New York, NY - Nov. 27, 2025 - -Zohran Mamdani’s victory in the New York City mayoral race has sharply increased concern among American Jews, according to the Jewish People Policy Institute’s (JPPI) November Voice of the Jewish People Index. In the wake of the election, nearly two-thirds of respondents (64%) said they view Mamdani as both anti-Israel and antisemitic - the highest share recorded by JPPI since the metric was introduced in July 2025. One-fifth (19%) perceive him as anti-Israel but not antisemitic, while a tenth (9%) believe he is neither anti-Israel nor antisemitic.
The survey, conducted November 14-15 among 745 American Jews registered to JPPI’s Voice of the Jewish People panel, found that the predominant emotional response to Mamdani’s win is concern (56%). Other emotions reported included hope (13%), fear (11%), and sadness (7%); overall, 84% of respondents chose a negative emotion in response to the election.
A majority of respondents (67%) also believe Mamdani’s election will negatively affect the security of New York’s Jewish community; just 6% think security will improve. Views vary sharply by ideology: 93% of conservatives, 86% of centrists, and 61% of those who lean liberal expect a decline in security. Among strong liberals, opinions are more mixed: 32% expect reduced security, 35% expect no change, and 19% expect improved security.
The distribution of perceptions about Mamdani closely follows ideological and voting patterns. Among respondents who identify as conservative (leaning conservative and strong conservative), overwhelming majorities see Mamdani as both anti-Israel and antisemitic - up to 96% in the strong conservative cohort. By contrast, within the strong liberal cohort, larger shares see him as anti-Israel but not antisemitic (35%) or neither anti-Israel nor antisemitic (24%). Breakdown by vote shows 96% of Trump voters and 47% of Harris voters view Mamdani as both antisemitic and anti-Israel; 28% of Harris voters see him as anti-Israel but not antisemitic, and 12% of Harris voters view him as neither.
Broad concern over antisemitism
The November index captures wider, deep-seated concern about antisemitism in the United States. Ninety-nine percent of respondents expressed some level of concern about antisemitism. When asked about the sources of that threat, 62% said they worry equally about antisemitism from both the left and the right; 20% said they are worried mainly about antisemitism from the left, and 17% said they are primarily worried about antisemitism from the right.
Ideological groups tend to view the primary danger as coming from the opposite camp: 45% of strong liberals are more worried about antisemitism from the right, while 57% of strong conservatives are more worried about antisemitism from the left. A large majority of centrists (78%) say they are equally worried about antisemitism from both sides.
Anti‑Zionism, Zionism, and public perception
The survey also explored attitudes toward Zionism and the relationship between anti‑Zionism and antisemitism. A majority of respondents (72%) said anti‑Zionism is antisemitism either “definitely” or “usually”; 17% think anti‑Zionism is antisemitic only sometimes, and 11% view the two as entirely separate phenomena. There is a sharp ideological gap: only 44% of strong liberals see anti‑Zionism as antisemitism, compared with 92% of strong conservatives.
On the question, “Is Zionism racism?” most respondents (59%) answered that “there is nothing racist in Zionism.” Twenty‑eight percent said Zionism is not racist but that some interpret it as such; 8% said Zionism contains racist elements; and 4% said Zionism is racism. When asked what they believe “the average American” thinks, respondents painted a more critical picture: only 8% think the average American sees Zionism as free of racist elements, while 36% said Americans see Zionism as non‑racist but potentially interpretable as racist, 22% said Americans see racist elements in Zionism, and 14% said Americans view Zionism as racism.
A strong majority of the panel self-identifies as Zionists: 70% describe themselves as Zionist, 12% say they are not Zionist but support Zionism, 7% neither support nor oppose, 5% identify as post‑Zionist, and 3% as anti‑Zionist.
Communal boundaries and inclusion
JPPI asked whether Jewish communities should include or exclude anti‑Israel Jews. About 44% said their community should reject or exclude anti‑Israel Jews, 34% supported inclusion, and 22% did not know. In contrast, inclusion of pro‑Israel Jews drew nearly unanimous support: 94% want pro‑Israel Jews included in their communities and only 2% prefer their rejection.
Views on US-Israel relations and political leadership
On US-Israel alignment following the recent Gaza ceasefire and increased American involvement, 37% of respondents think Israel is adapting to American positions to the right extent, while 30% think Israel is adapting too much (22% “more than it should” and 8% “far more than it should”). Thirteen percent think Israel adapts less than needed.
Regarding US President Donald Trump, the survey found mixed assessments: 55% agree that he is doing a good job handling Middle East affairs, while 74% disagree that he is doing a good job handling domestic US affairs. Responses differ sharply by ideology: large majorities of conservative respondents support Trump’s performance both in the Middle East and domestically, while strong liberal respondents overwhelmingly disagree with his performance on domestic issues and largely do not endorse the claim that he is the most pro‑Israel president ever.
Other findings and Hanukkah observance
On Israel’s domestic politics, 38% of American respondents prefer a new Israeli government made up of the current opposition parties; 26% prefer a joint government of coalition and opposition parties; and 18% favor continuation of the current government.
With Hanukkah approaching, JPPI found strong attachment to the holiday: 82% of respondents plan to light candles on all eight nights, and another 11% will light on some nights. The report notes that panel participants tend to be more connected to Jewish life than the broader American Jewish population, which may influence the high rates of observance in the sample.