New York City comptroller Brad Lander recently fired back at Governor Andrew Cuomo with a string of insults in Yiddish during a press conference. The comment came after Cuomo accused some of his opponents, including Lander, of fitting the bill for anti-Zionism.
Cuomo’s speech addressed antisemitism and hinted that those opposed to him were part of the problem. He claimed that Lander divested city funds from Israel, which Lander has denied. The emphasis on Israel and antisemitism is a recurring theme in Cuomo’s campaign, with calls for a ban on masks at protests and more forcefully prosecuting hate crimes.
Cuomo has faced controversy over his past actions as governor, including instituting measures to fight COVID-19 that some felt unfairly targeted haredi neighborhoods. He has also been accused of making derogatory comments about haredi communities during his campaign.
Despite these controversies, Cuomo is trying to rebrand himself as a supporter of the Jewish community. He recently launched a project fighting antisemitism and joined the legal team for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. However, Lander’s response suggests that this effort may not be enough to shift public opinion in Cuomo’s favor.
As one Brooklyn political reporter noted, Cuomo’s approach to addressing antisemitism is overly simplistic. “It’s very simple: anti-Zionism is antisemitism,” he said. But the issue is more complex than a simple equation. The debate over Israel and its treatment of Palestinians is deeply divisive, and many Jews are torn between their loyalty to the state of Israel and their commitment to social justice.
Cuomo’s bid to portray himself as the “Shabbos goy” â a term for a non-Jewish person who shows respect and deference to Jewish people on Saturdays â may not be enough to carry him to victory. Lander’s response in Yiddish, which roughly translates to “Get the fâ out of here,” suggests that Cuomo is unlikely to succeed in this approach.
Source: https://www.jta.org/2025/04/02/politics/brad-lander-just-cursed-andrew-cuomo-in-yiddish