logo
Brad Lander says he's ‘so Jewish he almost became a rabbi' — and rips Andrew Cuomo using antisemitism as a ‘political game'

Brad Lander says he's ‘so Jewish he almost became a rabbi' — and rips Andrew Cuomo using antisemitism as a ‘political game'

New York Post08-05-2025

Mayoral candidate Brad Lander said he's so Jewish 'that I almost became a rabbi' while discussing his faith and the fight against antisemitism Wednesday night.
Lander, the city comptroller, also took swipes at a chief rival for Democratic nomination, Andrew Cuomo, claiming the ex-governor discriminated against Jews and has weaponized antisemitism for personal gain.
'Donald Trump and Andrew Cuomo are welcome to disagree with my positions. But they don't get to decide who's a good Jew,' Lander said during his speech at the West Side Institutional Synagogue.
5 NYC Comptroller and 2025 Democratic Mayoral candidate Brad Lander holds a presser on the steps of Tweed Courthouse at 52 Chambers street in lower Manhattan on May 6, 2025.
Paul Martinka
Lander, who described himself as a 'liberal Zionist,' said he has been steeped in Judaism since childhood.
'You may be surprised to learn it, but growing up, I almost became a rabbi,' the St. Louis native said.
He was the national social action vice president of the Reform Jewish Youth Movement and a member of the Hillel chapter when he attended the University of Chicago.
Lander was also a Hebrew School teacher, a 'so-so songleader' and a 'pretty good canoe instructor' at Jewish summer camp.
5 Brad Lander attends as activists gathered in front of Wall Street Grill in New York on April 24, 2025 to protest a visit by Israeli far-right politician and Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir.
Lev Radin/Shutterstock
In addition, he organized youths for a 1987 rally in Washington, DC, to free Soviet Jews as well as efforts to fight Republican cuts to social programs.
'I was taught to stand up both for Jews and for all people who are facing oppression — to work to build a more equal and inclusive society grounded in the Jewish value of b'tzelem elohim, that idea that everyone is created in the image of God,' he explained.
He named his kids after Jewish heroes. His son, Marek, after Warsaw Ghetto uprising leader Marek Edelman, and his daughter, Rosa, after workers rights advocate Rose Schneiderman.
Lander also showed sharp elbows, rapping Cuomo, in particular, over his actions against Jews or unfairly smearing people as antisemites. Polls show the ex-governor is the front-runner in the Democratic primary for mayor.
5 Lander ripped Cuomo saying that he is using antisemitism as a 'political game.'
Gregory P. Mango
'Andrew Cuomo, who has been sued for antisemitic discrimination and caught using anti-Jewish slurs, came to this very shul and tried to weaponize antisemitism against me, the highest-ranking Jew in New York City government, for his own political gain — right out of the Donald Trump playbook,' he charged.
He was referring to three Jewish congregations that sued the then-governor over a 'streak of antisemitic discrimination' for his crackdown on religious gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, Cuomo said the restrictions were put in place to stem the spread of the deadly virus.
Lander also cited a New York Times story that reported that Cuomo condemned Jews observing Sukkot with 'curse words and slurs and 'making fun of our 'tree houses.''
'When it comes time to score political points, he uses antisemitism as nothing more than a political game. A few years back, he secretly distributed a mailer falsely claiming his opponent was antisemitic, and then pretended he didn't know about it,' he said.
5 Brad Lander speaks at the Mental Health Mayoral Candidate Town Hall presented by The NYC Mental Health Collective at the First Baptist Church of Crown Heights at 450 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, NY.
Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post
He was referring to a dirty tricks state Democratic Party mailer in 2018 that slimed Cuomo's primary rival Cynthia Nixon as antisemitic, a controversy reported extensively by The Post.
Another mayoral candidate who is Jewish, former city Comptroller Scott Stringer, also criticized Cuomo for exploiting antisemitism for political gain, during a recent West Side Institutional Synagogue address.
The Cuomo campaign defended the ex-governor's record combatting Jew hatred.
'Amid a rise in antisemitic attacks, the governor passed the strongest hate crime laws in the nation, made New York the first state in the nation to ban BDS [boycott, divestment and sanctions movement], developed a model program that delivered millions of dollars in security upgrades for synagogues and yeshivas and when Hamas was firing rockets into Israel, he organized a solidarity mission from New York to show the world that we stand with them,' said Cuomo campaign spokesman Rich Azzopardi.
'Lander, on the other hand spent his adult life as a card carrying member of anti-Israel, pro-BDS Democratic Socialists of America and – in the only significant action as comptroller — divested pension funds from Israel bonds. New Yorkers know Andrew Cuomo has the record and the experience to get this city back on track and won't be fooled by Lander's feeble attempts to deflect from his record.'
5 Andrew Cuomo speaks to the congregation at the Mount Ararat Baptist Church. 425 Howard Avenue, Brooklyn, NY.
Gregory P. Mango
Lander said Jews across the spectrum differ on the actions of the Israeli government and criticism of the Jewish state doesn't make an American Jew any less so.
'I have sharply criticized the actions of the Israeli government, called for a cease-fire in Gaza, for an end to the war, for the resumption of aid to prevent starvation of Palestinian kids, and criticized the ongoing apartheid of life in the West Bank. We aren't going to agree on all of this,' he said.
'We haven't for 2,600 years.'
He said not all critics of Israel are anti-semites.
'But let's be clear: if you're using the word Zionist as a slur for Jews, if you're targeting people because they're Jewish, if you're going to a Orthodox Jewish neighborhood and calling the people `gross' and telling them to go back to Europe, if you don't think Israeli Jews are fully human, and deserving of human rights — then you have crossed way over the line into antisemitism, and you are part of the problem. And I will stand up and oppose you fiercely,' said Lander, touting his own plan to combat antisemitism if elected mayor.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Donald Trump Weighs In on 'Civil War' Concerns
Donald Trump Weighs In on 'Civil War' Concerns

Newsweek

time16 minutes ago

  • Newsweek

Donald Trump Weighs In on 'Civil War' Concerns

Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. On Monday, President Donald Trump was asked about Democratic California Governor Gavin Newsom's remarks that his Republican administration wants "civil war on the streets" amid ongoing protests against raids by Los Angeles Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The president was asked by a reporter, "What do you make of the fact that [Newsom] says you want a civil war?" Trump responded, "No, it's the opposite. I don't want a civil war. Civil war would happen if you left it to people like him." REPORTER: Gavin Newsom says you want a Civil War. TRUMP: "It's just the opposite, I don't want a Civil War. Civil War would happen if you left it to people like him." — Breaking911 (@Breaking911) June 9, 2025 This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.

Newsom blasts Trump's arrest threat as ‘unmistakable step toward authoritarianism'
Newsom blasts Trump's arrest threat as ‘unmistakable step toward authoritarianism'

San Francisco Chronicle​

time17 minutes ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Newsom blasts Trump's arrest threat as ‘unmistakable step toward authoritarianism'

President Donald Trump on Monday endorsed the idea of arresting California Gov. Gavin Newsom over the state's resistance to federal immigration enforcement efforts in Los Angeles, intensifying a clash that has already drawn legal challenges and fierce rebukes from Democratic leaders. 'I would do it if I were Tom,' Trump said, referring to Tom Homan, his border czar, who over the weekend suggested that state and local officials, including Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, could face arrest if they interfered with immigration raids. 'I think it's great. Gavin likes the publicity, but I think it would be a great thing,' Trump added. Trump's remarks signal a sharp escalation in the administration's crackdown on sanctuary jurisdictions and a willingness to target political opponents in unprecedented ways. Newsom responded swiftly, calling Trump's words a chilling attack on American democratic norms. 'The President of the United States just called for the arrest of a sitting Governor,' Newsom wrote on X. 'This is a day I hoped I would never see in America. I don't care if you're a Democrat or a Republican this is a line we cannot cross as a nation — this is an unmistakable step toward authoritarianism.' Tensions escalated sharply after Trump deployed 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles following days of civil unrest related to Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids. The deployment marked the first time a president has federalized a state's National Guard without the governor's consent since 1965. Newsom and California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced plans to sue Trump and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, alleging the deployment was unlawful. 'Federalizing the California National Guard is an abuse of the President's authority under the law,' Bonta said at a press conference. 'There is no invasion. There is no rebellion.' Meanwhile, David Huerta, president of SEIU California, was charged with felony conspiracy to impede an officer after his arrest during the L.A. protests. Despite the furor, legal experts note that Homan lacks the authority to arrest elected officials, and his role remains advisory. Still, Trump's rhetoric has raised alarms among critics who view his comments as part of a broader pattern of undermining democratic institutions. 'This is a preview of things to come,' Newsom warned in an interview with Brian Taylor Cohen that he shared on social media. 'This isn't about L.A., per se,' the Democratic governor added. 'It's about us today, it's about you, everyone watching tomorrow. This guy is unhinged. Trump is unhinged right now, and this is just another proof point of that.' At a news conference held by lawmakers in Sacramento to discuss the protests in Los Angeles, Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas, D-Hollister, said Trump's threat to arrest Newsom is a 'direct assault on democracy and an insult to every Californian.'

AOC, Grace Meng tapped to do more as open-air prostitution, rampant criminality returns to NYC's ‘Market of Sweethearts'
AOC, Grace Meng tapped to do more as open-air prostitution, rampant criminality returns to NYC's ‘Market of Sweethearts'

New York Post

time17 minutes ago

  • New York Post

AOC, Grace Meng tapped to do more as open-air prostitution, rampant criminality returns to NYC's ‘Market of Sweethearts'

QUEENS, N.Y. – The red lights are back flashing along a notorious prostitution strip in New York City represented by progressive Democratic Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Grace Meng. Along the crammed, grimy sidewalks of Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, sex workers are once again openly soliciting clients while vendors grill meats and hawk suspected stolen or counterfeit goods – despite police waging a months-long crackdown to stop the chaos. Advertisement It's become a way of life – and a years-long blight – for residents in the migrant-dense neighborhood who say they have grown tired of calling on Ocasio-Cortez and Meng to act and liken conditions to a 'Red Light district' or a third-world flea market. Others have nicknamed the strip the 'Avenue of the Sweethearts,' given its reputation for women purportedly turning tricks 8 Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Zohran Mamdani take part in the annual Puerto Rican day parade on Sunday afternoon. LP Media 'All the criminal activity has reverted to the way it was last year,' Ramses Frias, a local activist and Republican City Council candidate, told Fox News Digital. 'Our residents feel like prisoners in their own homes while criminals walk freely, preying on helpless victims.' Advertisement He said gangs like the 18th Street gang and Tren de Aragua are suspected of operating in the area since various spots are graffiti – tagged with their insignia. Fox News Digital visited Roosevelt Avenue after Ocasio-Cortez's town hall last month and witnessed as many as 30 women on one block appearing to offer sex for money to Friday night revelers while parents and children walked by. 8 New York Post cover from July 30th, 2023. Advertisement The women were jostling men and enticing them for sex despite a visible police presence nearby. Most women operate on Meng's side of the strip; the majority of vendors are on Ocasio-Cortez's side, with their district border running through the center of the street. Hours before the town hall, other sidewalks were jammed with vendors flogging counterfeit Apple headphones and watches and tools. Food vendors sizzled meats at vendor stalls and kept juices in massive, unlabeled canisters under the gritty subway underpass – devoid of any labels or apparent sanitation or health and safety standards. Fruit and ice-cream stalls also permeated the busy strip. Fox News Digital returned to the neighborhood on Friday and witnessed much of the same rampant prostitution and illegal vending. Additionally, several women were threading eyebrows along a sidewalk on a commercial street just off Roosevelt Avenue, while men were selling sneakers from cars and other food vendors were seen dumping wastewater down drains. 8 Women believed to be sex workers or prostitutes, standing in front of storefronts on Roosevelt Avenue in Queens, NY. For the New York Post Advertisement Residents have warned for months that Operation Restore Roosevelt – a 90-day enhanced police crime crackdown on the area which started in October – needed to be made permanent and that the warming weather would likely see more scantily-clad women appear on the streets. NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry told Fox News Digital that the boots-on-the-ground operation, which consisted of more than 200 additional police officers, reduced crime by 29% in the area so far this year and significantly reduced criminal activity. 'There has been a notable difference,' Daughtry said. 'Robberies are down 23%, felony assaults are down 33%, burglaries are down 47%, and grand larceny is down 30%.' 8 15 brothels out of 30 court filings have been raided. For the New York Post Daughtry said he wants the work to have 'a real, lasting difference,' while saying that a lot still needs to be done. He said 15 brothels were raided out of 30 court filings made by the police. For instance, days after Ocasio-Cortez's town hall, authorities shut down a notorious brothel, dubbed the 'bodega brothel' by locals, which was operating above a corner store near two schools in Ocasio-Cortez's district. Video from inside the cat house obtained by Fox News Digital shows squalid conditions, with five cramped, makeshift rooms sectioned off by wooden panels and shower curtains with just enough room to fit a bed in every one of them. On Tuesday, two brothels were raided by police on Meng's side of Roosevelt Avenue, the same block where Fox News Digital observed 30 alleged prostitutes. Frias said a large crowd gathered to watch the sweep, some heckling the alleged johns as they were cuffed and taken into custody while suspected prostitutes were led out with their heads covered in shower curtains to shield their identities. 8 Meng described the situation as 'concerning' and claims to be working with local law enforcement. Getty Images Advertisement Frias said the crowd reaction proved the neighborhood is fully aware of the illicit activity and is fed up, but that three to four other brothels are operating on that same block. Frias added that residents are terrified to walk the streets and would rather stay home than step outside. 'Our laws need to become stricter, and it's time to elect representatives who have the best interests of the community and its safety as a priority,' said Frias, who's looking to oust City Council member Shekar Krishnan in District 25. He blasted Ocasio-Cortez in particular, saying she has never used her massive social media presence to address the dire situation. Daughtry, too, called on Ocasio-Cortez and Meng to do more. He and the mayor's office said the pair did not collaborate with them in the police crackdown. 'Never seen her,' Daughtry said about Ocasio-Cortez. 'She's never reached out to us. We would really love her assistance to help us, but at the end of the day, we have to do what's right and restore some law and order back to Roosevelt. I would like AOC to partner with us… use her platform to help us get funding or connect women to services.' Advertisement 8 Activist Ramses Frias called Ocasio-Cortez out for not using her massive social media presence to address this issue. Kevin C Downs forThe New York Post Daughtry said issues like prostitution have permeated the area for decades, and he remembers it being a hot spot for prostitution in the '90s. He said the migrant crisis exacerbated the situation as many migrants were drawn to the area, given that it already has a large Latin American population. Mayor Eric Adams spearheaded Operation Restore Roosevelt in collaboration with the NYPD and City Council member Francisco Moya, a moderate Democrat who has often been at odds with his party's progressive wing. Daughtry said Moya was a 'huge partner' who physically walked Roosevelt Avenue with him and participated in raids, as did Adams. Adams' office said the operation underscored the administration's commitment to 'making sure these crime and quality-of-life issues continue to improve.' Advertisement 8 Operation Restore Roosevelt has continues to try and restore the community. For the New York Post Meng, meanwhile, told Fox News Digital she is working with local law enforcement and Moya on the matter and described the situation as 'concerning.' Ocasio-Cortez's office told Fox News Digital that she has engaged with local stakeholders in the area and helped fix lights in the neighborhood. The situation on Roosevelt Avenue was not raised by Ocasio-Cortez at her town hall, nor by constituents who spoke in a question-and-answer portion. Advertisement Residents Andrew Sokolof Diaz and John Szewczuk told Fox News Digital outside the event that the Roosevelt Avenue problem is a long-standing issue and that local lawmakers must do more to address it. 8 The situation on Roosevelt Avenue was not raised by Ocasio-Cortez at her town hall, nor by constituents who spoke in a question-and-answer portion. For the New York Post Resident Mark LaVergne pinned much of the blame on Ocasio-Cortez for not doing more and said he felt many of the women were likely trafficked into that murky underground world. 'I feel very sad… There's a Dunkin' Donuts I frequent on Roosevelt and 82nd Street and I noticed that above that there is some sort of thing going on, and I see the look in the eyes of these sex workers,' LaVergne said. 'I really feel sorry for them. Some of them are here, probably under difficult situations. Maybe they were forced here, maybe they're forced to do this kind of work. You've got to take care of the people that'll get you elected. I mean, that just seems like the most just thing. That's justice. Taking care of the people who got you elected.'

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store