What Will Happen To Yeshivos Under Zohran Mamdani’s Education Chief?

By FrumNews.com

Once defeated by the Jewish community, former Congressman Jamaal Bowman is reportedly seeking a comeback—as Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s education chief as school chancellor. A position which oversees America’s largest public school system, with over one million students—and more worryingly, the Yeshivos (at certain levels).

Harlem-native Jamaal Bowman is no stranger to controversy—and it’s not just about pulling the fire alarm in Congress—but a record of sloppiness and attacks against the Jewish community.

A Short History: Jamaal Bowman and the Jewish Community

If you need a refresher, former Congressman and ‘Squad’ member Jamaal Bowman represented the heavily Jewish communities in Westchester from 2020 to 2024. He was defeated in the 2024 Democratic primary by George Latimer—largely due to the efforts of the local Jewish community. Among the many factors that led to his defeat was the squad member’s post-October 7 Israel record.

Before running for Congress, Bowman was the founder and principal of the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action, a public middle school in the Bronx, and served as principal from 2009 to 2019.

Bowman has attacked Israel’s actions—not since October 7, but even before that—since he won his congressional race in 2020 in a primary upset. Just after the attack on October 7, he supported a resolution calling for a “ceasefire” that made no mention of Hamas or the return of Israeli hostages. Bowman never apologized for denying aspects of the Oct. 7 massacre. He eventually accepted their veracity after a November U.N. report was released.

If nominated, Bowman would be among Mamdani’s most nefarious appointees who have been at odds with the Jewish community.

Bowman, Mamdani & Our Yeshivos

Over the past decade, the fight over control of Chinuch has made headlines as both the city’s and state’s Department of Education aim to draw in our Yeshivos into their orbit, to force down their liberal agendas—by relentlessly scrutinizing curriculum, closing schools that don’t align, and other made-up issues.

Now enter Bowman—or whoever gets appointed—with their liberal agenda. What will they go for, in what world will they appreciate the greatness of the Chinuch system, when compared to the city’s public school system?

There has been no confirmation yet on what the Mamdani DOE will do, and it’s likely to follow the same course as previous DOE actions against the Yeshivah system.

Bowman’s Other Scandals

Bowman violated state education law. That’s not what we are saying; it’s what the City Journal wrote in July, on why he shouldn’t be nominated: “State records indicate that Bowman was issued a School Building Leader Initial Certificate on February 1, 2009. However, Bowman allowed the certificate to expire on January 31, 2014, and did not reestablish his certification until December 16, 2015.”

To legally serve as a public school principal, the City Journal explains, an individual must hold a valid certificate authorizing such service, according to the NYS DOE. “In other words, for a period of nearly two years, Jamaal Bowman operated a public school without a license — a violation of New York law.”

Bowman’s “experience” is also rocky. At Cornerstone, only 26 percent of students were proficient in English, and only 30 percent were proficient in math. He also likened standardized testing to “modern-day slavery.”

So, Why Pick Bowman?

Such a nomination—of a socialist ally—is an ideological appointment, not based on experience. Bowman, like Mamdani, is a committed socialist, anti-Israel, and left-wing radicalist who would turn public schools into centers for far-left political ideology.

Leaked memos from the DSA show that its movement is based on ideology, which is based on the “Free-Palestine” movement, one which wants to embargo Israel, arrest the leader of a free democracy, and demonize the Jewish community, under the guise that it’s going after Israel.

Imagine what the Mamdani DOE wants to tell one million New York students about Israel and the region. Would Bowman go after our Yeshivos?

In times like these, we can only hope, with Hashem’s help, we will be nenatzeach. •