The anti-Semitic phrase ‘globalize the intifada’ became a flashpoint in the New York City mayoral race after socialist candidate Zohran Mamdani defended its use, prompting swift condemnation from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum.
“Exploiting the Museum and the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising to sanitize ‘globalize the intifada’ is outrageous and especially offensive to survivors,” the Museum stated Wednesday. “Since 1987 Jews have been attacked and murdered under its banner. All leaders must condemn its use and the abuse of history.”
Mamdani, polling second behind former governor Andrew Cuomo, justified the slogan during a Tuesday podcast, claiming, “What I hear in so many is a desperate desire for equality and equal rights.” He attempted to defend the word “intifada” by invoking the Holocaust Museum’s Arabic translations, adding, “It’s a word that means struggle.”
Cuomo, who has called anti-Semitism “the most important issue” in the race, has taken a clear stance: “Such slogans are giving license to come after Jews.”
Mamdani has long opposed Israel’s existence as a Jewish state and supports the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. His refusal to denounce phrases like “from the river to the sea” and his reaction to Hamas’s Oct. 7 terror attack underscore his radical posture.
Rep. Ritchie Torres (D., N.Y.) rebuked Mamdani, stating, “When you repeat slogans like ‘globalize the intifada,’ you are inciting violence against Jews in the United States and around the world.”
