Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer has described opposition to Israel’s existence as a Jewish state as antisemitic—a position that could apply to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Michigan Senate hopeful Abdul El-Sayed.
Schumer made the remarks at a New York Public Library event in May 2025, where he discussed his book, “Antisemitism in America, A Warning.”
“To be anti-Zionist—to not believe the Jewish people should have a state—is in my view a form of antisemitism,” Schumer said, according to video of the event that has recently resurfaced. Pro-Palestinian protesters repeatedly heckled him during the appearance.
“If you believe every other people should have their own state, but the Jewish people should not, that is antisemitic,” Schumer added.
Mamdani faced criticism during last year’s mayoral campaign after declining to directly answer whether Israel should exist as a Jewish state.
At a UJA-Federation event in May 2025, Mamdani said, “I believe Israel has a right to exist and it has a right to exist also with equal rights for all.”
Mamdani, a vocal critic of Israel, supports the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign against the Jewish-majority country and has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. The mayor also did not attend this year’s Salute to Israel Day Parade in New York.
He has further drawn controversy by calling for the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Speaking to the United Nations General Assembly in New York last week, Netanyahu accused Mamdani of antisemitism, saying the mayor had fueled hatred and made New York City less safe for Jews.
Mamdani has maintained that he supports Jewish New Yorkers and has “zero tolerance” for antisemitism and all forms of bigotry, even as he continues to criticize Israel and Netanyahu.
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El-Sayed, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Michigan, has attempted to shift the focus when asked whether he rejects Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state.
“I do not. I just dispute the idea that you should have an ethno-state,” he told one interviewer. “I dispute Egypt’s right to be an ethno-state, and Saudi Arabia’s right to be an ethno-state.”
During a recent CNN interview, El-Sayed likewise redirected the question of whether Israel has a “right to exist” as a Jewish state.
“It’s interesting. Nobody has ever asked me if Palestinians have a right to exist,” El-Sayed told host Kasie Hunt.
“The question of whether or not Israel has a right to exist is quite secondary to whether they have a right to our tax dollars,” he said. “Israel exists. The question is whether or not we want a politics where our money is sent over to Israel to do genocide and apartheid instead of investing in our own kids.”
El-Sayed continued to reject the framing when Hunt pressed him on the issue.
“The question of Israel’s existence is not a question. I’m not going to play this gotcha game,” he said. “The question we ought to ask is, ‘Does everyone have equal rights to peace, dignity and self-determination?’”
Schumer’s office, Mamdani’s office and El-Sayed’s campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The New York Public Library also hosted an event last week featuring Benjamin Moser, a Jewish author who has criticized Israel and compared the Jewish state to a “dog shelter.” Moser’s book, “Anti-Zionism, a Jewish History,” examines opposition to Israel and challenges the idea of the country as a Jewish-led state.
The NYPL said it is committed to presenting a range of perspectives on politically and socially contentious issues.
