Editorial | Shame on Liu! Senator Liu’s endorsement betrays a faithful constituency

When Queens State Senator John Liu, who has built a reputation as a diligent public servant, announced his endorsement of Zohran Mamdani for Mayor, he cited shared progressive values: pre‑K, public safety, integrity and immigrant advocacy. 

Nevertheless, by making such an endorsement, he has taken the dangerous step to support a candidate whose views on Israel have alarmed the Jewish community in his district and across the borough. This is not just a political miscalculation—but a betrayal.

Liu himself acknowledged their “big disagreement” on Israel. But acknowledgment falls short when the stakes are high. Over 60 Jewish leaders in Queens—retired judges, religious scholars and community pillars—publicly condemned Liu’s decision, calling it “a slap in our face” and accusing Mamdani of being “virulently anti‑Semitic.” 

This sense of betrayal is heightened by a troubling context: antisemitism is on the rise across New York City and Jewish institutions have had to increase security in response to threats and vandalism.

Their outrage is no abstract grievance; it is rooted in lived concern. The Jewish communities of Queens have endured waves of hostility over decades, and when an elected representative backs a candidate who contests Israel’s legitimacy as a Jewish state, the indignation is justified.

Mamdani’s position—that Israel should exist only as “a state with equal rights for all” and not specifically as a Jewish state—has drawn fierce rebukes from local rabbis and pro‑Israel advocates, who deem his stance “dangerous” and “dehumanizing.” 

By aligning with him, Liu places political expedience above the convictions of his core Jewish constituents.

This is not a narrow ideological spat. It’s a test of representation. The Jewish community deserves an elected official who won’t tolerate antisemitism—someone who acknowledges both history and immediate anxieties. For a district with a substantial Jewish population to feel dismissed by its senator is deeply troubling.

Queens has always been a mosaic: Jewish synagogues near mosques, churches beside halal markets. That diversity is our strength. But diversity also demands respect. To turn a blind eye to historic wounds, in favor of a candidate whose positions unsettle a sizable constituency, undermines the very foundations of representative democracy.

Liu’s support for a self-described democratic socialist represents a notable shift from the centrist platform on which he has long built his career. Mamdani’s affiliation with the Democratic Socialists of America reflects a far-left agenda with positions that differ significantly from Liu’s traditionally moderate stances in both city and state government.

Senator Liu must reckon with the fallout. He may see merits in Mamdani, but he cannot ignore the feelings of thousands in Queens who now feel overlooked. 

Queens deserves leadership that unites, not divides. Liu’s endorsement—well‑meaning or politically calculated—misses that mark. And until he restores trust in our shared community values, his judgment remains in question.