As a 61-year-old Jewish woman (so many friends are appalled by the idea of voting for Mamdani), your perspective is so on point, I have forwarded your pieces to friends and family over and over throughout this campaign. Thank you l, Bess, for this and putting this insane mayoral race in perspective in a way that I can’t articulate myself. hoping for the best tomorrow.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 as always, you are wonderful at cutting through the nonsense and proving to be the most mature and reasonable adult in the room. Thank you for this!
I wish you were right; I really do. But this is a man who said, after October 7, that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it was laced up by the IDF. Whatever he may have said more recently while running for election, he conflated two things that have nothing whatsoever to do with each other and blamed the Jews for New York police violence. I don’t see how that can be erased, brushed aside, or explained.
No doubt you and your son will share a lifelong happy memory of voting for Mayor Mamdani! (I share one with my daughter about voting for President Obama—when she was 10.)
I was shocked, too, until I watched the whole thing and looked it up and the NYPD had just literally trained with the IDFas part of an international exchange. Oy!
I love this, Bess. I’m a Floridian so have no vote in this, but if I did, I’d definitely vote for Mamdani. Especially after this lovely essay! I heard Trump advised everyone to vote for Cuomo, that ”you have no other choice.” My dad was a New Yorker, and if you told him “you have no choice,” he’d go ballistic and prove that he did indeed have one. I suspect he was fairly typical of New Yorkers in that regard, and I fervently hope Trump’s statement backfires.
Thank you, as always, for your writing -- I shared this with my 80 year old mother this morning and she was moved to vote for Mamdani -- she wrote: "Kalb’s article resonated with me. Thanks. It helped me decide."
Thank you for this very detailed a well researched article explaining why Mamdani is not someone to be feared by Jews. I saw a video last week posted by Hen Mazzig of a female rabbi speaking to how he is a terrible choice because he allows antisemitism to be normalized, and I was stating to wonder if I should be concerned about friends who I know support him and are voting for him. I don’t live in NYC so obviously won’t be voting there tomorrow, and I still don’t like the fact that he started a Students for Justice in Palestine group, but I do feel a sense of relief now knowing he is a genuine person who cares about doing the hard work to make life better for New Yorkers. Maybe someday I will have the chance to vote for him in another election too.
As a 61-year-old Jewish woman (so many friends are appalled by the idea of voting for Mamdani), your perspective is so on point, I have forwarded your pieces to friends and family over and over throughout this campaign. Thank you l, Bess, for this and putting this insane mayoral race in perspective in a way that I can’t articulate myself. hoping for the best tomorrow.
👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 as always, you are wonderful at cutting through the nonsense and proving to be the most mature and reasonable adult in the room. Thank you for this!
I wish you were right; I really do. But this is a man who said, after October 7, that when the boot of the NYPD is on your neck, it was laced up by the IDF. Whatever he may have said more recently while running for election, he conflated two things that have nothing whatsoever to do with each other and blamed the Jews for New York police violence. I don’t see how that can be erased, brushed aside, or explained.
No doubt you and your son will share a lifelong happy memory of voting for Mayor Mamdani! (I share one with my daughter about voting for President Obama—when she was 10.)
I’m voting for him but his comments about the boots of the nypd are laced by the IDF is a messed up thing to say
This. Can’t get past it.
I was shocked, too, until I watched the whole thing and looked it up and the NYPD had just literally trained with the IDFas part of an international exchange. Oy!
thanks, Bess. Good sense and all heart. If I still lived in NYC, I'd vote for that American man named Mamdani.
Thank you, Bess. In this fraught moment, somehow you find the words ❤️
Thank you, Bess. I'm with you (and Mamdani)
I love this, Bess. I’m a Floridian so have no vote in this, but if I did, I’d definitely vote for Mamdani. Especially after this lovely essay! I heard Trump advised everyone to vote for Cuomo, that ”you have no other choice.” My dad was a New Yorker, and if you told him “you have no choice,” he’d go ballistic and prove that he did indeed have one. I suspect he was fairly typical of New Yorkers in that regard, and I fervently hope Trump’s statement backfires.
This made me tear up. Thank you, Bess.
What a wonderful post! ♥️
Beautifully put, Bess ! ❤️
Thank you, as always, for your writing -- I shared this with my 80 year old mother this morning and she was moved to vote for Mamdani -- she wrote: "Kalb’s article resonated with me. Thanks. It helped me decide."
Thank you for this very detailed a well researched article explaining why Mamdani is not someone to be feared by Jews. I saw a video last week posted by Hen Mazzig of a female rabbi speaking to how he is a terrible choice because he allows antisemitism to be normalized, and I was stating to wonder if I should be concerned about friends who I know support him and are voting for him. I don’t live in NYC so obviously won’t be voting there tomorrow, and I still don’t like the fact that he started a Students for Justice in Palestine group, but I do feel a sense of relief now knowing he is a genuine person who cares about doing the hard work to make life better for New Yorkers. Maybe someday I will have the chance to vote for him in another election too.
Thank you for putting so much of what I was thinking into words. This made me cry. New York City needs positivity, not fear.
Your words on this continue to be marvelous. Thank you ❤️