I'm Rabbi Ami Hirsch of the Stephen Wise Free Synagogue in New York and you're listening to "In These Times." We're in the midst of an important mayoral campaign in New York City with local, national, and even international ramifications. Scott Stringer has spent decades in New York politics, a former Manhattan Assemblyman Borough President and New York City comptroller. He is running now for the Democratic nomination for the Mayor of New York City.
One thing that has always distinguished Scott, especially in these polarized times, is his unwavering commitment to Judaism and Zionism. I'm pleased that he reached out to me as part of our mayoral forum to share his vision for the city. And to probe deeply into the issues that are important to Americans and American Jews. Mr. Scott Stringer, it's an honor to have you with us. Welcome to In These Times.
Thank you, rabbi. It's great to be here. It truly is a privilege.
We're in the midst of a quite heated primary campaign in New York for the nominee of the Democratic Party for Mayor. How goes the campaign?
Well, it's not my first rodeo. I've been through this before and I have to tell you, it really is great connecting with New Yorkers all over the borough, not just from Manhattan, but throughout the city. And I will tell you, it's a wonderfully diverse. City we have, and there's still so much hope about where the city can go. So I feel very uplifted as I make my case to the voters. It's been a tremendous experience. And uh, I have to tell you something, the voters are ready for change.
I think they want experience. I think they want competence, but they also want someone as mayor who has a vision to end the corruption and the chaos and sort of restore our city to where it has to be. And that's what I offer in this campaign.
You've been in public life for many years. Do you think that government has changed over the decades that you've been involved in public service? Do you think people are as tolerant of different views as they used to be? Are they more short-tempered? Do they greet you on the campaign trail in the same kind of way? Respectful, and even if they disagree with you,
my observation about the shifting. Politics of the city and the country is there's definitely a much more divisive view of issues and life in the city. I also find that because the city government over many years has become so minimal in its approach to our problems, that people are really actually expecting less from the government. I have people come up to me and said, could you limit the corruption? Limit the corruption? Not in the corruption or zero tolerance.
And I'm always like, what do you mean limited? People roll their eyes and say, what's what's happening in Washington at City Hall? And I say, how about if we just in the corruption and people don't believe that can happen. So when I came of age on the Upper West Side with Jerry Nadler and with Messenger corruption was not to be tolerated for one second. This was the Democratic reform movement. And there were certain principles that you abided by and never compromised.
And I feel that we have to go back to the drawing board and build an administration that doesn't steal, that doesn't personally profit, that actually works for the people again. But Rabbi, I have to tell you, people are just hoping for the minimum, and I wanna show that we can go back to a time when. We were doing the big things without stealing and corruption.
What draws you generally, before we get to the issues themselves that are on the top of the agenda for New Yorkers now? You've been in public service for so much of your adult life. What is it that attracted you to public service and that keeps you involved in public service?
I was one of those kids. Grew up in a political household. My dad was council to Mayor Beam in the seventies, and my mom would eventually be the first woman to serve in the city council, also from Washington Heights in the seventies. But I really, really got started in politics and I was asked last night at a Jewish issues debate who was the.
Jewish person you most admired, and I said, well, I admired my cousin, the late Bella Abzu who ran for Congress and I was a 12-year-old boy and I campaigned my heart out for her on my bike, and I never stopped working in government or politics. I actually believe that everyone that is involved in politics and social justice and served on my local community board as the first teenager.
And then came down to the west side and worked with Jerry Nadler and Ruth Messenger, and so much of what this community had to offer. And so for me, it's been my life's work and I've loved every minute of it. I love serving in the state legislature. Manhattan Borough President was a dream job because of all that you could do. It shaped these offices and to serve as the controller of the Sea of New York for eight years.
Accomplishing what we did was just something I could never have imagined growing up in Washington Heights. So for me personally, this really has been my life's work. I will tell you, rabbi, my son Miles, who's now 12 years old, said to me months ago when he said, dad, are you really gonna run for mayor again? And I said, miles, I'm thinking about it. What do you think? He said, okay, I'll support you, but dad.
This is my last campaign and I said, miles, when I was your age, I wanted to do this for 50 more years. It got sad. This is my last campaign, so every generation feels differently. Rabbi,
do you think politicians are held in lower regard than when you first started out in your career, and if so, does that frustrate you?
When I was growing up during that time period in the seventies, it was the height of Watergate, and so people were really hating on politicians. That was a very. Divisive time and the Nixon presidency really shocked the world. Remember, we're in the midst of the Vietnam War. People can't believe the Watergate tapes the break in, so there was really a problem rebuilding people's confidence after that. But I gotta tell you something, Nixon. Was our boy scout compared to what we have now.
Mm-hmm. So I actually think we are at a moment where people are not just angry, people are legitimately frightened. People from all walks of life, not just the Jewish community, but large segments of the population are genuinely scared of this guy and what is coming outta Washington.
Can you elaborate on that for us? What are the issues for Americans in general and also specifically for New Yorkers with the Trump administration?
You know, going right to New York. I think Trump two, you know, I was in Trump one when I was city controller and had to fight him on most days. But I have to say that this Trump two is smarter, more focused on destroying the New York City safety net. They wanna destroy a big blue city, and New York is really on the chopping block for them. I would say LA is a close second.
But look, we need to have an experienced mayor who knows how to fight back, and when he comes in and takes $80 million of money that's already been appropriated to our city and claws it back in the middle of the night, need a mayor who understands the finances of the city and knows how to look at those budget codes and. Create a strategy to make sure this doesn't happen.
I believe that we should have a rainy day fund of a billion dollars, 500 million from the state, $500 million from the city, so we can continue to replenish any cuts to our social programs. So when he comes to cut migrant services and immigrant services, we can replenish that. When it comes to cutting senior services or education services, we can replenish that. And the strategy for me.
Is to get us to the midterm congressional elections where we have got to create a Democratic Congress elect, Hakeem Jeffrey speaker. There's nothing more important than that, but we also have to have a mayor who can navigate us through these issues without destroying the city. So I understand how important that is going to be for the next mayor.
You see the primary threat from this administration as a financial threat against the financing of New York City in particular, focused on the weaker elements of society, the people who can least withstand those cuts?
Yes, and I think that there has to be a strategy, but look, you know, as somebody who's a lifelong New Yorker, I worry about. His foreign policy. I worry about tariffs from a economic perspective, but also from uniting the world and making this planet a better place. I worry about his attack on the green economy and what that would have meaning for climate change.
So as a parent, as a lifelong New Yorker, I care about these issues, but the mayor has a real unique opportunity taking experience and turning it into action to really make sure that we protect our city. We're a sanctuary city. We're a city that is resilient. We are the most diverse city in the world.
We represent some 200 countries, and the next mayor has to have the skill to bring us all together in these tough times and come up with a financial and political strategy that will get us to where we have to be. By the way, rabbi, as you know, as a student of New York City history, you know, we had another president in the 1970s, Gerald Ford, who told our city to drop dead when we were on the edge of bankruptcy, and the strategy back then should be the same strategy now.
Organizing and mobilizing the business community, the labor community, the religious community, to go to Washington, build stakeholders, and come up with that cohesive strategy. And I think I'm uniquely qualified to do that.
Can you share with us on the campaign trail, I imagine that you are interacting with undocumented immigrants and activists who act on their behalf. What's the mood like in New York City? Now, are these populations afraid? Physically afraid? Do they think twice before they go to various places in public?
You know, in talking to a lot of the people who run immigrant rights organizations and service delivery organizations, there is a. Terrible fear, and I see it in my kids' public schools. You know, I have a 13-year-old and a 12-year-old in public school, and I know that a lot of their friends aren't coming to school anymore, and who could blame them? I mean, I try to put myself into a same position an immigrant person feels right now raising a family in New York.
If I had a choice between sending my kid to school knowing there's a chance I may never see him again. My first job as a parent is protect at all costs, right? So suddenly education becomes secondary. Wondering how you maneuver through ice and all the things that could come to your family. It's a terrible moment. And for the Jewish community in particular, who.
Over the course of our history, when we have seen what it's like for a government to bang on doors and take away children and families, this has gotta be the scariest moment for other generations of people. But for the Jewish community, it's a reminder of why we have to step up and defend
because we have a history of being immigrants ourselves and persecuted ourselves
a hundred percent. And it really. To me, it's just a reminder. Unfortunately, how history can repeat itself may be, and we cannot sweep through this. We have to stand up and fight back.
Can I ask you just a follow up question on, uh, what you mentioned with respect to the schools is that literally happening that kids are not coming to school because they fear being literally grabbed by immigration authorities and processed and eventually deported. It's happened young Dylan was
taken off the streets. This is real. This is real. Could you imagine your home expecting a kid to come back from school and there's even a 1% possibility you may not see that child? I, I just couldn't even live with myself. And so this is the Trump administration coming for New York City and that's why. Our mayor, the first thing we're gonna do on January 1st is we're gonna order every commissioner that we appoint and every agency that represents service delivery for our city.
We're going to come up with a comprehensive action plan to protect the people in the city from ice. Obviously, we will do everything legally and above board. We're not gonna give them an excuse to cause a constitutional crisis in the streets. But we also have to be very smart about how we approach this, and I think if we are successful winning the Democratic primary, I think we have to start thinking about this immediately.
What are some of the other issues that you think are at the top of the priority list for New Yorkers?
I think it's affordability. The rent is just too high. I think we have to do a number of things to create a more affordable city if we're going to continue to attract people from around the world to get educated here, but also to stay here and be part of our economy. I think young couples, once the second child comes, cannot afford to be here. We see that throughout the five boroughs, and so here's how we deal with it.
In my view, we have to create a mechanism for people to stay here, and that means we do need to build the next generation of affordable housing. All the great mayors have been able to create not just minimalist housing plans, but really go for it in a big way. I wanna do Michel Lama too, as you know, rabbi on the FOS side, the urban renewal area represented the middle class housing that's last for generations. I want to do more of that. There's a thousand vacant properties in the city. Why not?
Give those properties to, uh, not-for-profits and limited profit developers to do exactly what we've always done and build tens of thousands of affordable housing units. But look, I think the real issue also is for families. How do we keep you here? Well, we do need to have a childcare plan. We gotta reduce childcare costs by 50%.
We have to baseline three K and pre-K, and the big plan is to keep kids in school till at least four 30 so that they can get the help, whether it's mental health services, tutoring services, or just participating in a chess tournament to keep them in class, keep them out of trouble, but keep them being educated and also keep their parents in the workforce. So they don't have to rush out of their jobs or choose between a career and raising children. That's what is our problem.
People end up being forced out because of affordability. They're going to mosquito states like Florida and Texas, or worse, they're going to New Jersey and who wants that? This is our town and we wanna be here. So as mayor, I'm gonna attack affordability with specific plans that will actually meet the needs of the middle class and those aspiring to get there.
You know, every campaign, uh, one of the key issues is the rent is too high and it really is too high. It's way too high. One of your opponents is calling for a rent freeze. Do you agree with that? Look, a rent
freeze is justified with the data says so and so, I have testified on. Many occasions since my assembly days where I led the fight to protect men stabilization in Albany for a red freeze. But look, I also wanna just remind viewers that empty promises based on inexperience may get you votes, but doesn't make you somebody who can govern. And I hope that people see that. I will tell people what can be done and what can't be done, and put forward plans that I think we can accomplish.
Why do you think you're the best of all the candidates to implement some of the plans that you're talking about as mayor? Why would you be the best mayor of the whole list of candidates?
I think it comes down to city experience. When you've served as a state legislator who fought for the red laws and understood Albany, back in the time when I was assembly member, we didn't have a Democratic senate, so I had actually worked with Republicans to pass legislation on domestic violence on issues relating to New York City. I chaired the city's committee in Albany, so I was very much.
The New York City Point person during my time at Albany, when I became Manhattan Borough President, you know, I expanded three universities. Columbia, NYU, Fordham University. 'cause I really believe that it expanded education system would be good to attract people from all over the world to our city. But it would also be a economic engine. I accomplished that.
Having to work with communities, I basically, I don't wanna sound like Al Gore and S Invent, I invented the internet, but I really did perfect community-based planning, letting communities through the community boards have a say in what happens in a neighborhood, and then working collaboratively to land some of the big projects that were necessary. And as controller, we fixed the back office of the pension fund.
Even during Trump, I divested $4 billion from fossil fuel, divested from gun manufacturers, divested from private prisons. At the same time, we got a 9% return on our investments to protect hundreds of thousands of retirees. I consolidated the pension into one investment meeting so that we could meet those financial goals. And so I guess what I'm saying is in every office I've held over the last 29 years.
It hasn't just been about existing in that office, sitting in that office, but I've really made change. So I wanna take that experience and use that experience as my baseline to implement the programs that I've outlined in this campaign. I do not come from chaos. I am not. This for redemption. I am not somebody who is going to slink through this office, and I think I'm the one who is best positioned based on credibility to end the corruption once and for all. At City Hall,
you've been a strong, proud member of the Jewish community. Since you entered public life, you speak about it eloquently. Thank you. You mentioned that you were recently in a Jewish issues debate. What do you find are the key issues that affect particularly the Jewish community?
Look, it was always my hope. I. That we would be a community that was safe and we're not. October 7th, I think, was a wake up call to all of us, the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust, and I don't think we should ever be silent or compromising about it. What I tried to convey during this debate among Jewish voters. Just the other night was I want people to know exactly where I stand. I am a Zionist. I believe Israel must and will always remain a Jewish state.
I invested in Israeli bonds. When I controller, I didn't divest and. My lived experience really has to do a lot with my wife, who is at the Jewish Heritage Museum, which is a living memorial to the Holocaust. So I've have had a unique window into the work that she does, educating public school kids to the Holocaust, and we're also raising our own two kids. My 13-year-old just had the bar mitzvah and I got another one on deck. And so we are very proud of who we are. I am not confused.
I also pointed out for those who wanna know, I believe that BDS is anti-Semitic. It is not just anti-Israel. And I think we need more people, elected officials to speak out about that. And Rabbi, I understand that if I am successful as a Jewish mayor in this perilous times, I have an obligation to speak out and step up and protect the Jewish people in the city. And make no mistake, I will, but it'll also be somebody who will.
Work with all of our communities because hate is not just limited to the Jewish community. It's also in the Muslim community and it's in the Asian community. And one of the things I was always able to do in elective office is when there was a SWAT sticker on a synagogue, I could call up all people from all different faiths and say, meet me in front of the synagogue, meet me in front of the mosque.
We have a job to do here to root out evil and hate, and I will be able to do that as mayor, both in terms of my relationships. But also my beliefs. And remember, we are under attack, random attack. I see it with those protests, the people who are screaming down streets screaming from the river to the sea. Half the people who are just screaming that have no idea what river or what sea.
Sometimes I think they think it's the Hudson River or the East River, but for those who are the agitators, this is also antisemitism. And I'm somebody who believes a peaceful protest. But when it crosses the line, you need to have the strength to stand out and step up even in a mob mentality.
My observation, I speak with dozens of people a week and some of whom come into my office and talk to me and many others who I, uh, meet either one-on-one or in group settings. And I've never seen the kind of fear that we're seeing now in the Jewish community. Real fear. Not quite what you're describing in terms of the immigrant community, but unprecedented in terms of the American Jewish experience here, at least since the end of World War ii. Is that your experience?
Are you encountering that on the campaign trail?
This is a question that people are. Fearful for themselves, for their families. We have a 64% increase in antisemitic hate. This is something that we never thought we would have to deal with again. And yeah, it's real. People want to feel safe. They need to feel safe. New York City was kind like Israel. You're in Israel and you feel safe as a Jew. But if you're in New York, you feel safe as a Jew. And that is not what people feel right now. The question is how do we protect our people?
And you know, it was a shock to me in a way, just talking personally when my wife and I, I got married a little, little late in life. So I have these two little amazing boys and we. Put them into Rod of Shalom pre-K, and it was very important. My wife said, let's give them the basis of a Jewish education. I said, you got it. It's very expensive, by the way. It was, it was, you know, W2 employee. This was not easy, but we did it.
And I gotta tell you, we would bring the kids to school every morning. They had a run through a GU of security, but serious security, police detail in Rodos.
And that was 10 years ago. That's not even today, right? Or eight years ago. Yeah.
This was before any of this. Yeah. And I always said to myself, what a way to grow up, right? I mean, when I went to public school in Washington Heights, there was no security or anything. We just walked in, we walked out as Jews. We never thought about it. And I just always struck me. And then today. You're right. Eight years, nine years later, it's not a luxury. Now it's a necessity for our kids. That says something about where we're at.
What does it say? What does it say about New York City? About the United States? Because you know, there's something in Congress. Of course, we spend a fortune on security. Every Jewish institution does, and I was hesitant. I remember when we first installed our metal detectors, and it just seemed so incongruous to me that in a house of God people would need to go through airport like security to pray or to study.
What does it say about the state of the country that we're living in at this point in time?
I always, when I've attended services, I look around, I just do, my wife's sitting next to me, I check out the doors. It's become part of how we have to live as Jews, and I think where people have to understand and why we have to point this out, hate speech has consequences. If we look at what just occurred, I. At the Jewish Museum in Washington, a wonderful couple about to be buried, a Jew and a Gentile Gundel, Jews in Boulder, Colorado. Set on fire. Set on fire in America.
This is not some far off place. My first reaction was when my wife said, I'm going to work at the Heritage Museum downtown. I have to tell you, I, I cringed. You know, I said, you don't have to go today. Hate does have consequences, and we have to speak up and say, hate speech cannot be tolerated because it leads to other things. And I think we as Jewish community have to be more politically organized, more thoughtful in how we approach politics and government.
I think younger Jews have an obligation like their parents and grandparents to participate and vote. I'd spend a lot of times outside Zabars as couples, Jewish families walk by and barely
say hello. Zabars is the place where the Jews hang out for brunch and lux and vagals, and you're sure to find a large Jewish hungry crowd when you hang out there. It's a good place to campaign. Thank you. I, I guess I spent my adult life outside
Zabars and Fairway Barney Green Grass. Is just to round it all out, but like you can't bypass the elected officials. It's gotta be part of your DNA. Again, that's what made our grandparents and parents so special when they came to this country to get involved in politics. And by the way, that's the great tradition of our city waves of people come to our country and our city and get involved in political process in part to uplift and protect their community.
We have to go back to thinking about that. Apart from the mayoral election, people have to get involved in the congressionals, get involved in the next presidential election. Vote for me, for mayor is a great start.
You mentioned that in your public career when there was an incident of a swastika uh synagogue or a Jewish institution, you would contact members of other faiths and they would immediately respond. Do you find that more difficult now? Is there less enthusiasm to stand by and beside the Jewish community? I'm very hopeful in
that regard. I think fresh leadership at City Hall that can bring people together with preexisting relationships, I think will matter. I remember. When I was controller and a lot of people in the Muslim community came to me and said, you know, our children are not eating lunch in the public schools. And I said, why? I said, you know that there are dietary religious restrictions for our children and they need to have halal food of the public schools.
And I brought together the Muslim community and then the Jewish community, which also shared concerns about the lack of kosher options in the public schools. So we come into the controller's office for this meeting. It is really wonderful. It's a big, beautiful table. The controller's office in the conference room, and there I am at the head of the table with the Muslim community and with the Jewish community.
I felt like I was the head of the United Nations and we collaborated and we came together and we got the mayor to start a pilot program for Halal Cher food. That's what we gotta go back to in the city. We have to start. Building trust again and bringing people together on the issues that we see that we can work on.
So on the issue of antisemitism is, is it implicit in your response that you think it's more difficult now to get that kind of interfaith cooperation?
I believe that I. We have to go back to working on those relationships. I can't tell you, obviously we have some frayed relationships. We have some very heated discussions, but we have to cut through it and we've done that before and I think I have the skills to do that. Look, I think under your leadership and the Jewish clergy, I think. We have to start talking more, and I think we have to do that with different religious leaders around the city who have credibility on these issues.
And I think we can create a plan to do that, that I'm very hopeful about.
Let me ask you about the Democratic Party. As I know you know, this is a statement of fact, it's not a moral statement. The American Jewish community has supported the Democratic Party. In every way in terms of vote, as well as supporting financially and culturally. Politically. In terms of the discourse, the American Jewish community has supported the Democratic Party by at least two thirds majority since the days of FDR and.
In particular post-OC October 7th, there is a broad based disillusionment with the Democratic Party, even among American liberal Jews, and I see that, of course, I'm here on the upper west side of New York. It's hard to make a generalized statement, but I am hearing more and more and the numbers are bearing out that there seems to be a decline in the confidence that the. Overall American Jewish community has in the Democratic party, is that statement true in your view?
And if so, to what do you attribute then?
I think people feel that the antisemitism and hate speech has infiltrated a lot of thought in the Democratic Party and. It has to be rooted out. We can have disagreements on foreign policy, but I do feel that a lot of Jews that I talk to feel that the Democratic party no longer represents them.
And what I try to explain to Jewish voters who feel alienated that your obligation is to stay within the Democratic party and fight for the party because this is the party that Jews have the best chance to prevail in. Even with the conflicts going on. The Republican party and Donald Trump will use the Democratic Party. And look, everyone knows there's a Jewish community. The Jewish donor base, the Jewish voter base is very strong.
You know, one of my opponents, Andrew Cuomo, played us like a fiddle, right? And so when you see that happening, you say, why am I giving money to Andrew komo? To run ads, fighting antisemitism and education. When he basically used us all to raise money for his own mayoral campaign that drives people like mad. Like why is that happening in the Democratic Party? And I think we have to confront that and say it, you know, and not get conned. But I do think the Democratic Party is our best hope.
We have to fight through these issues, and I think we will.
Where does the approach of the squad, for example, and that wing of the Democratic Party, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, where do they stand on Israel and Jewish related issues? And are they persuadable?
Look, I think some of them are not, but I do think some are. I'm betting big that a OC. Somebody who has unusual intelligence and will, I think, be someone we can talk to and build a relationship with. I think some of the others are gone, but I do think, again, we've always been a party of disagreement. I am not angry that someone disagrees with me on. International and national issues. So if I have, you know, ed Kat used to say, if you agree with me, 80% of the time, you should vote for me.
If you agree with me a hundred percent of the time, you should see a psychiatrist. Mm-hmm. So I don't expect people to be in lockstep with our thinking, but I do think open dialogue isn't critical. And then if there are real disagreements, that's what elections are all about and that's why the Jewish community has to be engaged.
Yeah, I think most people would agree. Uh, we don't expect to reach unanimity on every issue, let alone important issues. That's what makes them important and controversial, is that people have different views, and that's okay. Of course, it's okay. Not only, okay, it's actually desirable. That's what democracy is based on. That's what pluralism is based on, and that's the idea of reaching better decisions is through this fermentation of differing views. Over time, you get to a better decision.
So I think that's kind of assumed, and I don't think people really in the Jewish community have an issue with that as much as just downright supporters of people who want to destroy Israel, people who want to, you mentioned BDS before, people who want to boycott Israel out of existence, people who.
Just blatantly support terrorists and part of the Democratic Party is giving the impression to the American Jewish community that there is a wing of the Democratic party that holds those views, which are not, you know, reasonable people can differ, but hey, you're just completely on the other side. Is that fair?
There is definitely an element of. Antisemitism and anti hate, and we have to hold those within the Democratic Party accountable to this. And the best way to do that is to vote, to participate, to engage. That is always been our best lane. I. To fight back. What I always find really wonderful is so many people in our community, we are the first ones at the protest. We're the first ones at the fundraiser. We believe in justice, not just for the Jewish community, but for all people.
I. But sometimes we have to also recognize that when we are under attack, we have to get engaged for ourselves as well, and that is something that I want to see happen after the mayor's election. We have to become participatory in politics because the future of our people are at stake. I do believe the Democratic Party is a vest vehicle to do this, and I think we have to work at it. And look, I'm very proud to, for our time being the top ranking Jewish elected official in the city.
I understand my responsibilities if I'm elected as a Jewish mayor of the city and what it means, not just to New York, but to Israel and the larger conversation. I'm prepared to have that mature conversation, but also I will step up and stand up, and that's what I tried to convey the other night. I'm not confused. We need to elect people who are not confused and who are not going to ever compromise on antisemitism, on anti-Israel hate. And I'm looking forward to the fight.
Do you remember where you were on October 7th when you first began to hear the news? And what was your reaction? Like
many of us, I woke up and first thing we do is we go right to. Twitter to see the news in the morning, and I didn't understand it at first. It was almost like a nine 11 experience where you didn't quite know what was happening until you realize a couple of hours into following it that Israel was being invaded and there were people in the kibbutz who were being taken away, and it was just unbelievable to see that.
And then what enraged me was certain organizations started to organize a protest against Israel and pro Hamas within the day of this serious, horrible attack. And I always say to people, when we have the discussion about Israel, there are two questions I always ask people. You do believe that Hamas is a terrorist organization. If you don't say yes, the conversation with me is over. And then the second question is, I want our hostages back, don't you?
And if someone can't answer that question, we have a problem. Those hostages must come home. They never should have been taken in the first place. We had a ceasefire on October 6th. Wasn't perfect, but we had a ceasefire. And then Hama cleared war on the Jewish people. And I think that has to be always out there. So when someone says, from the river to the sea, do you support Hamas? And where are our hostages?
Did it surprise you to see the response on so many American universities, both on the part of the student bodies. As well as the apparent ineffectiveness of the administrations of even the most elite American institutions of higher learning.
This had been building way before October 7th, and I think everybody sort of knew that antisemitism was being rooted in our campuses, both from some of the professors who are actually teaching this hate and administrations that wouldn't address it. As long ago, 10 years ago, if not longer, and it's a disgrace and this cannot be tolerated. You know, I used to rabbi have this dream as an older dad.
Wouldn't it be great if my children, if Max Miles can do well in school and then get accepted to Harvard or Columbia? What a proud Jewish father I would be. I'd be crying at the ceremony. And then I said to my wife not long ago, I said, you know what?
Maybe the University of Alabama is okay because I want them to have a good experience and be safe and I don't need some bunch of idiots banging on their doors, interrupting their classes, spewing hate in front of them without them having an ability to respond. And that's the, that I hold. The administrations of these universities cannot attend that.
And I would say if I would say that when there was a different moment in history and people would show up in hoods in the south, going to black families when they moved into neighborhoods, there also had to be a response to that.
So we have these, uh, great institutions of higher learning in our city at Columbia, NYU. Cuny. If you were mayor, what would you do? How would you interact with these universities to ensure that they're in a better place as you understand them?
This is gonna be ongoing for quite some time. The mayor has to showcase what the rules of the road look like. Again, we are not trying to limit protests and the inability for students to protest. I was arrested for civil disobedience in my twenties, protesting apartheid in South Africa. I understood the consequence of blocking ExxonMobil. That means you get arrested, you go to court. So I understand it. So if you block a bridge, if you block an ambulance, you're gonna get arrested.
Some say that's a rite of passage, I get it. But what you don't do is create a situation where you put somebody else in danger. When protest starts to be vile and hateful, we see what happened in Washington and Colorado. It ends up bleeding to violence. And as mayor, I'm gonna call all university presidents, CUNY Columbia, NYU, Fordham. We're gonna start having conversations at City Hall not to do false press conferences, but to drill down on protocols that will keep all students safe.
Can you help us understand the nexus in your view between anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism? Are the two by definition the same, or is there a space to be opposed to the existence of the state of Israel and yet have that not be considered antisemitic?
I don't see the difference between being. anti-Israel, meaning Israel doesn't have a right to exist as a Jewish state and anti-Semitism. Uh, what could possibly be the difference and overlay that with the BDS movement And we can't shut our eyes. I mean, we're not that stupid right now. Is there a difference between people like you or me or having disagreements with the Netanyahu government?
I. We have a right to criticize the Israeli government, both Jews and non-Jews, but you cross the line into whether Israel should exist. That means the Jewish people shouldn't exist criticizing the Israeli government, criticizing the way a Netanyahu approaches democracy and so many other things that should always be focused. And by the way, the day the Jews can't criticize. What the Israeli government looks like. Let's not democracy anymore.
Jews within Israel, outside of Israel, that's what we do, and that's what we do in this country. Right? I have a right to criticize the Trump administration. So do you, and we have a right to disagree with other elected officials who may have a different view of international issues, whether it's Israel or something else. We criticize the anti-war movement, the Vietnam War movement. People said it was un-American to criticize. Others said It's our obligation as Americans and New Yorkers.
I get that, but there is a difference and we should point out that difference as well.
My last question to you is, uh, now a couple of weeks before the primary vote, do you have a final message to New Yorkers and to all of the people listening to this podcast?
Well, first of all, thanks for giving me this opportunity to address the people directly. It's pretty cool to be on your show. But look, my pitch is really simple. If you think the next mayor should be competent and have real government experience, I. Then vote for me if you think the next mayor must also have a vision for what this city can be. Then I ask people to vote for me. I do not represent the cast of the current administration and I do not represent the cast of Andrew Cuomo.
I'm somebody who is grounded. I have a specific view of what can get done. I'm a West Sider for many, many decades. I've represented Stephen Wise longer than, not as long as during nta, but certainly up there. I've been in the synagogue, I've been to the services, I've been to the synagogue in good times and in bad times, and I understand. Very much what the West side means to the city and the people who are in your shul and the surrounding areas.
So I hope people will continue to vote for me as they always have on the Upper West Side and to your. Larger city constituency.
Scott Stringer, first of all, on behalf of the Jewish community, thank you for decades of proud and vocal support for our community and the issues that are most important to us. And good luck on the remainder of the campaign. Thank you, rabbi. Bye-bye. Scott Stringer has been a proud Jew throughout his entire life. In every public office he occupied, he has worn his Judaism and his Zionism on his sleeve loudly and proudly.
It is especially important to take note of and commend his defense of the Jewish people because it is more difficult now to be a proud Zionist in the Democratic Party. In a recent debate with other mayoral candidates, Mr. Stringer responded forcefully to unwarranted attacks on Israel since October 7th. American Jews can no longer minimize the influence our opponent's wield.
One of the lessons of that awful day and the nearly two years since is that it is imperative to demarcate clearly what the American Jewish community considers legitimate and what is beyond the pale criticism of Israeli policies. Its government, even Israeli society itself is of course legitimate, appropriate, and even necessary. anti-Zionism denial of Israel's right to exist is obscene chance of free Palestine and globalize. The Antifa lead to murder of Israelis and Jews.
These are antisemitic at their core and by their nature we have been much too complacent. Many of us do not consider ourselves a minority group at all. We assume that antisemitism is a thing of the past. There is no past. When it comes to antisemitism. There is only eternal vigilance. The idea that Jews anywhere, let alone in the United States, cower in fear their lives and livelihoods threatened by hatem. Mongers is deeply unsettling and unnerving. We vowed never again. It was a solemn oath.
Never again would Jews hide. Fretful and anxious, isolated and exposed to the mad passions of the mob, especially in America. The land of the free and the home of the brave stand up and be counted, do something. It seems to me that the American Jewish community has an obligation now to call out every anti-Israel act and every anti-Zionist statement. We should not be supporting any institution or political candidate who does not support us.
Otherwise, we will lose the traditional bipartisan support of Israel that has been so instrumental for Israel's survival and wellbeing. We have already lost enormous ground in the academies of higher learning. In the years to come, we must push back in every arena where we have influence. Synagogues are nonpartisan. We do not endorse political parties or candidates. We do, however endorse values.
My advice to American voters is to remember that every political choice we make is fundamentally a moral choice. Every election is a contest for the soul of society. Ultimately, politics is about conscience and character. Vote for those who can inspire us to reach our highest potential. Vote for those who remind us to consider the good of others. Vote for those who seek justice, love, and mercy, and who walk humbly, who encourage us to deal loyally and compassionately with each other.
Vote for those who remind us of the stranger, the widow, the orphan, the suffering, and those left behind vote for those who seek to soften our hard hearts. Vote for those who lift us up rather than tear us down. Who unite rather than divide. Until next time, this is "In These Times."