Scholar hopes students who visit NYC Holocaust museum via City Hall program see Mamdani as ‘polarizing figure he is’
The Museum of Jewish Heritage-A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, which is located about half a mile from the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan, is the only Jewish museum that City Hall listed on Thursday among participants in its collaboration with the Theatre Development Fund.
Zohran Mamdani, the city mayor, and the fund said that free and heavily discounted tickets to Broadway and Off-Broadway shows would be available into the fall for some city high schoolers and that 24 museums and other cultural spaces would have similar free or significantly discounted admission.
The Museum of Jewish Heritage states in a resource for educators on its website that “anti-Zionism is antisemitism.”
Anti-Zionism “seeks to delegitimize the Jewish state and to deny the Jewish people the right to self-determination,” the museum adds. “It also ignores the Jewish people’s religious and historical connection to the land. As such, it represents antisemitism. It is antisemitic to hold Israel to a standard that does not apply to any other nation.”
On Feb. 25, 2025, the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s CEO and board chair stated that witnessing the liberation of hostages, whom Hamas held in Gaza, recalled “the horrific echoes of the Holocaust.”
“The suffering of Jews during the Holocaust, as well as the indifference to their humanity, is tragically mirrored in the cruel treatment of Jews today,” the museum leaders stated at the time.
The two added that they “reaffirm our unwavering solidarity with the people of Israel, who have the right to live in peace, free from terror.”
Mamdani has said that Israel should not exist as a Jewish state and campaigned on having the Israeli prime minister arrested in New York City. His spokeswoman said that synagogues violate international law when they host pro-Israel events.
Luke Moon, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation’s Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute, told JNS that he is glad to see the museum listed among the participating cultural institutions.
“It’s important for students to understand the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel,” Moon said.
“While Mayor Mamdani has been extremely vocal about his disgust with Israel and its political leadership, hopefully, because of this program, students visiting the Museum of Jewish Heritage will see Mayor Mamdani as the polarizing figure he is,” Moon told JNS.
JNS sought comment from the museum.
Among the current exhibits at the Museum of Jewish Heritage are “The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do,” “Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark” and “Survivor Stories: An Interactive Dialogue.”
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The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust is participating in a New York City Hall program offering free or discounted admission to high school students. This museum, the only Jewish institution listed, explicitly states on its website that "anti-Zionism is antisemitism," arguing it "seeks to delegitimize the Jewish state and to deny the Jewish people the right to self-determination." Luke Moon, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation, expressed hope that students visiting the museum through this program would recognize Mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has voiced strong anti-Israel sentiments, as a "polarizing figure he is." The museum's leaders have also drawn parallels between the suffering of Jews during the Holocaust and the treatment of Jews today, reaffirming solidarity with Israel.
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