Jewish political power has collapsed in New York, and Zohran Mamdani is the receipt - opinion

New York's recent Democratic primaries revealed a significant collapse in Jewish political power, despite the community's considerable resources. The author argues that the issue wasn't a lack of money, donors, lawyers, or access to politicians, but a fundamental misunderstanding of what constitutes political power.

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The story is that in the most Jewish city in America, after the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, after nearly three years of street mobs, campus encampments, hostage posters ripped from walls, Jewish students harassed, Israeli businesses targeted, and “Zionist” turned into a civic slur, the organized Jewish world still could not build a political strategy equal to the moment.

Jewish institutions, the article contends, mistook financial backing, lobbying efforts, and celebrity endorsements for genuine influence. While these elements can amplify a message, they are not a substitute for the grassroots organizing and political strategy needed to win elections. The failure is framed not as an entitlement issue, but as a stark lesson in political efficacy.

In contrast to the institutions' approach, opponents successfully built candidates and field operations. They developed a political language that connected issues like Gaza, rent, race, and housing into a cohesive worldview, resonating with voters. This contrasted sharply with the Jewish community's focus on talking points about antisemitism, which failed to mobilize support effectively.

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We built panels. The other side built field operations.

The article suggests that much of the Jewish institutional world operated on a

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They created political loyalty. We created content.