| by Jonathan Kuttab The biggest news this week was of the amazing victory of Zohran Mamdani, who decisively won the race for Mayor of New York City. The victory itself was quite significant as it showed the ability of determined people to buck the system, confound established dogma and conventional wisdom, and challenge entrenched centers of authority and powerful monied interests. An unknown young man, an immigrant, a Muslim, and a self professed social democrat was able to take on the powerful in the heart of the largest U.S. city and prevail. Starting with only 1% support a year ago, he put together an army of 100,000 volunteers who campaigned tirelessly and defeated in the primary the well-known established dynasty of Andrew Cuomo and his friends, And, when Cuomo ran against Mamdani as an independent, Cuomo enlisted the powerful establishment of both parties, as well as Elon Musk and President Trump who asked his fellow Republicans to vote for Cuomo instead of the Republican candidate just to thwart Mamdani and his followers. Fearmongering advertisements appealing to the basest Islamophobia all failed, as Mamdani collected more votes than both his rivals combined. One of the most significant features of the vote was the reported 30% of Jews who voted for Mamdani, despite open opposition by the organized Jewish establishment. This even included public appeals by hundreds of rabbis who claimed Mamdani was anti-semitic and urged their congregants to vote against him as a danger to the Jewish community. The voters did not follow the so-called traditional wisdom and well-established mindset that could not conceive of a Muslim or an anti-Zionist winning in New York City. Mamdani did all this at a time when many were despondent, despairing in the face of rampant corruption, distrust of traditional values and institutions, the weaponization of governmental departments to target political foes, attacks on democracy and freedoms, the normalization of crass power politics, the militarization of police, the vilification of immigrants, and the use of laws and regulations to stifle dissent and free speech in the universities and elsewhere. The themes of the campaign echoed the themes of liberation theology: meeting human needs, caring for the poor, the weak, and the disenfranchised and confronting the structures of power with determination and hope—a stubborn belief in the ultimate victory of good over evil and a willingness to fight the good fight against apparently insurmountable odds. It is important to note that Mamdani successfully appealed to a significant portion of the Jewish community, not despite his views on Palestine/Israel but because of these views. While rejecting anti-Jewish bigotry, he refused to distance himself from his anti-Zionist positions. Perhaps we are witnessing a true paradigm shift, where the assumed power of the pro-Israeli lobby is not only challenged successfully but where support for Israel and its policies are viewed as a burden to politicians, many of whom are no longer dependent on AIPAC or slavishly following its dictates. Some politicians now even see AIPAC funding as a negative to their campaign and are publicly distancing themselves from AIPAC and its money. The fight is not over, of course. Mamdani, like all of us, still faces a powerful establishment that will not easily go away. They still hold the levers of power and are capable of inflicting much pain, as Palestinians know full well. Yet, it is wonderful to be reminded, once in a while, that the fight is not hopeless, that we must hold on to hope, and that it is possible to successfully challenge the prevailing authorities and stand up for what is right and just. |
South Africa seeks justice for Gaza
I’m republishing this post from my friend, Dr Chandra Muzaffar – president of the International Movement for a Just World (JUST). Chandra has been a long-term advocate for Palestine and is one of the best-informed people on the subject that I have ever met. Father Dave
