Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world.
NY correspondent Luke Tress joins host Amanda Borschel-Dan for today's episode.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is set to become the city's leader at midnight as the apple falls in Times Square. According to a report from the Anti-Defamation League, at least 20 percent of Mamdani’s 400 administrative appointees are connected to anti-Zionist US activist groups, such as Students for Justice in Palestine. Tress zooms into the case of Catherine Almonte Da Costa, who was initially named as his administration’s director of appointments.
Tress delves into which of Mamdani’s policies are particularly worrisome for NY Jews, including security, schools and the annual Israel parade.
In the second half, we focus on the new Movement Against Antizionism (MAAZ) and how it sees itself as a new way of framing hatred against Jews. Scholar Adam Louis-Klein and MAAZ are part of a network of academics and activists pushing the Jewish community to focus on anti-Zionism as a distinct hatred, with its own ideology and tactics, moving on from the antisemitism paradigm as a framework for understanding discrimination against Jews. We debate whether this is needed even as it grows in traction in the US.
Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates.
For further reading:
What are Mamdani’s policy proposals that could directly impact Jewish New Yorkers?
At least 20% of Mamdani appointees have ties to anti-Zionist groups, ADL says
High-level Mamdani appointee resigns after old antisemitic comments surface
Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by Podwaves and Ari Schlacht.
IMAGE: New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani on December 17, 2025 in New York. (ANGELA WEISS / AFP)
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