Latest news with #Israel-bashing
New York Post
3 days ago
- Business
- New York Post
Mark Levine will reinvest in Israel Bonds as next NYC comptroller — reversing Brad Lander divestment
The leading candidate for Big Apple comptroller says he will reinvest millions of dollars of city pension funds into Israeli bonds — after current Comptroller Brad Lander divested from them. When Lander took office in 2022, the pension funds of city government workers and retirees that he oversees had $39.9 million of assets in Israeli bonds. When the bonds matured, Lander did not reinvest in them, in effect divesting the pension funds from bonds that New York City had invested in since the 1970s. Advertisement Brad Lander did not reinvest in Israeli bonds, despite it being a standard practice by the city since the 1970s Adam Gray for New York Post A campaign rep for Levine — Manhattan's borough president and the Democratic nominee for comptroller and thus likely next comptroller — said his boss will invest in Israel government bonds again if elected. 'We have a globally diversified portfolio, and that should include investments in Israel and Israel Bonds, which have paid solid dividends for 75 years,' Levine had said during the June comptroller primary-race debate with rival and Brooklyn Councilman, Justin Brannan. Advertisement 'We are now the only pension fund in America without that investment,' Levine said at the time. 'I think prudent management for global diversity should include investment in those assets.' Lander was criticized during his mayoral campaign for divesting from Israeli bonds. Foes have noted that he and Israel-bashing socialist buddy Zohran Mamdani cross-endorsed each other in the city's Democratic primary in June — a move that is credited with helping propel the far-left Mamdani well in front of the pack to clinch the party's nomination. Lander recently spelled out his divestment decision in a response letter to First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro, who had ripped the divesting. Advertisement Lander had accused prior comptrollers of investing pension funds from unionized workers in Israeli bonds for political reasons, not for prudent returns. The Big Apple first invested $30 million in State of Israel Bonds in 1974 under former city Comptroller Harrison Goldin through its pension funds for educators. 'We are now the only pension fund in America without that investment,' Mark Levine (pictured) said during June's debate. 'I think prudent management for global diversity should include investment in those assets.' Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images 'The decision to invest only in Israel bonds, when the funds held no other country's bonds, and to invest assets intended for short-term cash management in longer-term bond instruments, was a political decision, not a fiduciary one,' Lander said in his July 13 letter. Advertisement 'The City's pension fund holdings of Israel bonds amounted to $39,947,160 at the time I took office in January 2022. In January 2023, those bonds matured, and our office was faced with the choice of whether or not to purchase new ones. We consulted our guidelines and made the prudent decision to follow them, and therefore not to continue investing in the sovereign debt of just one country.' Lander, who is Jewish and a self-described Zionist, added, 'To summarize: We treat investments in Israel as we treat investments in any other country. No better, and no worse. 'The [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] Movement asks investors to treat Israel worse than other countries; I oppose this effort. You appear to be asking that the City's pension funds treat Israel better than all other countries. That would also be politically motivated, and inconsistent with fiduciary duty.' He then accused Mayor Eric Adams of using the city's divestment of Israeli bonds as a 'cynical ploy' in his desperate re-election campaign. But Lander's predecessor as comptroller, Scott Stringer, said Lander was out of line for claiming that Israeli bonds are not a worthy investment. 'Brad got busted for BDS'ing the pension system. He got caught, and now he has to own up to it,' Stringer told The Post. Stringer said he was infuriated with Lander for claiming Stringer and other prior comptrollers invested in Israeli bonds for political, not sound financial, reasons. Advertisement He said Israeli bonds had always been a sound investment and told Lander to 'f–k off. 'If you get busted, you can't be trusted,' Stringer said. Israeli bonds are considered a solid investment, accumulating about 5% returns on average a year, records show. The New York state pension system, run by state Comptroller Tom DiNapoli, has more than $360 million invested in the Jewish state.
New York Post
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Zohran Mamdani taps senior aide to ousted anti-Israel Rep. Jamaal Bowman as new campaign manager
Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has brought on a new campaign manager — who recently served as senior advisor to fire drill enthusiast and Israel-bashing ex-Rep. Jamaal Bowman. Maya Handa will take the reins of the socialist's bid for mayor following his stunning Dem primary win over supposed frontrunner Andrew Cuomo last month, Mamdani's campaign announced Friday. The Queens assemblyman will face Cuomo, incumbent Mayor Eric Adams and lawyer Jim Walden, all running as independents, in the November general election, along with the Republican nominee, Curtis Sliwa. 3 The socialist frontrunner for New York City mayor, Zohran Mamdani, has brought on a new campaign manager — who recently served as a top advisor to fire drill enthusiast and Israel-bashing ex-lawmaker, Jamaal Bowman. Paul Martinka Handa most recently ran the day-to-day for the mayoral primary campaign of state Sen. Zellnor Myrie, who struggled to break out from the crowded Democratic field. Before jumping into the chaotic horse race, Handa served as senior advisor to Bowman, whose last consequential act as a New York representative in DC was pulling a fire alarm to delay a key House vote. Shortly after, the 'squad' member was voted out of office. Bowman, a vocal critic of Israel who has accused the country of carrying out a genocide in Gaza, is also on Mamdani's short list for schools chancellor. Handa, a political operative with ties to the Working Families Party, has a resume packed with lefty lawmakers, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren's bid for president and Mondaire Jones' 2020 campaign for Congress. 3 Bowman is also on Mamdani's list to potentially be the next school's chancellor. Robert Miller 3 Mamdani's campaign also announced they hired Afua Atta-Mensah as senior political director and Deandra Khan as director of labor and intergovernmental affairs. Andrew Schwartz / Mamdani's campaign also noted Handa's previously worked for Queens Assemblymember Claire Valdez and Brooklyn Councilmember Shahana Hanif, but those gigs were absent from her LinkedIn resume. Other new hires announced by Mamdani's team on Friday were political strategist and progressive organizer Afua Atta-Mensah as senior political director and Deandra Khan — who recently served as top advisor to the president of the Local 32BJ SEIU union — as director of labor and intergovernmental affairs.
New York Post
24-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
PA Gov. Josh Shapiro bashes NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani over failure to condemn ‘blatantly antisemitic' extremists
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has ripped New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani for failing to condemn the 'blatantly antisemitic' rhetoric being spewed by his Israel-bashing supporters. 'You have to speak and act with moral clarity, and when supporters of yours say things that are blatantly antisemitic, you can't leave room for that to just sit there,' Shapiro, a fellow Dem, told the Jewish Insider on Wednesday about the socialist state lawmaker. 'You've got to condemn that.' Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro on Wednesday bashed Zohran Mamdani for failing to condemn the 'blatantly antisemitic' rhetoric being spewed by his Israel-bashing supporters. Getty Images The governor took aim at Mamdani after the lefty firebrand, whose shock mayoral primary win last month has largely divided the party, faced widespread backlash over his anti-Israel commentary. 'He seemed to run a campaign that excited New Yorkers,' Shapiro said. 'He also seemed to run a campaign where he left open far too much space for extremists to either use his words or for him to not condemn the words of extremists that said some blatantly antisemitic things.' Critics have been tearing into Mamdani of late as they accused the progressive frontrunner of being antisemitic over his backing of the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement against Israel. Mamdani has faced widespread backlash over his past anti-Israel commentary and initial refusal to condemn the 'Globalize the intifada' phrase. James Messerschmidt The Queens assemblyman has maintained that opposing the Zionist state is not antisemitic and insisted that he'd fight against Jew hatred as mayor. Mamdani has also faced widespread backlash for refusing to condemn the 'globalize the intifada' rallying cry seized on by anti-Israel groups. In the wake of his Democratic primary win, Mamdani has said he now discourages people from using the phrase after meeting with Jewish elected officials. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) was among those to rip the mayoral hopeful's controversial comments on the intifada — arguing that he should emphatically 'denounce it' if he wants to rep the Big Apple. 'As a leader of a city as diverse as New York City with 8 million people, as the largest Jewish population in the country, he should denounce it. And that's it. Period,' Gillibrand, a pro-Israel Democrat, told WNYC last month. The criticism from Shapiro comes as Mamdani grapples to secure the overall backing of his party. New York's top three Dem leaders — Gov. Kathy Hochul, Senate Democratic Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — have so far refused to say whether they'd endorse the nominee.
New York Post
15-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Rep. Elise Stefanik skewers CUNY chancellor, calls for his ouster over ‘failed' leadership on NYC campus antisemitism
New York Rep. Elise Stefanik skewered the head of CUNY — calling on him to resign for 'failing Jewish students' and for flunking his House testimony Tuesday on combating campus antisemitism. The Republican congresswoman zeroed in on Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez over the hiring of a chief diversity officer who previously worked for a pro-Hamas, Israel-bashing group — saying that if the CUNY boss doesn't step down, Gov. Kathy Hochul should bounce him. 'You have failed the people of New York. You have failed Jewish students in New York State, and it is a disgrace,' Stefanik — who is mulling a run for governor against Hochul next year — told the chancellor during the House Education & Workforce Committee hearing. Advertisement 7 Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., questions the panel of witnesses during a House Committee on Education and Workforce Committee hearing on 'Antisemitism in Higher Education: Examining the Role of Faculty, Funding, and Ideology' on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Washington. AP She grilled Matos Rodríguez about CUNY's hiring of Saly Abd Alla, who had previously been employed as a civil rights director for the Council on American-Islamic Relations, which supports the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement against Israel. 'I was not directly responsible for that hire,' Matos Rodríguez, who has overseen CUNY's 26 degree-granting institutions since 2019, insisted when asked if he was aware of Abd Alla's previous employer. Advertisement CAIR was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation case involving the funneling over $12 million to Hamas, Stefanik noted. 'You hired Abd Alla as CUNY's chief diversity officer, and this role includes overseeing antisemitism complaints and initiatives. Were you aware at that time that this senior administrator that you hired was previously employed by CAIR?' Stefanik asked. Matos Rodríguez said Abd Alla was hired to be the chief diversity officer 'at the central office with no responsibility over cases that have to deal with students or faculty.' 7 Pro-Palestine demonstrators wave the Palestinian flag and hold a banner outside of the office of the City University of New York. Jimin Kim/SOPA Images/Shutterstock Advertisement 'Let me remind you, CAIR was a co-conspirator in the terrorist financing case and has ties to Hamas, a designated terrorist organization,' Stefanik continued, adding, 'Is she currently still employed by CUNY?' 'She is,' Matos Rodríguez replied. 'So, no action, just words here today,' Stefanik said. Stefanik also asked Matos Rodríguez if he knew that law professor Ramzi Kassem, the head of CUNY Law School's legal clinic, Creating Law Enforcement Accountability & Responsibility or CLEAR, was representing Mahmoud Khalil, the anti-Israel Columbia University protester who was detained by the Trump administration. Advertisement 'CUNY CLEAR. I'm not familiar with them,' Matos Rodríguez said. 7 Stefanik also asked Matos Rodríguez if he knew that law professor Ramzi Kassem, the head of CUNY Law School's legal clinic. AP 'This is the chief pro-Hamas agitator that led to the antisemitic encampments at Columbia, the rioting and violent takeover of Hamilton Hall, the harassment and physical assault of Jewish students,' Stefanik said of Khalil. 'You allow the head of the clinical legal organization and a professor to be the chief legal aid to Mahmoud Khalil and do his legal defense fund?' Matos Rodríguez responded, 'Those decisions are made in the clinics and are made in the individual campuses.' In another case, Stefanik asked about delays in removing a swastika from the main building of CUNY's Hunter College campus on Manhattan's Upper East Side in the fall of 2023. 7 Protestors gather outside Brooklyn College during a âCUNY Wide Student Walkout for Palestineâ on Thursday, November 9, 2023 in Brooklyn, N.Y. James Keivom She displayed a Nov. 13, 2023 email apparently by Hunter's Interim Vice President for Administration Gustavo Ordonez telling Leah Garrett, the school's chair of Jewish Studies: 'Apologies, but it's not that simple.' Advertisement Garrett has since filed a federal workplace discrimination suit against CUNY. CUNY typically removes hateful symbols right away but there was a delay in doing so in this case because officials 'were working with the New York City Police Department' on a potential hate crime case, Matos Rodríguez told the panel. In a joint press conference after the hearing with Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov in DC, Stefanik said Matos Rodríguez had to go, and claimed Hochul was part of the problem. 7 Rep. Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., questions the panel of witnesses during a House Committee on Education and Workforce Committee hearing on 'Antisemitism in Higher Education: Examining the Role of Faculty, Funding, and Ideology' on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, July 15, 2025, in Washington. @RepStefanik/X Advertisement 'The scourge of antisemitism has skyrocketed on her watch,' Stefanik said of Hochul. 'She needs to call on this chancellor to resign. She needs to fire him today.' Vernikov agreed, telling reporters: 'With one phone call, she can make sure the chancellor gets removed.' 'We need competent leadership. The chancellor is unwilling and unable to address antisemitism and protect his Jewish students,' she said. Advertisement 7 Protestors gather outside Brooklyn College during a CUNY Wide Student Walkout for Palestine on Thursday, November 9, 2023 in Brooklyn, N.Y. James Keivom Hochul created a task force headed by former New York state chief judge Jonathan Lippman that issued recommendations last year to weed out campus antisemitism at CUNY. Matos Rodríguez is likely not going anywhere. He has strong support among CUNY's trustees, appointed by the governor and mayor. Overall, he defended CUNY's performance in tamping down antisemitism and said officials have learned from past mistakes. Advertisement 'Antisemitism has no place at CUNY,' he testified. 7 Dr. Félix Matos Rodríguez, Chancellor, The City University of New York, testifies during a House Committee on Education and Workforce Committee hearing. AP 'And although our response has not always been perfect, our commitment to this important work has never wavered. Our commitment to the safety of the members of our Jewish community, and to our entire community, is non-negotiable.' He noted the $3 million in vandalism caused by anti-Israel protestors who created an encampment at CUNY's City College last year. 'We learned from that experience. We now have a zero-tolerance policy against encampments,' Matos Rodríguez said, adding CUNY hired more than 150 full-time security employees and contracted with an additional 250 security personnel. 'Our approach has shown results,' he said.
New York Post
15-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon, Wall Street bigs snub Zohran Mamdani meeting
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon and other Wall Street titans were planning to skip a widely anticipated Tuesday meeting with hard-left New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, The Post has learned. The 33-year-old socialist firebrand, who handily defeated Andrew Cuomo in the Democratic primary on June 24, was slated to attend meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday arranged by Partnership for NYC — a powerful group whose members include the city's biggest banks, law firms and corporations. But Dimon snubbed the Israel-bashing, Ugandan-born firebrand and his bid to schmooze with the city's business bigwigs and soothe their concerns. Advertisement 3 Mamdani has been making an outreach to NYC business bigwigs via renowned power broker Kathlyn Wylde. Andrew Schwartz / The 69-year-old Dimon — who branded Mamdani a 'Marxist' at an event in Ireland on Thursday — had an unspecified scheduling 'conflict,' accoridng to the bank. 'He had other commitments and was unable to attend,' a JPMorgan spokesperson told The Post. According to sources familiar with the matter, a number of other Wall Street hotshots stayed away, too — sending non-executive underlings in their place. Advertisement 'Everyone is just in listening mode,' joked one banking bigwig. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, Bank of America's Brian Moynihan, and Citi boss Jane Fraser did not plan to take part, sources said. The insiders pointed to the firms' all having quarterly results coming out on Tuesday and Wednesday. BofA is headquartered in Charlotte, NC and, arguably, more shielded from any prospective Mamdani administration. Advertisement 3 JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon lashed out at fellow Democrats over their obsession with DEI policies, labeling them 'idiots.' REUTERS The Democrat candidate wants to freeze rents and hike taxes to bankroll free childcare and free buses, as well as create government-run grocery stores to battle rising food prices. 'That's the same ideological mush that means nothing in the real world,' Dimon told Thursday's conference organized by the Irish foreign ministry in Dublin. The long-serving chief executive also used the powwow to take pot shots at the Democratic Party. Advertisement Dimon, who has long been rumored to have political ambitions of his own and was once floated as a possible Treasury Secretary, slammed his fellow Democrats for their obsession with divisive DEI policies. 3 Insiders said BofA CEO Brian Moynihan is currently in Charlotte, North Carolina, to prepare for the bank's quarterly results on Wednesday. REUTERS 'I have a lot of friends who are Democrats, and they're idiots. I always say they have big hearts and little brains,' the plain-speaking banker told the audience in Dublin. 'They do not understand how the real world works. Almost every single policy rolled out failed.' Banking regulations have been a matter of concern for the JPMorgan CEO for years. In October, he lashed out at the Biden administration over its anti-business stance and used his annual shareholder letter in April to accuse its officials of stifling growth with 'blue tape.' Earlier this year, JPMorgan and several other Wall Street banks scrubbed DEI language from their websites soon after President Trump took office,
