The Israeli-American Council (IAC) is participating in the World Zionist Conference for the first time this year. IAC CEO Elan Carr spoke to Arutz Sheva - Israel National News about the organization's participation and its efforts to combat antisemitism in the US, particularly the threat a Zohran Mamdani mayorship would pose to Jewish New Yorkers.
Carr called the IAC's performance in the World Zionist Conference elections "very significant" and said that they are "very proud of it."
"We've never run as a party before. We created our own party with our own slate and we ran and we got four seats, well over 5,000 votes. We're in the top 10 of all parties in the United States for a first showing," he said.
He asked: "Who better to be at the table of the organization shaping the future of the Zionist project than Israeli-Americans who exist on that border between Israel and the diaspora, right? And so it is really that area, knowing what it is to be Israeli, to live in the homeland, knowing what it is to be a diaspora Jew and live in the diaspora. It's in that zone that IAC exists and so my goodness, we have to be at this table and we have to have a voice in shaping the Zionist project and we're thrilled to be doing that."
Carr, who previously served as the US Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Antisemitism under the Trump administration, warned that attempts to distinguish between anti-Zionism and antisemitism only strengthen antisemitism, saying that there is "not much of a difference" between the two.
"Hatred of the Jewish state is hatred of the Jewish people," he said. It's really quite simple. I said that many times as special envoy, including meeting with world leaders. I said it that way. Hatred of the Jewish state is hatred of the Jewish people."
Addressing the likelihood that the self-proclaimed Democratic Socialist will be elected mayor of New York City less than a quarter-century after the September 11 terror attacks, he stated that it’s a wake-up call for all of us. In not just any city, but the largest city in the United States, the most Jewish city in the United States - New York - that somebody like this, who is so clearly, unabashedly against Jewish values and Israel and American values, could be leading in the polls is a national disgrace. And frankly, a national wake-up call. And we need to fight this.”
Carr warned that Mamdani’s growing popularity, particularly among younger voters, stems from what he called “indoctrination” in America’s education system. “If you allow American educational institutions to become mechanisms of indoctrination against American values, against Jews, against Israel, then you’re going to turn out a generation of people like the squad in Congress,” he said. “What Mamdani says in his election campaign is what’s being said on many campuses across the United States. What do you think is going to happen?”
He emphasized that combating antisemitism begins with restoring civic education. “Educational institutions have to teach the history of the country and the values of the country,” Carr said. “We’ve got to start teaching about American exceptionalism and excellence and inculcating American values into our kids, because antisemitism is anti-Americanism every time.”
Carr, who has met with world leaders and faith communities during his diplomatic service, also linked the issue to national policy. “Now is the time to fight this. And President Trump is,” he said. “The Trump administration realizes the threat and is focusing on campuses and K through 12, not just higher education.”
Asked about the potential impact of a Mamdani victory, Carr did not mince words. “It could spell, God forbid, a period of real lack of safety for Jews in New York,” he said. “It would mainstream anti-American and antisemitic attitudes. Because if the mayor of New York can say those things, then my goodness, it’s legitimate. It’s mainstream. There are real dangers here for American society at large.”
Despite the concern, Carr said the answer lies in unity. “The answer is community and unity,” he concluded. “That’s why IAC is doing what we do - creating a galvanized, activist, united, coast-to-coast community that stands together against our common threats.”