A shadowy campaign backing a controversial mayoral candidate raises red flags about foreign influence and divisive rhetoric.
Alicia Singham Goodwin, niece of billionaire Neville “Roy” Singham, spearheads the “Jews for Zohran” campaign to prop up Zohran Mamdani’s bid the become New York City's mayor. The effort, launched in January by Jews for Racial and Economic Justice, seeks to shield Mamdani from antisemitism accusations while courting Jewish voters. Yet, its ties to a family with deep connections to Chinese interests spark suspicion, as the New York Post reports.
Goodwin, political director of the nonprofit, has leaned hard into the campaign, boasting about its tailored approach. “We, like, had our own voter file... and for phone banks that were only Jewish voters, and had, like, Jews talking to Jews,” she said in a July 1 WBAI interview. Such calculated pandering reeks of manipulation, not genuine outreach.
The “Jews for Zohran” initiative built a specialized voter file to target Jewish New Yorkers. It organized phone banks staffed exclusively by Jewish volunteers to push Mamdani’s candidacy. This laser-focused strategy seems more about optics than addressing community concerns.
Goodwin also bragged about crafting specific talking points to deflect antisemitism critiques. “We developed early on these talking points about antisemitism and a way for volunteers to engage,” she said on WBAI. Dodging accountability by scripting responses undermines any claim to authenticity.
The campaign isn’t operating alone -- it’s cozying up to prominent Jewish politicians like Comptroller Brad Lander and Rep. Jerry Nadler. It’s also chasing endorsements from heavyweights like Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Dan Goldman. Aligning with establishment figures while promoting a divisive candidate smells like a bait-and-switch.
Mamdani’s defense of the “globalize the Intifada” slogan has drawn sharp criticism for its inflammatory tone. This rhetoric, tied to calls for violence, alienates many Jewish voters who see it as a direct threat. Supporting such a phrase while claiming to champion Jewish interests is a contradiction too glaring to ignore.
Rory Lancman, speaking to the Post, didn’t mince words. “The demonization of Israel leads to the demonization of Jews who support Israel, which is overwhelmingly the majority of Jews in the U.S.,” he said. Mamdani’s backers seem oblivious to this reality, pushing a narrative that fractures rather than unites.
Lancman further warned that endorsements from Jewish officials risk normalizing anti-Israel sentiment. “Receiving the endorsement of Jewish elected officials represents a normalization of the demonization of Israel and the demonization of Jews that naturally flows from that,” he told The Post. It’s a troubling sign when political expediency trumps principle.
Alicia Singham Goodwin’s family ties deepen the campaign’s murky undercurrents. Her mother, Shanti Singham, sister of billionaire Roy Singham, chairs a department at East China Normal University in Shanghai and promotes China’s Confucius Institutes in Africa. These institutes are widely criticized as tools of Beijing’s propaganda machine.
Roy Singham, who sold his software firm Thoughtworks for $785 million in 2017, now resides in Shanghai and funds groups advancing Beijing’s agenda. House Republicans have raised questions about his potential links to protests against immigration enforcement in Los Angeles. His shadow looms large over this campaign’s credibility.
Alicia’s father, Daniel Goodwin, served as counsel and executive at Thoughtworks, tying the family closer to Roy’s empire. Shanti Singham and Daniel Goodwin also donated $4,200 to Mamdani’s campaign and super PAC from their Morningside Heights penthouse. Such financial backing from a family entangled with Chinese interests raises serious questions.
Alicia Singham Goodwin’s leadership in the NYC Democratic Socialists of America further complicates the picture. Her social media posts show her alongside Mamdani and Jodie Evans, Roy Singham’s wife and CodePink founder, a group known for its far-left activism. This web of connections suggests a coordinated push to mainstream radical ideas.
Neither Roy Singham nor Alicia Singham Goodwin responded to inquiries, leaving their motives opaque. Their silence only fuels skepticism about the campaign’s true aims. Transparency, it seems, isn’t a priority for this crew.
The “Jews for Zohran” campaign, with its slick voter outreach and high-profile endorsements, might look like grassroots activism at first glance. But its ties to a billionaire with Chinese connections and a candidate peddling divisive rhetoric reveal a troubling agenda. New Yorkers deserve better than a campaign built on deflection and dubious alliances.
