Jewish Identity in NYC Politics

Jewish Identity and the Current State of New York City Politics

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

Key Takeaways

The piece frames universalism as a tension between embracing difference and erasing it, using Lévy’s framework to question how NYC politics treats Jewish and Palestinian identities.
It critiques Mayor Mamdani for potentially reducing Jewish identity to either race or religion, arguing that Jewishness is multidimensional: faith, peoplehood, ancestry, and culture.
The author challenges the idea that Jewish sovereignty must imply supremacy, highlighting a spectrum of views from Beinart, Lander, and Rabbi Jacobs who advocate for balanced self-determination within universal values.
The article notes tensions around protests with chants like “from the river to the sea” and questions what city policies might exclude Palestinians from universal promises.
Ultimately, it calls for inclusive universalism that does not erase Jewish self-determination or Palestinian rights, urging nuanced public dialogue in Bay Ridge and beyond.

Introduction

Gedzelman references Bernard-Henri Levy's argument that universalism can be understood as two competing visions: a universalism rooted in particular identities and a universalism that negates the particular. He cites a moment when New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani pledged that Palestinian New Yorkers will “no longer have to contend with a politics that speaks of universalism and then makes them the exception.” This framing invites readers to question who is included in universal rights and who is treated as an exception.

Universalism Tension and Identity Affirmation

The piece asks whether New Yorkers of Palestinian background are uniquely excluded from American universal rights or whether Palestinian self-affirmation can coexist with other identities, including Jewish and Israeli ones. It notes that Palestinian chants such as “from the river to the sea” or “globalize the intifada” have appeared at protests in Manhattan's Upper West Side, a neighborhood with a large Jewish population. The article also questions what city policies might exclude Palestinians from universal promises, given that Mamdani's predecessors supported a two-state solution with Israel's security in mind.

Jewishness as Multidimensional Peoplehood

The author argues that Jewish identity cannot be forced into a binary of race or religion. Jewishness is historically multidimensional, combining faith and peoplehood, birth and choice, ancestry and conversion. The phrase “To the Jews as a religion, almost everything; to the Jews as a people, nothing.” is highlighted to illustrate the problem with narrow classifications. Jewish communities span diverse diasporas—white and brown—and bind through language, culture, and law. Being Jewish is a people as much as a belief.

Mamdani, Zionism, and Public Discourse

Gedzelman, with allies like Peter Beinart and Brad Lander, challenges the notion that Jewish sovereignty must entail supremacy. They argue Zionism can include self-determination without domination. The article references a public forum at B'nai Jeshurun where Rabbi Jill Jacobs argued that most nation-states are ethnostates, but minority rights and a universal American citizenship model should remain the norm. Mamdani, however, is portrayed as holding Israel to an impossible standard while celebrating Muslim-majority states such as Pakistan.

Public Forum Discussion and Universalism

The piece notes Mamdani's selective objection to religious-state hierarchies, juxtaposed with Pakistan's constitutional Islam privilege. This contrast contributes to the impression that his universalism becomes a selective exception rather than a universal rule, shaping political discourse in New York City.

Conclusion: Toward Inclusive Universalism

The author advocates for inclusive universalism that respects Jewish self-determination and Palestinian rights without erasing either. The closing line, “No e pluribus unum for us.” signals a demand for a more nuanced, inclusive public square in New York City politics.

Source: https://themedialine.org/news/opinion/jewish-identity-and-the-current-state-of-new-york-city-politics/