Video Description
Twenty-five years after 9/11 devastated New York and brought backlash against Muslims, Arabs, and South Asians, New Yorkers elected Zohran Mamdani as the 112th mayor of the largest city in America. He's the youngest mayor in over a century, the first Muslim mayor, born in Africa to South Asian parents. He took his oath on two Qur'ans underground in the historic Old City Hall subway station, with Senator Bernie Sanders administering the oath and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez delivering opening remarks. This wasn't just a political victory. This was a movement that mobilized 104,000 volunteers for a city race.
In this episode of WISE Women with Daisy Khan, Dr. Daisy Khan brings together two unlikely allies who helped propel Mamdani into office. Dr. Debbie Almontaser shares the insider story nobody has heard—the moment his finger shook on the podium after Islamophobic attacks, why Trump refused to attack him, how he remembered every point in a 45-minute business presentation without notes, and why she wakes up some nights sweating about his safety. Rabbi Ellen Lippmann addresses fears in the Jewish community head-on, revealing that 35-40% of NYC Jews supported Mamdani while a thousand rabbis around the country signed letters against him. She explains why Jews cannot be safe if Muslim New Yorkers are not safe, why the Trump White House meeting was strategically smart, and answers directly: Is Zohran Mamdani good for the Jews? Yes, because democracy is good for the Jews.
Discover how coalition building, genuine connection, and addressing affordability united New Yorkers across divisions that seemed impossible to bridge. Listen to the complete story on WISE Women with Daisy Khan.
#WISEWomenwithDaisyKhan #WISEWomen #ZohranMamdani #NYC #MuslimMayor #DebbieAlmontaser #RabbiEllenLippmann #NewYorkCity #PoliticalHistory #CoalitionBuilding #InterfaithAlliance #JewsForZohran #Islamophobia #AntiSemitism
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Dr. Debbie Almontaser is an award-winning educator, community organizer, and Founder and CEO of Bridging Cultures Group, Inc. She founded the Khalil Gibran International Academy in Brooklyn in 2007, the first Arabic-English dual language public school in America, before experiencing forced resignation during anti-Muslim attacks. As Senior Advisor for Engage Action Metro New York, she screened and endorsed Zohran Mamdani for NYC mayor, mobilizing Muslim voter registration and coalition building that helped secure his unprecedented victory. Dr. Almontaser serves on boards for Emerge National, Arab American Anti-Discrimination Committee National, and American Muslim Women PAC. A featured speaker at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, she has been profiled in the New York Times and Time Magazine. She holds an Ed.D. from Fordham University and is a Revson Fellowship Scholar at Columbia University.
Rabbi Ellen Lippmann is founder and rabbi of Kolot Chayeinu/Voices of Our Lives: Building a Progressive Jewish Community in Brooklyn. Rabbi Lippmann is the former East Coast Director of MAZON: A Jewish Response to Hunger, and former director of the Jewish Women’s Program at the New 14th Street Y in Manhattan. Rabbi Lippmann was co-chair and still sits on the board of T’ruah: The Rabbinic Call for Human Rights. She served as the first social justice chair for the Women’s Rabbinic Network and has served on numerous boards and advisory councils. She was the founder of the Soup Kitchen at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in New York and a co-founder of the Children of Abraham Peace Walk: Jews, Christians, and Muslims Walking Together in Brooklyn in Peace. Rabbi Lippmann was ordained in 1991 by Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, and also received there the degree of Master of Hebrew Letters. She holds a BA in English Language and Literature from Boston University and an MS in Library Science from Simmons College. Rabbi Lippmann and her wife are longtime Brooklyn residents. In 2013, Rabbi Lippmann was named by The Jewish Forward as one of 36 of America’s Most Inspiring Rabbis Shaping 21st Century Judaism.
WISE Women with Daisy Khan
Where Muslim voices rise, bridges are built, and history's unsung heroines reclaim their light.
WISE Women with Daisy Khan gives voice to Muslims sharing their experiences with anti-Muslim bias, educates non-Muslims to become upstanders against discrimination, and spotlights extraordinary women throughout history whose contributions have been erased. We reclaim faith as a force for good while building bridges between East and West—transforming fear into understanding, one conversation at a time.
In a world where misinformation silences too many voices, we break through the noise by creating space for authentic dialogue. Muslims share their experiences, grievances, and hope for a better future, turning pain into a powerful conversation that demands to be heard.
Our episodes are designed to educate and empower non-Muslims to reject stereotyping and discrimination when they see it. We believe understanding begins with listening, so we challenge disinformation with knowledge and empathy, equipping people to become courageous upstanders.
We revive the legacy of luminary women who shaped civilizations yet were erased from history's
pages—a reminder that women have always been shapers of civilizations, despite attempts to erase their contributions.
At its heart, WISE Women confronts the distortion and weaponization of religion for political gain, reclaiming faith as a force for justice, equality, and empowerment.
This isn't just another podcast—it's a bridge between communities taught to fear each other, between the world as it is and the world as it could be. We're opening hearts and minds, building the understanding our divided world desperately needs.
Welcome to WISE Women. Where wisdom meets courage, and voices become bridges.
News [Source: CBS Evening News]
A man sent a hateful message to a Muslim candidate. He responded with a call for help, article by Steve Hartman
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