Jewish legal groups protest absence of Jews from Mamdani advisory panel

Four Jewish bar associations criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's judicial advisory committee for lacking Jewish members and rejecting retired judge John Leventhal. Mamdani denied religious bias, citing Leventhal's role on Ghislaine Maxwell's legal team. The controversy highlights tensions over representation and hate crimes in NYC.

Four Jewish bar associations sent a letter to New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday, protesting the composition of his newly announced judicial advisory committee. The 18-member body includes no Jewish attorneys, former judges, or legal professionals, despite Mamdani's description of it as 'truly reflective of New York City.' The groups also condemned the 'unprecedented rejection' of retired Appellate Division Justice John Leventhal, a Jewish applicant. Mamdani's spokesman denied religious bias, explaining that Leventhal was rejected because he had served on Ghislaine Maxwell's legal team. Separately, the Wall Street Journal faced backlash for an op-ed titled 'Mamdani's Antisemitic Smoke Signals' featuring an image of a protester with a green Hamas headband, which Mamdani's communications director called 'incredibly Islamophobic.' The article also notes that Jews are the target of 55.6% of NYC hate crimes this year, and that City Council Speaker Julie Menin allocated $750,000 to the Brooklyn DA's hate crimes bureau.