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, located roughly half a mile from the National September 11 Memorial and Museum in lower Manhattan, is the only Jewish museum included in a City Hall program announced Thursday. The city, working with the Theatre Development Fund, is offering free and heavily discounted admission to 24 museums and cultural spaces, along with Broadway and Off-Broadway tickets for some city high schoolers through the fall.

The museum's educational resources state that "anti-Zionism is antisemitism," Explaining that such opposition "seeks to delegitimize the Jewish state and to deny the Jewish people the right to self-determination" And "ignores the Jewish people's religious and historical connection to the land." The museum characterizes this as antisemitic and notes that applying such standards to Israel alone would be discriminatory.

In February 2025, the museum's leadership drew a parallel between current events and the Holocaust, stating that the liberation of hostages held in Gaza recalled "the horrific echoes of the Holocaust." The leaders affirmed "unwavering solidarity with the people of Israel, who have the right to live in peace, free from terror."

Mayor Zohran Mamdani has publicly stated that Israel should not exist as a Jewish state and campaigned for the arrest of the Israeli prime minister in New York City. His office has also taken positions critical of pro-Israel activities at religious institutions.

Luke Moon, a visiting fellow at the Heritage Foundation's Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute, welcomed the museum's inclusion in the program, saying "It's important for students to understand the connection between the Jewish people and the Land of Israel." He expressed hope that students would recognize "Mayor Mamdani as the polarizing figure he is."

Current exhibitions at the museum include "The Holocaust: What Hate Can Do," "Courage to Act: Rescue in Denmark," And "Survivor Stories: An Interactive Dialogue."