EXCLUSIVE: Jewish students across New York City are expressing deep concern over the implications of Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s recent electoral win, describing it as a significant setback for their community’s safety and well-being on campus.
In conversations with Fox News Digital, students from institutions such as Columbia University, Barnard College, and Baruch College shared their apprehensions about Mamdani’s upcoming tenure, slated to begin on New Year’s Day.
“This is a major blow to the Jewish community in New York City,” said Aidan Herlinger, a student at Baruch College, during an interview with Fox News Digital. “Mamdani has previously supported the Holy Land Five in a rap song, a post he hasn’t removed from Twitter, and has endorsed movements like ‘globalize the Intifada’ without condemnation. This sets a worrying precedent.”
Eliana Birman from Barnard College added, “No socialist country has truly succeeded, and if Mamdani implements his proposed policies, it could lead to significant challenges for the city.”
Jewish students at several New York City universities have voiced their fears over socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani’s mayoral victory, suggesting it poses a risk to the city’s Jewish community.
New York City universities have been at the forefront of intense protests, especially following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, amplifying the concerns of these students.
In April 2024, Columbia University saw an encampment take over the East Butler lawn where hundreds of students and non-students often chanted “from the river to the sea,” calling for an end to the war in the Middle East and condemning Israel and its citizens.
In May 2025, protesters took over the Butler library on campus, unofficially renaming the space “Basel Al-Araj Popular University.”
The anti-Israel encampment that took over the East Butler lawn at Columbia University. (AP Photo/Andres Kudacki)
Both demonstrations led to the arrests of hundreds of protesters.
NYU faced similar protests on its NYC campus, including a Dec. 12, 2024, demonstration outside the university’s library where protesters called for an “intifada revolution” saying that “Tel Aviv is stolen land.”
“Some of us hide our identities,” Mera Skobolo of NYU told Fox News Digital. “We’ve been screamed at. We’ve been blocked out of our own library during finals week. We’ve had professors yell at students, not support students.”
“We want to feel protected by our elected officials,” Skobolo continued. “A lot of us are scared. The past two years on college campuses across New York City have been difficult for Jewish students.”
After his victory, Mamdani promised, “We will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism.”
FILE – Anti-Israel agitators climb a fence during demonstrations at The City College of New York (CUNY) as the NYPD cracks down on protest camps at both Columbia University and CCNY on April 30, 2024, in New York City. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Columbia University student TJ Katz outlined that Mamdani’s role as mayor would play a big role in students’ attitudes toward the Jewish community.
“You will undoubtedly see students feel inspired by what [Mamdani] says and what he wishes,” TJ Katz of Columbia University explained. “I think more than anything else, the mayor of New York City serves as a role model and a figurehead. He has the ability to put X, Y or Z policies in place, but I unequivocally believe the most impact that Mamdani will have is how he influences others to act.”
Mamdani will officially be sworn into office on Jan. 1, 2026, after defeating former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and GOP candidate Curtis Sliwa last week.
“The call is coming from inside the house,” Shoshana Aufzien of Barnard College told Fox. “We have a lot of systemic issues we need to work through. But the fact that Mamdani has never acknowledged his father’s anti-Semitism or condemned it is pretty telling.”
Zohran Mamdani delivers a victory speech at a mayoral election night watch party, on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in New York City. (Yuki Iwamura/AP)
“I think it’s going to be a big litmus test for my campus and also New Yorkers generally to see if they can tolerate a mayor with such radical policy proposals,” Aufzien added.
Fox News Digital reached out to the universities and Mamdani for comment but did not receive responses in time for publication.
