Founder of Violent Anti-Israel Group Declares NYC Mayor-Elect Mamdani "An Opponent"
Days before the inauguration of NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani, WOL founder Nerdeen Kiswani declared him to be "not an ally of the Palestinian movement," despite holding positions described as pro-Hamas
Days before democratic socialist Zohran Mamdani is sworn in as the mayor of New York City, Nerdeen Kiswani, founder of the radical anti-Israel group Within Our Lifetime, publicly declared him an adversary. In a December 28 appearance on the Revolutionary Change podcast, Kiswani stated that “whoever controls the NYPD, whoever is appeasing Zionists, he’s not an ally of the Palestinian movement… he is the mayor of NYC.”
Despite Kiswani’s characterization of him as an opponent, Mamdani’s positions and appointments place him far outside mainstream politics. He initially refused to call for Hamas to disarm or relinquish control of Gaza, only reversing course during an August 2025 mayoral debate after facing intense pressure. He has also declined to condemn calls to “globalize the intifada,” a slogan widely understood as advocating violence and terrorism.
Mamdani’s Radical Record and Controversial Appointments
As previously reported by Jewish Onliner, much of Mamdani’s transition team appointees made antisemitic or extreme anti-Israel statements, including justifying the October 7 Hamas attacks. Key appointments include:
Afaf Nasher, who leads CAIR-NY, an organization Texas designated as a foreign terrorist organization. Two days after October 7, CAIR-NY condemned then-Mayor Adams for speaking against pro-Palestine protests while refusing to acknowledge the Hamas massacre.
Tamika Mallory, who was forced to resign from the Women’s March in 2019 after repeatedly refusing to condemn Louis Farrakhan, who called Jews “termites.”
Mysonne Linen, a convicted felon who served seven years for armed robbery of taxi drivers, appointed to the criminal justice committee. Linen has been photographed with Farrakhan and made posts suggesting Jews uphold white supremacy.
Ramzi Kassem, appointed as NYC’s chief counsel, who defended al Qaeda terrorist Ahmed al-Darbi and represented anti-Israel activist Mahmoud Khalil after his arrest for leading antisemitic campus demonstrations.
Recently retired NYPD Chief John Chell warned that Mamdani’s pattern of selecting anti-police advisers points to “a potential erosion of public safety.” Yet for Within Our Lifetime, even these stances prove insufficient—revealing a movement for whom no amount of anti-Israel activism qualifies as solidarity unless it completely rejects participation in democratic governance.
The Jessica Tisch Controversy
Kiswani’s focus on “whoever controls the NYPD” references Mamdani’s November 2025 decision to retain Jessica Tisch as police commissioner. Tisch has been targeted by pro-Palestinian activists over the NYPD’s training exchanges with Israeli security forces.
Within Our Lifetime condemned the appointment as betraying “his campaign promises” and aligning Mamdani “with the NYPD’s legacy of policing, surveillance, and repression,” according to Jacobin magazine.
In a December X post, Kiswani wrote: “I genuinely don’t understand what’s so hard to grasp about why our communities feel betrayed that Mamdani appointed Tisch as police commissioner... It’s not about a broken promise, it’s about broken principles. He ran on values that stood against exactly what Tisch represents.”
Within Our Lifetime has a track record of confrontational tactics, including protests targeting Jewish neighborhoods and chants such as “globalize the intifada.”
The American Jewish Committee describes WOL as “the anti-Israel group that hasn’t been afraid to call for the death of Jews.” Several WOL-linked radicals have been arrested and convicted for violently assaulting pro-Israel activists in New York.