INTERVIEW: Rabbi Moshe Indig Defends Mamdani Endorsement, Tells Belaaz in First Post-Election Interview – ‘Satmar Rebbe Gave Full Approval’

A week after Rabbi Moshe Indig, prominent askan in the Satmar community which follows Harav Aharon Teitelbaum shlita, endorsed Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, the askan tells Belaaz that not only was his move made with the full backing of the Rebbe, it was in line with Satmar’s long-standing policies.

Indig, who says he has overseen the community’s  political policies and endorsements for 25 years, told Belaaz: “The simple fact is that I was authorized, and I would never doing anything without that.”

“One of the main policies in Satmar, which we received from the Divrei Yoel zy”a, is that he was very against fighting anyone, as this is hisgarus b’umos. It doesn’t make a difference what religion is; we are in galus. We’re allowed to endorse, to enjoy the privilege and
vote for who you feel is good for you. But making it a fight against anyone, you’re not allowed to do that.”

He emphasized that this principle is particularly important in the current political climate. “We are guests here,” he said. “We have to thank Hashem that we can live in peace, we don’t go ‘against him, against them.'”

Indig described his decision as a pragmatic calculation based on Mamdani’s persistent outreach and high likelihood of winning.

“The way it looked, I believe that he has a great chance of being the next mayor. So why should I fight him?” Indig stated. “You know the saying, ‘You can’t fight city hall.’ Tomorrow, if he wins, you’re going to have to deal with him.”

According to Indig, Mamdani and his team “kept on reaching out, again and again and again, to establish a relationship.” Mamdani’s team reportedly told him, “Rabbi, we are going to win with you or without you. We have the numbers. We’re going to win. But we want to win with you together. We want to show… we want to have the Jewish community with us.”

Indig argued it is more effective to build a relationship before an election, “when he wants you,” rather than “coming, like an umbrella after the rain.”

The askan recalled a frank conversation he had with the candidate during their first meeting.
“My first question was, ‘The perception is that you’re an anti-Semite. What do you say to that? Let me hear from you.’ And he said, ‘No, I’m not,'”

When Indig pressed Mamdani on his focus on Israel, Mamdani linked it to his faith, saying, “Because I’m a Muslim, and this is what bothers me more.” Indig said he refocused the conversation, asking, “Are you running in Israel, or are you running in New York?… Let me hear what your feeling is about New York, about our community.”

In response, Mamdani promised, “I’ll be your mayor,” and, “I will prove them all wrong. And everybody who is upset on your endorsement,
will thank you in a few months.”

Indig said Mamdani specifically wanted the endorsement to “prove that I’m not an anti-Semite. I want to stand with the Jewish people.”

While the last election was not the first time Indig has caught backlash for endorsing a candidate opposed by most other Orthodox leaders, Mamdani remains the most vehemently opposed candidate by the Jewish community in decades.

“I did the same thing when Bill de Blasio was running. I was the only one in the beginning,” he said. “I did the same thing with Eric Adams. When he was running, he was painted as an anti-Semite. And then the big fight was a few years ago when everybody claimed that Hochul was against education. I did the same thing now.
Baruch Hashem we were able to help Klal Yisroel, almost every heimishe kehila and Yeshiva the past 25 years, and looking forward with Hashem’s help to continue.”

He pointed to the example of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso, who Indig described as “A great friend of the community.”

“Almost the entire Jewish community was against him four years ago. He was fighting us over here, tooth and nail,” Indig said. “He came to us  before, and he promised me, ‘I’ll be good to you.’ I endorsed him. Everybody yelled at me, ‘You’re crazy.’  He was now running again. The entire Jewish community from all across the board [supported him], four years later.”

On why he didn’t endorse Former Governor Andrew Cuomo, Indig said:
“First of all, it bothered me that it seemed like a fight from our community against one candidate.
Secondly, Cuomo came with a lot of baggage. Many in the community were still reeling from the loss of relatives who passed away during the Pandemic, under his policies. I didn’t fight against coumo either.”

To critics who suggested leaving the city if Mamdani won, Indig had a sharp reply. “I asked them, ‘What should I do Wednesday after the election?’ [They said], ‘Oh, if he wins, we’ll all move to Israel.'”
“I said, ‘Okay, that’s a good solution for you guys. I am not planning on moving out… I’m looking out now for these families that are not planning to move… They’re going to have to stay here, and I’m going to have to deal with it.”