Mamdanis ‘Monsters’ AIPAC Line Ignites Antisemitism Firestorm

Mamdani calls – New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sparked a fierce backlash after he told a Brooklyn rally that AIPAC are “monsters,” a remark that critics across the political spectrum say echoes antisemitic conspiracy tropes. Mamdani defended the language as a Gramsci quot

When New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stepped to the mic at a Brooklyn rally last week. he was not aiming for a small controversy. He was looking to fire up voters for his slate of candidates coming into New York’s primary night on Tuesday. Instead, his choice of words—calling AIPAC “monsters”—set off a firestorm that quickly reshaped the political conversation.

Mamdani, a Democrat, made the remarks during a rally in Brooklyn late last week, where he was joined by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT). The event promoted candidates mostly affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, a group known for its vehement anti-Israel posture. The rally’s lineup included two House candidates: former city comptroller Brad Lander and Darializa Avila Chevalier. who helped organize the controversial protest encampment at Columbia University.

In his speech, Mamdani leaned on a quote from the Marxist philosopher Antonio Francesco Gramsci. “And we need that because, as Gramsci once wrote, ‘The old world is dying, and the new world struggles to be born. Now is the time of monsters,’” Mamdani said.

Then he moved from the historical line to a contemporary target.

“These monsters take many forms today: in those who fund television ads that blanket the airwaves with misleading and bad-faith attacks about Claire. Brad. and Dari; those who would rather spend far more on political contributions than they would ever be made to pay in taxes; in AIPAC. for whom the only thing more frightening than democracy being allowed to run its course is an end to the genocide in Netanyahu’s wars. ” Mamdani continued.

He added that “They move millions in dark money to accomplish a single goal: to preserve their power. so that they can turn us against one another instead of turning our leaders toward the moral change we all know to be necessary.” He then widened his remarks into a broader critique of politics that he said asks “working people to lower their expectations. ” accept “the unacceptable. ” and “resign ourselves to resignation.”.

“In the wealthiest city, in the wealthiest country in the history of the world, we need not live in fear of monsters any longer,” Mamdani said.

Within hours, the comments went viral online and drew fierce criticism from the right and from within Mamdani’s own party. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) shared the clip and accused Mamdani of leaning into an old antisemitic conspiracy.

“‘Monsters.’ ‘Dark money.’ A hidden hand ‘turning us against one another.’ Swap ‘AIPAC’ for ‘Jews’ and it’s the oldest antisemitic conspiracy theory in the books. That’s not criticizing a lobby.” Gottheimer wrote. He continued: “That’s laundering antisemitism from your podium as Mayor of a city with more than a million Jews. This bullshit is dangerous.”.

Gottheimer then urged people to focus on real threats, listing North Korea, Russia, Sudan, the Iranian regime, and their proxies—Hamas, Hezbollah, PIJ—and “other terrorist groups who’ve killed scores of Americans.”

Georgia state Rep. Esther Panitch (D) went further, directly describing Mamdani’s comments as antisemitic. “Mamdani is an antisemite b/c he believes that Israel has no right to exist as the Jewish state and no right to defend herself from attacks. ” she wrote. “He is dangerous to Jews and his followers who parrot these anti AIPAC (aka Jews) messages are dangerous to Jews.”.

The backlash also triggered a defense from parts of the progressive left. CNN commentator and influencer Adam Mockler praised Mamdani, posting: “This is what true leadership looks like.”

But as criticism spread. defenders and opponents alike argued about what Mamdani actually meant when he spoke about “monsters. ” “dark money. ” and a “hidden hand.” Mamdani critics said the language mapped too neatly onto antisemitic tropes. One post from Mark Suster added that people who still support Mamdani were alienating Jewish friends by not recognizing what Suster described as “how blatantly he publicly despises us.”.

Another condemnation came from Jonathan Greenblatt of the American Jewish Committee. “It’s been three days since Mayor Mamdani took the stage to demonize and denigrate his Jewish constituents,” Greenblatt wrote. “I initially didn’t say anything because I felt certain he would retract his incendiary comments or at least explain them. I was wrong.” Greenblatt’s post used the phrase “bigoted” to describe the remarks.

Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, framed Mamdani’s comments as going beyond politics. “After watching @NYCMayor’s recent speech at a political rally, I wanted to offer these thoughts to him,” Deutch wrote. He said that Mamdani referring to New Yorkers as “monsters” was “outrageous and dangerous. ” and warned that “the impact of your words extends far beyond politics.”.

Mamdani’s allies, meanwhile, tried to anchor the controversy in his framing of the Middle East. Some of the counterargument—posted alongside the criticism—focused on his defense of the phrase. Critics noted that Mamdani defended the language “at City Hall” about an hour after the speech by saying he was quoting Antonio Gramsci to make a “broad” point about “the untenable nature” of the status quo in the Middle East.

The incident has now forced New York politics into an uncomfortable collision: a campaign rally built around DSA-affiliated candidates and the fight over how to talk about Israel and its wars, set against a sharper and far more personal argument about antisemitism and political rhetoric.

With New York’s primary night already in the rearview—Tuesday—Mamdani’s words are still echoing through the left’s alliances and breakpoints. And for many of the people condemning him, the dispute is not just about tone or strategy. It’s about what “monsters” and “dark money” suggest. and what happens when a mayor chooses that language while a city with more than a million Jews watches closely.

Zohran Mamdani AIPAC antisemitism Bernie Sanders New York primary Brad Lander Darializa Avila Chevalier Columbia protest encampment Democratic Socialists of America Josh Gottheimer Esther Panitch Gramsci