We need to talk about antisemitism. And by “we,” I mean Black people.

With news of Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, there is a pulsing, bright racial line in American political debate. The divide is tied to the tensions between Jews and the heavily Muslim population in the Middle East.

In Tuesday's New York City Democratic mayoral primary, many Jewish groups have lined up in opposition to Zohran Mamdani, an outspoken critic of Israel’s war against Hamas. A Ugandan immigrant, born to Indian parents, Mamdani openly rails against what he calls Israel’s “genocide” against Palestinians. Mamdani vows to “arrest“ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he sets foot in New York City during his mayoralty.

Mamdani’s political rise is based on strong support from progressive white voters, including Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), and Latino voters, as well as his fellow Muslims and Black voters under 45.

The idea of Black New Yorkers giving support to Mamdani because of his opposition to Israel is, well, bizarre.

Does that mean liberals of color who are not Jews support Hamas? Hamas’s Muslim fundamentalism is diametrically opposed to the principled history of the Black civil rights struggle.

Is the American left similarly willing to oppose Israel’s war on Iran without considering Iran’s long history of funding murderous terrorist groups?

As the author of

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