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At least 20 percent of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration appointees are affiliated with groups seen as anti-Zionist, according to a Monday report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
The report found that more than 80 people among Mamdani’s more than 400 reform and administration appointees have ties to those groups or “a documented history of making anti-Israel statements.”
The organization said those appointed to the Mamdani Transition Committee have been linked to groups including Students for Justice in Palestine, a pro-Palestine network of colleges; Jewish Voice for Peace, an American anti-Zionist Jewish organization; and Within Our Lifetime, an anti-Zionist group based in New York City “known for leading protests outside synagogues.”
For example, the ADL said at least four nominees have ties to Louis Farrakhan, the antisemitic leader of the Nation of Islam. Another nominee, Jacques Léandre, is quoted as having reportedly attended a conference where Farrakhan criticized “the Jews and their power.”
ADL LADY WARNS MAYOR-ELECT ZOHRAN MAMDANI IS A ‘CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER’ TO THE JEWISH COMMUNITY.
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks to members of the media at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Several other nominees were also quoted in statements that appeared to support or justify violence against Israel and the Oct. 7 attacks. According to the ADL, Kazi Fouzia wrote on Facebook a few hours after the attack that “The opposition exists [sic] It’s appropriate when people are busy” with a video from an anti-Israel protest that took place that day in Manhattan.
The report went on to identify other nominees who have publicly expressed hostility towards Zionism.
Examples include Fahd Ahmed, who is said to have said “Zionism is racism“; Ruha Benjamin, who reportedly signed a statement that said Israel was “ideally founded on Jewish supremacy”; Lisa Ohta, who was accused of speaking about “Zionism’s ideas of genocide”; and Mohammed Karim Chowdhury, who shared a post that said “Zionists are worse than Nazis.”
MAMDANI’S FATHER SAYS COLUMBIA IS ‘OBSERVED’ BY STUDENTS WHO OPPOSE ISRAEL BECAUSE OF ANTISEMITISM.
A protester waves a Palestinian flag during a demonstration on college campuses in Washington, DC, on March 23, 2025. (ANDREW THOMAS/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
The organization also identified Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, who was cited for allegedly posting a photo of himself in the camp in front of a banner showing an inverted red triangle, a symbol associated with Hamas, next to the text “LONG LIVE THE RESISTANCE.”
The report also states that at least 12 candidates have expressed support for anti-Israel campus protests in the spring of 2024, with at least five personally attending protests. The ADL highlighted Gianpaolo Baiocchi, who was reportedly arrested at the NYU camp and later asserted that there was no hate speech. The ADL disputes that claim, citing fliers distributed at the camp that read “Death to Israel Real Estate” and “Death to America.”
Demonstrators raise a “Free Palestine” flag on Oct. 4, 2025. (Dan Gaynor)
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Mamdani, who takes office on January 1, has repeatedly stressed that he does not support discrimination against people.
The ADL noted that many of the nominees did not raise concerns and emphasized that at least 25 people expressed support for the Jewish community, including Rabbi Joe Potasnik, Félix Matos Rodríguez, Wayne Ho, John King, and Jerry Goldfeder. However, the organization said it is still concerned about Mamdani’s team in general.
“The majority of Mamdani’s appointments to the Mayoral Transition Committee are inconsistent with Mamdani’s commitment to the mission of prioritizing the safety of New York’s Jewish community,” the ADL wrote in the report.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Mamdani for further comment.
