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A century before Mamdani, this Jewish socialist mayoral candidate divided NYC Jews

JL;DR SUMMARY Morris Hillquit was a Jewish labor lawyer who ran as a Socialist candidate for New York City mayor in 1917 and 1932, advocating for public ownership, affordable housing, and lower food prices, ideas that resonate with contemporary political figures like Zohran Mamdani. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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Tags

Jewish CommunityNew York CityWorld War ISocialismZohran MamdaniMorris HillquitImmigrant PrideAnti War StancePublic Ownership

Places mentioned

New York City, New York, United States
"A socialist immigrant running for mayor on an anti-war, pro-working class platform divides New Yorks Jews over whether his campaign, and potential victory, might stoke antisemitism."
Burlington, Vermont, United States
"Originally from the Washington, D.C., area, she is a 2023 graduate of Northwestern Universitys Medill School of Journalism."
Washington DC, United States
"Originally from the Washington, D.C., area, she is a 2023 graduate of Northwestern Universitys Medill School of Journalism."
Iowa City, Iowa, United States
"according to Shelton Stromquist, emeritus professor of history at the University of Iowa and author of Claiming the City: A Global History of Workers Fight for Municipal Socialism."
Uganda
"Both campaigns also drew on immigrant pride, according to Stromquist. Mamdani was born in Uganda; Hillquit in modern-day Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire, in 1869."
Russian Federation
"Both campaigns also drew on immigrant pride, according to Stromquist. Mamdani was born in Uganda; Hillquit in modern-day Latvia, then part of the Russian Empire, in 1869."
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
"In 1910, Jewish politician and journalist Victor Berger became the first socialist elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing a Milwaukee district."
Hamilton, Ohio, United States
"In 1913, socialists won a majority on Hamilton, Ohios city council and elected the mayor."
Rutgers, New York, United States
"A 1917 editorial in this publication, the Yiddish Forverts, noted that Hillquits bitterest enemies wish to see him drown in the Rutger Street fountain, or hanged off a sloop on the East Side."
Lower East Side, New York, United States
"Ultimately, the attacks on Hillquit did not deter Jewish voters. Though he fell well short of winning office, according to Ribak, turnout for Hillquit was especially strong in Jewish neighborhoods, with the socialist candidate winning more than 60 percent of the Jewish vote in some areas of the Lower East Side."

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Retrieved 2025-11-04 05:30:47 UTC
Curated 2025-11-04 08:30:54 UTC