Holocaust survivor who coined the term \u201cgenocide\u201d \u2014 in a college class.<\/p>\n

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Comptroller Brad Lander and New York Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani arrive for a press conference on September 26, 2025 in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago\/Getty Images)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cShe had read a lot of Lemkin and she brought it forward to me, and pushed me pretty hard,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd we had a lot of conversation, debate back and forth \u2014 we\u2019re not so different from many other families full of liberal Zionist parents and further left kids.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added, \u201cYou can continue to be a liberal Zionist who believes in the vision of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and be honest about what Israel has been doing to Palestinians in Gaza, and the West Bank as well.\u201d<\/p>\n

In his efforts to warm Jewish voters to the idea of voting for Mamdani, Lander spoke to groups like the Upper West Side Action Group \u2014 which had endorsed him in the primary \u2014 and took questions about Mamdani from an audience that was mostly Jewish.<\/p>\n

Geiger, the group\u2019s coordinator, said Lander\u2019s endorsement helped grow Mamdani\u2019s support among their voters who were unsure because of the candidate\u2019s stance on Israel, as well as the 34-year-old Assembly member\u2019s lack of executive experience.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere were those, I think, who were swayed by Brad\u2019s endorsement because they like Brad, and knew him,\u201d said Geiger, who is Jewish.<\/p>\n

Yang said he believed that Lander\u2019s advocacy boosted Mamdani\u2019s appeal. \u201cI don\u2019t know if Zohran has this big of a winning margin without Brad Lander,\u201d he said. \u201cYou have to give Brad credit for this.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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