For Zohran Mamdani, the democratic socialist who would be New York City’s first Muslim mayor if elected, promising to keep Jessica Tisch as police commissioner is a key campaign gesture, given his past stance on defunding the police. For many Jewish New Yorkers, still shaken by rising antisemitism since the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks and uneasy about a shifting discourse on Israel, Tisch offers a sense of stability and reassurance.
Tisch, 44, who comes from one of the city’s prominent Jewish families, is widely respected in the Jewish community for her record on public safety since her appointment last year and for her strong support of Israel. Five of her deputies are also Jewish.
Critics brushed off Mamdani’s proclamation that he wanted her to stay — at last week’s televised debate — as a political stunt, given the Democratic nominee’s positions on Israel. He has refused to outright condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada,” has said he doesn’t recognize Israel as a Jewish state, supports pro-Palestinian activism on campus and has pledged to order the arrest of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits the city.
Tisch’s approach to policing is a stark contrast to Mamdani’s progressive public safety agenda. And her public statements on Israel have been unequivocal. When she was sworn in as NYPD commissioner, she wore a Star of David necklace to the ceremony. “My Jewish identity is not something that I put on and take off,” she said in a speech earlier this year at the Anti-Defamation League’s “Never is Now” conference. “It is who I am and who I will always be.”…