By Asaf Elia-Shalev
A Jewish University of Maryland alumnus was recently charged with threatening Zohran Mamdani, the Democratic nominee for New York City mayor.
Jeremy Fistel, 44, of Plano, Texas, who was raised in an Orthodox family in the Boston area, was arraigned Thursday, Sept,. 18, in Queens, New York, on a 22-count indictment that includes charges of making a terroristic threat and aggravated harassment.
Prosecutors say he barraged Mamdani with hateful phone calls and online messages over a seven-week span beginning in June, calling him a “terrorist,” telling him he did not belong in America, and warning him not to start his car, suggesting it would explode.
The calls, which Mamdani’s campaign shared at the time, also told Mamdani to “check your beeper,” in an apparent allusion to Israel’s deadly detonation of thousands of beepers belong to Hezbollah operatives in Lebanon last year.
Mamdani, a pro-Palestinian state assemblyman from Queens who is poised to become the city’s first Muslim mayor if elected, has received an order of protection from Fistel.
“We cannot and will not be intimidated by racism, Islamophobia, and hate,” his campaign said in a statement. “Zohran remains steadfast in his conviction that New York must be a city where every single person — regardless of faith, background, or identity — is safe, protected, and at home.”
A statement from Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said, “We take threats of violence against any office holder extremely seriously — and there is no room for hate or bigotry in our political discourse.”
Fistel, who pleaded not guilty, faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted of the most serious charges. He was extradited from Texas after being arrested earlier this month.
His lawyer told the judge that Fistel did not intend harm and was unaware his calls could be criminal, the New York Times reported.
“I’ve never been in a fight with anybody,” Fistel told police in Texas, according to prosecutors. “I’m not the guy, man. I’m just a regular guy. I know I didn’t sound like a nice guy on the phone.”
Court records show this is not Fistel’s first encounter with the law. In 2012, he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute marijuana, a case that stretched for years and drew numerous character references describing his personal and religious background.
Raised in Sharon, Massachusetts, Fistel attended Orthodox day schools and grew up immersed in synagogue life. After his father’s sudden death, he regularly accompanied his younger brother Joshua — who has developmental disabilities — to services at Young Israel of Sharon “in honor of our father,” according to a letter submitted in his defense.
Friends from his years at the University of Maryland also recalled his Jewish involvement. A rabbi who knew him through Hillel wrote to the sentencing judge that Fistel had attended services, explored Jewish identity and delivered food packages to the homeless each Purim.
Other letters described him as a stabilizing presence in his family and community, someone who gave generously to Jewish and secular charities, including the Hillel Foundation.
Prosecutors now say that Fistel eventually turned to threatening an elected official whose background and politics he disdained. Mamdani is a vocal critic of Israel. At least one of Fistel’s alleged messages to Mamdani invoked Israel directly, which said, “I’d love to see an IDF bullet go through your skull,” referring to the Israel Defense Forces, the Times reported.
The case marks the latest example of political violence that appears to be surging: Last week, conservative activist Charlie Kirk was fatally shot in Utah, and in June, Minnesota Democratic legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband were killed at their home.
In an interview with the Times, Mamdani, who has built his campaign on grassroots accessibility, said he would not alter his style of close public engagement.
Asaf Elia-Shalev wrote this article for the JTA global Jewish news source.
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