Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the Democratic primary for mayor of New York is nothing short of a political earthquake, one particularly felt in the Jewish community.

While it is too early to make a definitive assessment, it appears that a plurality of Jewish voters in the Democratic primary preferred former Governor Andrew Cuomo. Apart from the progressive left, represented by groups such as Jews for Racial and Economic Justice and IfNotNow, leaders in the Jewish community were largely united in their concerns about Mamdani’s positions on Israel and anti-Israel protests. These worries have not gone away, with the candidate’s defense of the protest chant “Globalize the intifada” triggering a storm of controversy last week.

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New York mayoral candidate, State Rep. Zohran Mamdani (D-NY) greets supporters during an election night gathering at The Greats of Craft LIC on June 24, 2025 in the Long Island City neighborhood of the Queens borough in New York City. Mamdani was announced as the winner of the Democratic nomination for mayor in a crowded field in the City’s mayoral primary to choose a successor to Mayor Eric Adams, who is running for re-election on an independent ticket.

The pressure on Jewish community leaders — from donors, board members, as well as everyday supporters — to enter into emergency mode will be great. Veteran journalist Ron Kampeas recently predicted that a Mamdani mayoralty “will be disastrous for relations between Jews and the [Democratic] party.” Overheated rhetoric abounds on social media, including ridiculous calls for Jews to leave New York City.

Leaders of Jewish organizations representing a nonpartisan cross-section of American Jews should be wary of jumping into the fray. It is too easy to confuse a changing political environment — one to which a healthy and diverse American Jewish community can adapt — for a dire threat. And if Zohran Mamdani is ultimately elected in November, hastily declaring him unfriendly to the Jewish community now might prove to be a costly and unnecessary error.

Both New York City and the Democratic Party have changed dramatically over the last decade or two. Attitudes towards Israel and its conflict with the Palestinians are no exception. Take an example from just this month: A Quinnipiac University survey showed 60% of Democratic voters sympathize with the Palestinians, compared to 12% with Israel. Many, including myself, would take strong issue with the zero-sum assumptions of such questions; nevertheless, they do point to a shift among everyday Democratic voters that would have once been unthinkable. Mamdani’s victory shows that holding views strongly critical of Israel, including supporting boycotts of the country, is no longer a disqualifying factor for Democrats in New York.

For Jewish Republicans, the answer is clear: Jews no longer have a home in the Democratic Party, at least not those who care about Israel’s security. But this is obviously not a position nonpartisan Jewish leaders, especially those in charge of synagogues and service-provision organizations, can take. It would put them odds with the majority of American Jews, including those in New York, who are Democrats. Furthermore, contributing to an antagonistic relationship with the chief executive of the largest city in the United States is certainly not in the interests of the organized Jewish community.

Making matters more complicated, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams is running as an independent in the general election. Adams has made fighting antisemitism a centerpiece of his mayoral agenda this year, including by recognizing the contested International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism preferred by major Jewish organizations. One of the ballot lines he is considering running on is called “End Antisemitism.” If Adams seriously contests the general election, he will undoubtedly make a strong appeal to the fears of many Jews.

But now is the time for calm and clear thinking, not alarm. There are more than six months between today and when a new mayor is potentially sworn in. Before any steps are taken one way or the other, it is necessary to take stock of the larger picture. Jewish voters are, of course, important in New York, but we are no longer the only major constituency interested in candidates’ views on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We share a city with a growing and diverse Muslim population, most of whom understandably sympathize with the Palestinian cause. They are our neighbors with whom we share many interests, including on public safety, affordability, educational opportunities and religious accommodations. These are matters that directly affect the city’s nearly 1 million Jewish residents.

Constructive engagement, at least until it proves impossible, is the path of pragmatists. Jewish community leaders should reach out to their counterparts overseas who have successfully worked with social democratic mayors critical of Israel, including in London and Paris. The questions to contemplate are: What can be achieved despite acknowledged disagreements over a fundamental issue? Where are our red lines in this new environment? How can inter-community relations be best managed in times of geopolitical crisis? Ultimately, none of these questions can be asked, let alone answered, if we insist that nothing has changed and that the standard pro-Israel playbook still applies.

In the preface to his 1979 collection of essays titled Being Jewish in America, the late historian Rabbi Arthur Hertzberg observed that “Jews have survived in history best by accommodation and not by confrontation, unless circumstances were so dire that there was no alternative” — to which I would add: We cannot conclude there is no alternative without first honestly searching for one, including making the necessary compromises to enable cooperation.

Mamdani has pledged to reach out to Jewish leaders and work closely with them. Hopefully he goes beyond his base among progressives and meets with segments of the community that are most anxious, particularly Orthodox Jews who have faced the brunt of violent antisemitic acts. In turn, I hope Jewish community leaders will be receptive as well. Too much is at stake to go for broke in an unlikely effort to bring about a return to political conditions that are no longer possible. It is time to move forward.

Abe Silberstein is a doctoral student in the joint program in Hebrew and Judaic studies and history at New York University. Prior to returning to graduate school, he worked in a number of roles for several Jewish community organizations.