In a fiery section of the debate, the three candidates sparred over who would best combat antisemitism in New York City, with Mamdani starting by promising to protect Jewish New Yorkers and backing a plan to introduce more lessons about the Jewish experience in New York in public schools.
Cuomo was the first to respond, telling Mamdani: “Not everything is a TikTok video. You’re the savior of the Jewish people? You won’t denounce [the phrase] ‘globalize the intifada,’ which means ‘kill Jews.'”
Cuomo was referring to Mamdani’s past decision not to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” The New York Times later reported that Mamdani privately promised to “discourage” use of it.
In response to Cuomo’s comments, Mamdani said the city needs “a leader who takes [antisemitism] seriously, who roots it out of these five boroughs, not one who weaponizes it as a means by which to score political points on a debate stage.”
Sliwa then jumped in, calling Mamdani and Cuomo “two kids in a schoolyard,” and spoke about several of his family members.
“They view you as the arsonist who fanned the flames of antisemitism. They cannot suddenly accept the fact that you’re coming like a firefighter and you’re going to put out these flames,” Sliwa told Mamdani.
After the other candidates alleged that Mamdani supported a “global jihad,” he jumped in to say: “I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad. That is not something that I have said, and that continues to be ascribed to me. And frankly, I think much of it has to do with the fact that I am the first Muslim candidate to be on the precipice of winning this election.”
