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Why New York's Sephardic Jews are more Zionist — and more wary of Mamdani — than their Ashkenazi neighbors

JL;DR SUMMARY In New York City, the Sephardic and Mizrahi Jewish communities are more Zionist and skeptical of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's policies than their Ashkenazi counterparts. 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 HistoryZionismNew York CityAshkenazi JewsSephardic JewsMigrationMizrahi JewsPolitical ViewsZohran Mamdani

Places mentioned

Queens, New York, United States
"Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks during a news conference at Diversity Plaza in Queens on Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026."
New York City, New York, United States
"Differences between Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, and Sephardic Jews have come sharply into focus since Zohran Mamdani became mayor. In the greater New York City area, 10% of Jews identify as Mizrahi or Sephardic, two groups that report stronger connections to Israel and more conservative political views than Ashkenazi Jews, according to a new national study."
Brooklyn, New York, United States
"The primarily Syrian congregation Shaare Zion in Brooklyn, one of the largest Sephardic synagogues in North America, sent a letter to congregants before the High Holidays stating that to attend services, one must show proof of voter registration."
Israel
"A lot of Jews from Morocco were saved by the fact that they were able to go to Israel."
Buenos Aires, Argentina
"For Yisrael Cohen-Vsquez, a 21-year-old Lebanese, Iranian, Spanish, and Moroccan Jew who grew up in Buenos Aires and moved to New York at 13, the intensity of the reaction is rooted in the proximity of persecution."

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Cairo Item ID 73353
Cairo Source ID 35
Retrieved 2026-01-23 05:30:51 UTC
Curated 2026-01-23 08:32:02 UTC