Jewish legal organizations and commentators are criticizing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani after the members of his newly formed Judiciary Advisory Committee were announced without a single Jewish attorney among its 18 members, despite Jewish lawyers making up a significant share of the city’s legal profession.

The committee is responsible for reviewing and recommending candidates for judicial appointments, making it one of the most influential advisory bodies in city government. Critics argue that its composition fails to reflect the diversity of New York City’s legal community at a time when antisemitism remains at historically elevated levels.

According to multiple estimates, Jewish attorneys account for roughly 40–45% of New York City’s legal profession, leading legal advocates to question how an 18-member panel could be assembled without any Jewish representation.

The announcement has drawn criticism from Jewish legal groups, which say the absence of Jewish members sends the wrong message amid rising concerns about antisemitism in the city. Some have called on the administration to expand or revise the panel to include qualified Jewish attorneys.

Commentator Saul Sadka argued that the lack of Jewish representation was unlikely to be coincidental, noting the statistical improbability of selecting an 18-member committee from New York’s legal community without including a single Jewish lawyer.

The controversy adds to growing tensions between the Mamdani administration and many members of New York’s Jewish community following disputes over the mayor’s positions on Israel, his refusal to explicitly condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” and other issues that have prompted criticism from Jewish organizations and elected officials.

City Hall has not publicly indicated whether additional members will be added to the advisory committee or responded to criticism regarding the panel’s composition.

Don’t be surprised that Mamdani—a man for whom a Judenrein Middle East is his political lodestar—also wants a Judenrein NYC. About 45% of NYC lawyers are Jewish. The odds of selecting 18 NYC lawyers at random and ending up with a panel containing no Jews are 0.55 to the 18th… pic.twitter.com/dvcfKdBs01

— Saul Sadka (@Saul_Sadka) July 28, 2026

I am a lawyer by profession. Jewish lawyers in NY are common as 50% of all lawyers in NY are in fact Jewish
The NYC judicial panel advises who should be a judge. Mamdani failed to include a single Jewish lawyer. The statistical odds are .55 to the 18th power that this is random pic.twitter.com/R6BEHFCErz

— Ken shapiro (@RealKENSHAPIR0) July 28, 2026

Dear @EquityNYCGov,

50% of the lawyers in New York City are Jewish.

Zohran Mamdani appointed ZERO Jewish lawyers to New York's judicial panel.

How is that legal???? pic.twitter.com/KIOsqceZNp

— Rabbi Poupko (@RabbiPoupko) July 29, 2026