A group of Jewish lawyers and judges in New York have written to Mayor Zohran Mamdani to complain after no members of the community were appointed to his judiciary advisory committee.
One day after Mamdani took office, on January 2, he said of the committee: “Membership... shall reflect the cosmopolitan population of the City of New York.”
New York has the largest Jewish population in the US.
Jews make up approximately 11 per cent of the city’s people but 18 non-Jewish representatives have been appointed to the panel that is responsible for choosing judges.
The coalition’s letter was penned by Jewish legal bodies Brandeis Association, Jewish Lawyers Guild, Brooklyn Brandeis Society and Bronx County Jewish Bar Association.
“Your recent announcement of appointees to the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on the Judiciary has left us deeply disappointed,” the letter reads.
“Not a single Jewish [lawyer], former judge, or legal professional was appointed to a committee your administration described as one that would be ‘truly reflective of New York City’.
It continued: “NYC is home to the largest Jewish population in the United States. Excluding Jewish representation from this committee is neither reflective nor inclusive.
“It follows a troubling pattern that has left many Jewish New Yorkers feeling increasingly marginalised.”
Citing recent attacks, the letter added: “Jewish New Yorkers deserve to know that their elected leaders value their safety, their voices, and their place in our city’s institutions.
“We urge you to correct this exclusion by appointing qualified Jewish members to the Advisory Committee and to reaffirm that Jewish New Yorkers are entitled to the same representation, respect, and protection as every other community.”
In a statement reported in the New York Times, Mamdani spokesman Joe Calvello said it was “false” to suggest the selection of members was “motivated by religion”.
The statement continued: “To date, Mamdani has had the privilege of appointing a dozen qualified judges from a range of backgrounds, including Jewish judges.”
The statement, according to the newspaper, also quoted Mamdani’s chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem, as saying the members “offer a truly representative cross-section of the legal profession in NYC.
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