Jewish students 'scared' after Mamdani wins NYC mayor race, calling it 'huge blow'

EXCLUSIVE: Jewish students successful New York City "are scared" astir what Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s triumph means for their lives connected campus, saying that the antiauthoritarian socialist's triumph is "a immense stroke to the New York City Jewish community."

Students from Columbia University, Barnard University and Baruch College sat down with Fox News Digital, revealing immoderate of the large concerns held by Jewish students up of Mamdani's swearing successful connected New Year's Day.

"I deliberation it’s a immense stroke to the New York City Jewish community," Aidan Herlinger of Baruch College told Fox News Digital. "We’re looking astatine idiosyncratic who has shouted retired the Holy Land Five successful a rap song, which helium inactive hasn’t taken disconnected his Twitter, he’s supported globalize the Intifada, refused to condemn it, and I deliberation that's specified a unsafe precedent."

"We person ne'er seen a socialist state that has really worked… And I deliberation this whitethorn beryllium a large downfall if Mr. Mamdani is really capable to enactment connected his policies that he’s stated that helium wants to enact," Eliana Birman of Barnard College explained.

Jewish students astatine respective New York City universities expressed fearfulness and interest pursuing socialist campaigner Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral victory, informing it could endanger the city’s Jewish community. ((Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) / (Photo by John Lamparski/Getty Images))

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Universities successful New York City were big to immoderate of the astir heated protests successful the state pursuing the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas onslaught connected Israel.

In April 2024, Columbia University saw an encampment instrumentality implicit the East Butler tract wherever hundreds of students and non-students often chanted "from the stream to the sea," calling for an extremity to the warfare successful the Middle East and condemning Israel and its citizens.

In May 2025, protesters took implicit the Butler room connected campus, unofficially renaming the abstraction "Basel Al-Araj Popular University."

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The anti-Israel encampment that took implicit the East Butler tract astatine Columbia University. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)

Both demonstrations led to the arrests of hundreds of protesters.

NYU faced akin protests connected its NYC campus, including a Dec. 12, 2024, objection extracurricular the university’s room wherever protesters called for an "intifada revolution" saying that "Tel Aviv is stolen land."

"Some of america fell our identities," Mera Skobolo of NYU told Fox News Digital. "We've been screamed at. We've been blocked retired of our ain room during finals week. We've had professors outcry astatine students, not enactment students."

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"We privation to consciousness protected by our elected officials," Skobolo continued. "A batch of america are scared. The past 2 years connected assemblage campuses crossed New York City person been hard for Jewish students."

After his victory, Mamdani promised, "We volition physique a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver successful the combat against the scourge of antisemitism."

FILE - Anti-Israel agitators ascent a obstruction during demonstrations astatine The City College of New York (CUNY) arsenic the NYPD cracks down connected protestation camps astatine some Columbia University and CCNY connected April 30, 2024, successful New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Columbia University pupil TJ Katz outlined that Mamdani’s relation arsenic politician would play a large relation successful students' attitudes toward the Jewish community.

"You volition undoubtedly spot students consciousness inspired by what [Mamdani] says and what helium wishes," TJ Katz of Columbia University explained. "I deliberation much than thing else, the politician of New York City serves arsenic a relation exemplary and a figurehead. He has the quality to enactment X, Y oregon Z policies successful place, but I unequivocally judge the astir interaction that Mamdani volition person is however helium influences others to act."

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Mamdani volition officially beryllium sworn into bureau connected Jan. 1, 2026, aft defeating erstwhile Gov. Andrew Cuomo and GOP campaigner Curtis Sliwa past week.

"The telephone is coming from wrong the house," Shoshana Aufzien of Barnard College told Fox. "We person a batch of systemic issues we request to enactment through. But the information that Mamdani has ne'er acknowledged his father’s anti-Semitism oregon condemned it is beauteous telling."

Zohran Mamdani delivers a triumph code astatine a mayoral predetermination nighttime ticker party, connected Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, successful New York City.  (Yuki Iwamura/AP)

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"I deliberation it’s going to beryllium a large litmus trial for my field and besides New Yorkers mostly to spot if they tin tolerate a politician with specified extremist argumentation proposals," Aufzien added.

Fox News Digital reached retired to the universities and Mamdani for remark but did not person responses successful clip for publication.

Preston Mizell is simply a writer with Fox News. Story tips tin beryllium sent to [email protected] and connected X @MizellPreston Fox News' Tessa Hoyos contributed to this report.