The Israel-Hamas conflict is complicating Brad Lander’s route to Gracie Mansion. The Park Slope progressive turned mayoral candidate is banking on a coalition that is fractured over the war: Far-left voters openly condemning Israel’s military operation and traditional center-left Democrats who are more defensive of the Jewish state. Since Oct. 7, Lander has sought to stake out a nuanced position: He disagrees with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government and supports a cease-fire while calling for the return of Israeli hostages. A self-described liberal Zionist, the Jewish city comptroller backs a two-state solution while criticizing the scale of Israel’s military response. He highlights the suffering of Palestinians and calls out instances of antisemitism. Lander’s effort to parse an issue that stokes extreme opinions and emotions leaves him vulnerable to attacks from foes on both sides. Just days since he announced his 2025 challenge to Mayor Eric Adams, critics are voicing their discontent in stories from Brooklyn to Jerusalem. “Antisemitic attacks continue to rise at an alarming rate, and [Lander] is standing with the very people who are inciting all of this,” Mark Botnick, a communications consultant, told Playbook. Botnick — far from a Lander supporter to start with — has worked for wealthy pro-Israel principals like Ronald Lauder and Mike Bloomberg, who are not shy about spending money to block candidates they oppose. Lander also has to mind his far-left flank. Some political groups demand ideological purity on this issue — and the potential entrance of a Democratic Socialist into the mayor’s race like state Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani would further squeeze Lander. Yet the comptroller’s position broadly aligns with many prototypical Jewish voters who make up his base. “The entire conversation around Israel and antisemitism is so often painted in these binaries, and part of my personal experience working with Brad for years has been that he rejects those binaries,” Amy Spitalnick, chief executive of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs and a board member of the New York Jewish Agenda, said in an interview. “That doesn’t mean we agree every time, but it means that the vast majority of New York Jews and New Yorkers writ large are able to hold this complexity.” And Phylisa Wisdom, executive director of the New York Jewish Agenda, a liberal Zionist organization that Lander co-founded, sounded a positive note. “There is a lot of work to be done,” she said, referring to the broader progressive cause. “If there’s a difference of opinion, you can still work with people. Just show up as your full Zionist self.” More problematic for Lander is his associations with controversial figures like Palestinian activist Linda Sarsour, as Jewish Insider noted. He also recently supported candidates running under the banner of the Democratic Socialists of America, which supports the boycott, divest and sanctions movement against Israel. And his ally and successor in the City Council, Shahana Hanif, has taken positions that some of her critics view as anti-Israel. Some Brooklyn Jewish voters who like Lander are worried about how he’s handling this issue as he embarks on the arduous task of taking out an incumbent — albeit one with legal problems and dismal approval ratings — according to several knowledgeable political insiders who spoke with Playbook. Lander’s camp was sensitive to any criticism over the issue. “This is the same Trumpian attack that MAGA is making on Doug Emhoff, the second gentleman,” a spokesperson said in a statement, declining to elaborate on the attack in question and how it related to the former president. “To question Brad’s Judaism is offensive and a distraction from the key challenges facing New York City.” — Joe Anuta HAPPY FRIDAY. Got news? Send it our way: Jeff Coltin, Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman.
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