Jewish legal groups are criticizing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after his administration named an 18-member panel to advise on judicial nominations without appointing any Jewish members.
In a joint letter, leaders of the Queens Brandeis Association, Jewish Lawyers Guild, Brooklyn Brandeis Society and Bronx County Jewish Bar Association said the announcement left them “deeply disappointed.”
“Not a single Jewish attorney, former judge or legal professional was appointed to a committee your administration described as one that would be ‘truly reflective of New York City,’” the groups wrote.
The organizations argued the omission “follows a troubling pattern that has left many Jewish New Yorkers feeling increasingly marginalized,” citing Mamdani’s rejection of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism and the exclusion of Jewish neighborhoods from a city map of immigrant enclaves.
The letter also pointed to last week’s hate-fueled attack on a Jewish man outside an Upper West Side synagogue, saying the incident has heightened concerns within the Jewish community and underscored the need for representation.
“We urge you to correct this exclusion by appointing qualified Jewish members to the Advisory Committee and to reaffirm that Jewish New Yorkers are entitled to the same representation, respect and protection as every other community,” the letter said.
City Hall announced Mamdani’s selections for the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary on July 22.
The committee is chaired by attorney Ali Najm, a close Mamdani ally who has called the mayor his “brother” and played a key role in the Democratic socialist’s rapid rise to power.
