Zohran Mamdani reached out to Josh Shapiro. They had a ‘healthy dialogue’ about Israel, the Pa. governor said.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro shared his concerns with Zohran Mamdani about the New York City mayor-elect’s comments on Israel, the governor revealed following Mamdani’s win in Tuesday’s election.

“I’ve expressed that to him personally. We’ve had good private communications,” Shapiro told the Associated Press on Wednesday. “And I hope, as he did last night in his victory speech, that he’ll be a mayor that protects all New Yorkers and tries to bring people together.”

Mamdani initiated the conversation, which took place prior to the election. It could be a sign Mamdani, a democratic socialist and the first Muslim to be elected mayor of New York, is working to win over prominent Democrats who had been hesitant to fully embrace him due to his politics and his stance on Israel.

Shapiro, who is Jewish and a potential presidential contender in 2028, criticized Mamdani over the summer for not condemning “blatantly antisemitic” rhetoric.

The mayor-elect has said Israel’s military invasion of Gaza in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks is “genocide” against Palestinians and has supported the BDS (boycott, divest, and sanctions) movement against Israel. Mamdani has also been criticized in the past for not condemning the phrase “globalize the intifada,” which is seen by some as a call for violence against Jewish people. Mamdani recently said he would discourage use of the phrase.

Mamdani has vehemently rejected accusations of antisemitism and said in his victory speech Tuesday that “we will build a City Hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of antisemitism.”

He has also received backing from several Jewish groups and leaders, including the Union for Reform Judaism, a prominent Jewish movement in the United States.

Semafor’s David Weigel reported that Shapiro said the pair had a “very lengthy conversation” and that the governor said he “was very direct with him about how hurtful some of the words were that he used or that he allowed to be used around him.”

“He explained to me his perspective, which I thought was helpful for me to hear, and on some things, we agreed to disagree,” Shapiro said. “But I thought it was a healthy dialogue, and I appreciate the fact that he reached out.”

In an interview with MSNBC, Shapiro also praised Mamdani’s connection with voters during his campaign, saying: “I think what we can learn from his race, and I give him credit for this, is he met people where they were. He listened to what mattered most to them, and he pledged to make change.”

Shapiro is a vocal supporter of Israel and has highlighted his Jewish faith on the campaign trail and as governor. That faith came into sharp relief when the governor’s mansion was set ablaze in April while he and his family slept. Hours prior, the family had celebrated Passover at the mansion.

Shapiro has been outspoken about antisemitism, and when allegations of anti-Jewish incidents roiled the University of Pennsylvania’s campus in 2023, he took an unusually active role, working behind the scenes and using his platform as governor to influence the school’s response.

In September, Shapiro told the Forward, a Jewish news outlet, that his support for Israel would not waver despite what may or may not be popular in polling. However, he has been critical of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s rhetoric and has called for the White House to provide aid to Gaza.

“I focus on doing what I think is right,” he said. “And what I think is right is to have these hostages return home, have the war end, have the people of Gaza be able to live with food and shelter and healthcare and dignity, and to hopefully one day be in a position where a two-state solution can be a possibility.”