Honoring Kehilla: Jewish celebration of Mamdani’s win

To the editor,

For me, Zohran Mamdani’s win last week is great cause for celebration. 

Celebration as a longtime resident of the Bronx who sees, on a daily basis, the devastation wrought by the corporate-first policies Mamdani seeks to overturn.

Celebration as a life-long supporter of human rights, who, in these last 20-plus horrific months, have found myself standing on the front lines of New York City streets and getting arrested sitting on the floor of Grand Central. At each event, I was just one — raising my voice with thousands more, including Zohran Mamdani — to scream truth that genocide is moral atrocity. We cannot be silent about what’s happening to Gaza, in our activism or our votes. 

Those thousands include so many of my Jewish brothers and sisters. So, I also celebrate Mamdani’s win as a Jewish woman. Words cannot fully convey how proud I am of how our community has banded together to demand: Never again for everyone. It’s exactly that bravery, moral clarity and integrity which I see in Zohran. And that’s why I so eagerly voted for him for New York City mayor — ranked first, of course.

The city has so much promise. I fell in love with it as a child, mesmerized by both its cultural diversity and the vast scope of activities and opportunities on display. I put down roots here more than 30 years ago, a life choice I have never regretted. But in those three decades, I’ve seen the promise of New York City choked — and those opportunities narrowed — by corporate control, so-called representatives who care nothing for the public good, and ever-less-survivable rising costs.

When I moved to the city, my rent was $400. It was so easy to find a job, and my salary of $30K left me plenty of extra pocket change when I clocked out and wanted to explore. Millennials and Generation Z probably find those numbers unbelievable. Because now, thanks to corporate and real estate interests, they are. 

One of the reasons Zohran’s primary win has the status quo squirming is his call to freeze rent. He also wants to build more affordable housing. Both are common sense, sorely needed policies. Having a roof over one’s head is a basic of survival, not a discretionary good people can take or leave. Fail to provide adequate supply or let real estate interests jack up prices to fund their own greed, and the result is homelessness.

The very purpose of legitimate government is to protect the vulnerable and provide for modern human needs that simply cannot — and should not — be exploited for profit. Zohran’s got policies to help the working class with other needs, too: free buses, no cost childcare and city owned grocery stores. None of these platforms are radical, they’re a common-sense expression of morality and community.

To use the Hebrew term: Kehilla.

The city’s potential may have been struggling under a corporate chokehold these last few decades, but it’s far from gone. Because a city is its people — Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu and more — the whole melting pot I fell in love with as a child under those bright city lights.

If there are people, there is hope. We need a mayor who centers people over donors, which Zohran Mamdani clearly does. We deserve a mayor who has the moral spine to not pragmatically pander and compromise on core values, human lives and rights.

New York City’s promise is much, much better than that. It always was.

Janet Goodman-Clarke