Authors A-H, Politics, Social Issues

A Zionist for Zohran, Sort of… by Rafaela Amrita Crevoshay

Counter intuitive? It certainly sounds incongruent. But dig a bit deeper and you’ll discover that Z and me share some unconventional complexities that match up. We both live in the cultural orbit of North India, and the Middle East. It includes language music, food, and politics. These things unite us more that they separate us yet superficially,  we don’t match up. He’s a partisan Muslim, I’m a Zionist Jew. Reconciliation would seem off the table. But I like this guy and that motivated me to excavate his background and his character despite an apparent ideological gulf that separates us. 

I start with the foundation of his character, his mother. Mira Nair. Mira is remarkably accomplished woman. A Punjabi Indian Hindu. Multiculturally fluent. A brilliant creative mind who gave us great films – Mississippi Masala, Salaam Bombay, and  Monsoon Wedding. It’s great entertainment but the greater takeaway for me is her pervasive humanistic values. Character represented by those values is inevitably transmitted from mother to son. Z prioritizes people’s needs first, an admirable quality consistent with his Mom’s approach. 

Before moving on, it’s worth mentioning a fact that the general press has largely ignored. While he is mainly promoted as a Muslim, he is the product of a Hindu-Muslim mixed marriage. Half his family is Hindu. For uninitiated Americans this is akin to mixed race unions in the U.S.’ 1950s. It took exceptional courage to make it happen resulting in a pluralistic ethic of tolerance. A couple committing to this sort of boundary-breaking matrimony needs to be politically invested, as well as in love. It defined how Z was raised. 

Indian-Americans are among our very best immigrants They often show up with empty wallets and enroll In challenging academic and technical programs resulting as scientists, high level managers, physicians – lots of Ph.Ds, JDs, and MDs earned by this group. They assimilate seamlessly into America while perpetuating their ethnic identity. All reminiscent of the Jewish-American journey. Z fits seamlessly into this cohort.  

 Z’s vilification of Bibi is harsh but united with Israel’s weekly anti-Bibi protests that lasted for a full year prior to the October 7 disaster. In this way Z shares a similar point of view with half the Israeli nation. And Z has his own, personal political axe to grind – the elimination of more than a thousand Gujarati Muslims under the alleged complicit leadership of Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Gujarat is Z’s paternal homeland. Z has linked Bibi and Modi, referring to them both as war criminals. 

 Though Z’s ascension to the mayor’s office enables him to use his status to promote political views beyond the borders of the big apple his authority in international affairs is nil. He has largely confined his campaign content to domestic NYC issues. He may indeed avoid visiting Israel on a goodwill mission unlike most of his predecessors.  His threat to arrest Bibi under the cover of an ICC mandate is apparently baseless as a public relations ploy and is not supported by US law. In sum, his influence on diplomacy would yield nothing and merely distract from his ambitious domestic agenda. 

In contrast to the public narrative, diversity dominates the Islamic world:   

The Ismaili sect exemplifies it with its emphasis on humanitarian concerns. Ismailis are a minority within Islam and the Khoja sect, Z’s home, are a minority within a minority. Ismailis are not Wahhabi literalists and far removed from Isis terror. These are people that we can talk to and even disagree with in civility. 

Speaking of religion, Z’s multiple visits to NYC synagogues on Rosh Hashanah, a sacred moment to Jews,  won me over by his display of sincerity and compatibility with Jews. It reminds me of Maimonides’ piety and years of tenure as a Moroccan Imam. The Ramban distinguished himself as a beloved Muslim clergyman in the Maghreb before moving to Egypt to live out his life as a Jew. He is revered by Moroccans to this day. 

Z’s commitment to pluralism is illustrated by his fluency in multiple languages. His ability to converse in Urdu, Spanish, Swahili, Arabic, and English distinguishes him from his many mono-lingual antecedents , enables him to connect meaningfully to his constituents, and fortifies his authentic pluralism.  

By now you’re likely believe that I’m all in for Z. Mamdani, but I do have concerns. Z is committed to the cause of Palestinian Arabs. He gives lip service to the cause  of justice for all in the state of Israel. That can mean a lot of different things but I’ll not quibble. Where a huge gap separates us is recognition of Israel as the incontestable homeland of the indigenous Jewish people. Mamdani is predictably united with his people in this belief. 

I am a Zionist but there are many Zionist ideologies and I need to specify mine. I consider Israel to be the indigenous homeland of the Jewish people. That does not automatically exclude others from making a valid claim to the land, but ours must be recognized and respected. I don’t rubber stamp every policy of the Israeli state nor do I endorse a universal Israeli territorial hegemony for the region, but our right to be there is unassailable. We even enjoy the support of another uprooted people, the Cherokee nation, who support our claim. 

So, in my view, Z’s to-do list needs to acknowledge this issue and recognize our legitimacy.  This too is a matter of justice. Palestinians have suffered for the past century  – Jews have suffered genocide for the past two millennia.  I like Z. We could be good friends, but what’s needed now is a frank appraisal of a complex situation that can shatter a mythology that holds us all hostage. It may be hard to imagine but a day will come when we’ll sit down for an honest and candid face-to-face with our Arab & Muslim neighbors. I pray that their side will be represented by people like the Mamdanis, whose wisdom and compassion prevails.

R.A. Crevoshay
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