Far-left, pro-Hamas Councilmember Shahana Hanif is suddenly bending over backwards to show support for the Chosen People — now that she’s in a tight challenge against a Jewish primary opponent.
Until just four months ago, Hanif, 33, who reps the 39th district — which includes parts of Brownstone Brooklyn, including liberal bastion Park Slope, but also heavily Orthodox Jewish Borough Park — has almost never bashed Hamas or spoken up for Israel.
But when the Israeli restaurant Miriam was vandalized last week in Park Slope, the councilwoman fired off a statement to condemn the vandalism
“This hateful act threatens the safety of our community,” she wrote on X.
On the first anniversary of the Oct. 7 massacre, Hanif released a statement of support calling out the terrorist bloodbath — something she rarely does.
Hanif was singing a far different tune before a primary threat emerged in August from Maya Kornberg, a Jewish Democrat who works at NYU’s Brennan Center for Justice.
In April 2023, Hanif was one of just two council members to vote against an ‘End Jew Hatred Day’ resolution — calling it a “far right” idea.
In the days after Hamas’ attack Hanif insisted in a since-deleted post on X “the root cause of this war is the illegal, immoral, and unjust occupation of the Palestinian people,” and that “no peace” should be expected.
At a “Cease Fire Now Rally for Gaza” in Bryant Park where Hanif was arrested, hundreds of protestors shouted the anti-Israel chant, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.”
Another since-deleted X post from Hanif demanded a “ceasefire” just five days after the slaughter in an effort to shut down any military response from Israel.
So far, Hanif, elected in 2022, has raised about $68,000 for the June 24 primary contest, while Kornberg is nipping at her heels with almost $63,000 in the bank, according to campaign finance data.
Rabbi Andy Bachman, a former senior rabbi at Congregation Beth Elohim in Brooklyn, said Hanif called him to offer support in August after a bookstore in her district canceled a talk from him because he was a “Zionist” — but described her recent outreach “too little and too late.”
“My perspective is as a lifelong proud Democrat, any politician who is unwilling to . . . condemn Hamas as a terrorist organization is simply not fit to lead,” he said.
In a statement Team Hanif said she would “always work to keep all New Yorkers safe by addressing the root causes of violence” and insisted that she had “repeatedly and categorically condemned Hamas.”
They refused to send any past example of her doing so.
*Let's not forget the perfidy of Ezra Friedlander who is a supporter of this Muslim antisemite
In May 2021 Ezra endorsed her saying:
Ezra Friedlander, a Hasidic lobbyist who lives in the district, said he is voting for Hanif because she signaled to him an understanding of the nuances of Orthodox Jewish life, which Friedlander attributed to her being raised as a religious Muslim.
“She understood the financial hardship that entails, she understands kosher food,” he said. “You’re talking about someone who doesn't need a textbook to understand the lifestyle challenges for an Orthodox Jewish family.”
https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2021/05/26/race-to-be-city-council-s-progressive-standard-bearer-heats-up-in-district-39
