Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York City mayor on Jan. 1, 2026, becoming the city’s first Muslim mayor. In the weeks around the inauguration, he held outreach meetings with Jewish leaders amid anxiety about antisemitism, while the Anti-Defamation League faced criticism from some commentators for creating a “Mamdani Watch” effort focused on his political circle.
Zohran Mamdani took office as New York City’s mayor on January 1, 2026, making history as the city’s first Muslim mayor. His inauguration included a private oath-taking just after midnight, followed by a public swearing-in ceremony later that day at City Hall. Reporting on the ceremonies differs on who administered the midnight oath, but multiple outlets reported that U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders administered the public oath during the afternoon event.
In the period leading up to his inauguration, Mamdani conducted outreach with Jewish community figures as part of a broader effort to address concerns about antisemitism and public safety. The Forward reported that he met with a group of rabbis and community leaders in December and that some participants described the conversation as candid and constructive. The same reporting described Mamdani’s engagement with leaders in the Satmar community, including appearances at major Satmar gatherings in Brooklyn.
At the same time, the Anti-Defamation League, a major U.S. organization focused on combating antisemitism, drew scrutiny over a new initiative that tracked people and groups connected to Mamdani’s political orbit. Conservative outlets reported in late December that ADL research argued that a portion of Mamdani’s transition team had links to organizations the ADL characterizes as “radical anti-Zionist” groups; Mamdani rejected the framing and said criticism of Israeli government policy should not be conflated with antisemitism.
The criticism of the ADL’s approach played out against a broader national argument—intensified after the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas attacks and the ensuing Gaza war—over where the line lies between anti-Jewish bigotry and harsh criticism of Israel and Zionism. Mamdani, a longtime critic of Israeli policy, has said he opposes antisemitism, while also supporting Palestinian rights.
Separately, recent infighting on the American right highlighted how accusations of antisemitism and extremism have become flashpoints inside conservative politics. At Turning Point USA’s AmericaFest in Phoenix in December 2025, CBS News reported that Steve Bannon compared conservative commentator Ben Shapiro to “a cancer,” and that Shapiro condemned Tucker Carlson for hosting white nationalist Nick Fuentes on his show.
In New York, Mamdani begins his term facing intense scrutiny from ideological opponents and heightened expectations from supporters, with Jewish communal leaders divided over his record on Israel and reassured by varying degrees by his outreach on local safety and hate crimes.
