Governor Josh Shapiro, one of the most outstanding Jewish politicians in this country, criticized the nominated Democratic Mayor of Zohran Mamdani, the nominated for the mayor of the New York Democratic Mayor for the fact that he did not do more in the fight against anti -Semitism on the campaign trail – contributing to the attack line against the progress of the candidate.
Shapiro said that Mamdani “seemed to run a campaign that excited New Yorkers”, but also seemed to lead one “in which he left too much space so that extremists could use his words, or not condemn the words of extremists who said that some grossly anti -Semitic things”, asked about the candidate by a candidate by a candidate by a candidate by a candidate by a candidate by a candidate by a candidate Jewish confidentiality after the event in Lewistown, Pa., Wednesday.
Mamdani, a member of the New York congregation, who identifies as a democratic socialist and would be the first Muslim mayor in New York, focused his campaign on issues related to the affordability of the price. But he also met with constant interrogation on critical views on Israel in a city with the largest Jewish population in the country.
In the transcription of Shapiro comments obtained by Inquirer Governor Pennsylvania also said that he was so “he didn’t really follow New York’s policy” and “he didn’t know who Mamdani was up to a few days before this choice.”
“I will say it about Mamdani or any other leader,” Shapiro also said. “Leaders are obliged to speak and act with moral clarity. … I don’t care if you are a republican leader, democratic or democratic socialist leader.”
Shapiro added that “when your supporters say that things are grossly anti -Semitic, you can’t leave a place to just sit there. You have to condemn it. And I think it’s true, regardless of the office, no matter what your event is.”
Mamdani’s campaign did not immediately answer to the request for comment on Thursday.
Nominated by a democratic candidate in November against the former Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo and the current mayor Eric Adams, both growing independent offers after serving as Democrats, as well as Republican Curtis Sliwa.
Shapiro is one of several outstanding democrats in the whole country who reluctantly accepted Mamdani as a nominated party to lead the largest city in the country.
»Read more: Why are the candidates of the Governor of the NJ fight for Zohran Mamdani
Mamdani stood in the face of a special redemption for not the condemnation of the expression “Globalized intifada”, when repeatedly asked by interviewers last month.
IntifadaWhich translates into “shock” or “uprising” in Arabic, was used to express support for Palestinians, but it was also interpreted as a call to violence against Jews or Israelis.
Part of this why this term is perceived as a call to violence results from the periods of the Palestinian uprising against the military occupation of Israel in Gaza and West Brzeg referred to as “intifadas”, At the beginning of 2000, when Palestinian attackers carried out fatal suicide attacks in public places in Israel, such as buses, restaurants and hotels, causing Israel’s fierce and deadly military reaction.
When asked again about this sentence on NY1 last week, Mamdani said he thought a lot about it and realizes that for some New Yorkers he was accustomed to “civil disobedience and protest, calls for the end of the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Land”, but for “many Jewish New Yorkers” it is heard ” Hejfs, Jerinan “, but for” many Jewish New Yorkers “it is heard” very different “as” a reference to bombing in a hejf, in hejm, hejm, and support, and support, and behaves.
“This distance between what some people intend and what others hear is a bridge that is too far away and therefore I did not utilize this expression and therefore I discourage its utilize,” he added. “I focus on building a movement for justice and equality.”
Mamdani also He told business leaders This month he will not utilize this expression and discourage others from it.
His promise to discourage this term is the transition from his comments in June, when he repeatedly said that he understood this term means something completely different than different people and does not want the language of other people, comparing practice with the actions of President Donald Trump.
In June, Mamdani said Bastard Podcast that he hears a “desperate desire for equality” for Palestinians in controversial slogans. He said that the translation of Arab words could be difficult and that Intifada It was used in the translation of the Memorial Museum in the Holocaust in the United States of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising against the Nazis. The museum called the “outrageous” and “comparisonoffensive. “
He also said in Podcastie that the fight against anti -Semitism should be the subject of the mayor’s next administration. He undertook to finance the prevention of hate crime.
“This is not the language I utilize,” Mamdani NBC said in June. “This is a language that I understand, there are fears, and what I do is show your vision of the city with my words and actions.”
Shapiro was a critic of the Israeli leadership of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while supporting the existence of the country as a Jewish state, and argued that these two should not be mutually exclusive. Favors favors a two -state solution.
“There are Netanyahu government policies that I do not support. I was very thunderous,” said Shapiro Jewish Insider. “But there is a difference between the lack of support of the policy of who is responsible at a specified time and the basic concept of the Jewish state of Israel.”
Shapiro said that although Washington – not to be foreseen – has the task of most foreign work, worries about reduced support for Israel in the United States and believes that it is important to “strengthen the understanding of Israel and the relationship in which America should have with Israel and strengthen this bond.” He noticed that support for Israel in the past exceeded party policy.
“I think that in general, in general, I want to see greater support for Israel, for the Jewish state,” he added. “This does not mean that Israeli policy cannot be criticized.”
Shapiro survived the attack of arson during his stay in the governor’s residence with his family to celebrate Passover at the beginning of this year. The perpetrator allegedly commented on Shapiro’s support for Israel. The governor did not mark the attack as an anti -Semitic act, leaving the police to determine the motive. But others perceived this as another attack on the growing list of Jews directed to their support for the existence of Israel as a Jewish state.
New York Brad Lander, New York, who crossed Mamdani in a democratic prime, said in a statement published in a statement Politico That Mamdani “won the votes of the huge majority of Democrats from New York, including thousands of proud Jews like me, inspired by his vision of the city, which everyone can afford his involvement in combating anti -Semitism and hatred.”
“Josh Shapiro will not support to provide Jews with security in New York or Pennsylvania, feeding Trump’s narrative about our democratic nominated mayor,” added Lander.
