Mamdani criticized by Jewish bar groups over judiciary panel appointments

(The Center Square) — New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is being criticized for not appointing a member of the Jewish community to a city panel that vets judiciary appointments.

In a letter to Mamdani, a group of Jewish bar associations said they are "deeply disappointed" that his appointees to the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary didn't include "a single Jewish attorney, former judge, or legal professional" to a panel his administration described "as one that would be truly reflective of New York City."

"Excluding Jewish representation from this committee is neither reflective nor inclusive," they wrote. "It follows a troubling pattern that has left many Jewish New Yorkers feeling increasingly marginalized, especially following your rejection of the IHRA definition of antisemitism and the omission of Jewish neighborhoods from a map highlighting immigrant enclaves."

The groups, which included the Jewish Lawyers Guild and Bronx County Jewish Bar Association, called the Mamdani administration's "unprecedented" rejection of "highly respected retired Appellate Division Justice John Leventhal" to serve on the panel "particularly disconcerting," given the lack of Jewish representation on the board.

"At a time when antisemitism is reaching historic levels in our city, leadership matters. Last week’s attack on a visibly Jewish man on the Upper West Side is yet another painful reminder that antisemitic violence is real and growing," they wrote in the letter. "Jewish New Yorkers deserve to know that their elected leaders value their safety, their voices, and their place in our city’s institutions."

A Mamdani spokesperson said in a statement that Leventhal was passed over during the mayor’s vetting process because he has represented Ghislaine Maxwell, an associate of the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, who is serving a 20-year federal prison sentence for sex trafficking.

“To date, Mayor Mamdani has had the privilege of appointing a dozen qualified judges from a range of backgrounds, including Jewish judges," the Mamdani administration said in a statement. “When informed that Mr. Leventhal served on Maxwell’s legal team, the Mamdani administration chose not to move forward with his appointment.

"Any suggestion that the decision around MACJ was motivated by religion is false," the statement said.

But the Jewish groups said the mayor needs to "correct this exclusion by appointing qualified Jewish members to the Advisory Committee and to reaffirm that Jewish New Yorkers are entitled to the same representation, respect, and protection as every other community."

"We cannot remain silent when our community is excluded from the decisions and processes that shape the future of New York’s judiciary," they wrote.

Mamdani, the city's first Muslim mayor, has been criticized by Jewish groups over his alignment with pro-Palestinian groups, criticism of the Israeli government, and his previous use of the phrase "globalize the intifada," which has been linked to acts of violence against Jewish people.

The New York-based Anti-Defamation League has pointed to Mamdani’s support for the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel and past rhetoric about Israel. The group has launched a "Mamdani Monitor" to track his new administration.