Unprecedented exclusion: No Jew appointed to Mamdani's advisory committee
Four Jewish legal associations and the Anti-Defamation League have criticized the composition of the committee that influences judicial appointments in New York. The rejection of retired Jewish judge John Leventhal's candidacy has sparked controversy. The Mayor's Office has denied allegations of religious bias.
A storm has erupted in the New York Jewish community following the completion of the Mayor's Advisory Committee on the Judiciary, a body with direct influence on the identity of judges in municipal courts. Four Jewish legal associations claim that Mayor Zohran Mamdani did not appoint a single Jewish lawyer, retired judge, or professional to the committee, even though New York is home to the largest Jewish community in the USA.
The affair began last week when Mamdani announced the appointments of 18 members to the committee. The full composition includes 19 members: the chairman Ali Najmi, a lawyer who previously represented Mamdani's election campaign, and the 18 members announced now.
Mamdani stated that the committee's work would help ensure that the judicial system "reflects the city it serves," while his legal advisor, Ramzi Kassem, described its members as "a truly representative cross-section of the legal profession in New York."
However, according to the four associations, no Jew was included in the composition. In a letter sent to Mamdani on behalf of the Brandeis Association of Queens, the Jewish Lawyers Guild, the Brandeis Association of Brooklyn, and the Jewish Lawyers Association of the Bronx, the heads of the organizations wrote: "Your announcement left us deeply disappointed. The exclusion of Jewish representation from the committee does not reflect the city and is not inclusive." The associations demanded that Mamdani correct the composition and clarify that the Jews of New York are entitled to "the same representation, respect, and protection as any other community."
The committee holds practical powers regarding the municipal judicial system. In accordance with an order signed by Mamdani in January, it recruits, examines, and screens candidates for criminal and family courts, as well as for interim appointments in civil courts. As a rule, the committee forwards three candidates to the mayor for each vacant position, and he is not permitted to choose a person not recommended by it. The committee is expected to submit its first recommendations at the beginning of October.
The legal associations particularly emphasized the rejection of the candidacy of retired Jewish judge John Leventhal, who served in the Second Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York and was a member of the committee during the term of the previous mayor, Eric Adams. Leventhal was proposed this time by the Chief Administrative Judge of the state, Rowan Wilson, but Mamdani refused to approve his appointment — a step the associations described as "unprecedented."
The Mayor's Office rejected the claim that the decision stemmed from Leventhal's Jewish identity. Mamdani's spokesperson, Joe Cluollo, said that the administration decided not to advance his appointment after it became known that he was one of the lawyers on the appellate team of Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted of sex trafficking offenses and assisting the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in the exploitation of minors.
"Any suggestion that the decision regarding the committee stemmed from religious considerations is false," Cluollo stated. According to him, "to date, the mayor has had the opportunity to appoint a dozen qualified judges from a variety of backgrounds, including Jewish judges." NBC reported that Jewish lawyers who served on the committee under Adams are not included in the current composition.
The Anti-Defamation League also joined the criticism. "The total lack of Jewish representation on the committee is not representative and not inclusive," it was stated. "This raises deep concern and cannot be dismissed as a coincidence. We stand with the Jewish bar associations and call on Mayor Mamdani to correct this."
The League's CEO, Jonathan Greenblatt, added: "There are thousands of Jewish lawyers and former judges with exceptional qualifications in New York City. Apparently, Mayor Mamdani could not find even one."
Rabbi Mark Goldfeder, CEO of the National Jewish Advocacy Center, said that the composition fits into a "pattern of not providing sufficient protection to Jewish residents in the city." Referring to the description of the committee as representing the city, he said: "If they had chosen 18 people at random, one would expect there to be some Jews among them. When they call the composition 'truly representative' — it is ridiculous."
