"Mamdani's rhetoric is rabidly anti-Israel, both in its war in Gaza and in its existence as a Jewish State. How might this manifest itself should he become mayor? A historical analogy comes to mind in Vienna, Austria - more than a century ago - when another so-called populist reformer rose to power and paved the way to normalizing Jew hatred in central Europe."
"However, one powerful mayor was instrumental in dramatically changing the lives of Jews in his city. Karl Lueger was elected mayor of Vienna five times, serving from 1897 to 1910. His antisemitic views, which vilified Jews, blamed them for social and economic issues, and promoted boycotting Jewish businesses, were so extreme that initially, the Austro-Hungarian Emperor Franz Joseph refused to support him. Ultimately, after Lueger's fifth election, the Emperor conceded and offered his support."
"Both Vienna's population then and New York's now is approximately 10% Jewish. In 1900, Jews had lived in Vienna for generations, just as they do in New York City today. In Vienna, Jews such as Sigmund Freud, Alfred Adler, Gustav Mahler, Stefan Zweig, and Victor Adler had achieved significant roles in finance, culture, and politics. The same is true of countless titans of business, politics, fashion, and culture in modern-day New York."
Zohran Mamdani's likely rise to New York City mayor raises deep concern because of rhetoric described as rabidly anti-Israel, including opposition to Israel's existence. The Vienna of 1900 and New York City of 2025 share demographic and cultural parallels: roughly 10% Jewish populations, long-established Jewish communities, and prominent Jewish figures across finance, culture, and politics. Karl Lueger's repeated mayoral victories in Vienna enabled explicit antisemitism to become publicly acceptable, as he vilified Jews, blamed them for economic and social ills, promoted boycotts of Jewish businesses, and rallied crowds. Political normalization of antisemitism in New York could similarly threaten Jewish safety and civic standing.
Read at Algemeiner.com
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