The families of 9/11 victims opposed to Zohran Mamdani’s attendance at the 25th anniversary memorial have received celebrity support.
Banging his gavel in the name of respect for the 2,977 lives lost on September 11, 2001, Adam Levy, son of world-renowned Judge Judith “Judy” Sheindlin, and star jurist of forthcoming CBS series “Adam’s Law,” is unabashedly backing the throng of protestors who’ve called for Mamdani’s exclusion from this year’s annual remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero, Friday, at 8:46 a.m.
“Don’t show up at this memorial when you’ve supported radical Islam in the past,” Levy raged to The Post about Hizzoner. “Stand up for what you believe in. Stop talking out of both sides of your mouth.”
The Bronx native, who was a private-practice attorney at the time of the attack, was referring to Mamdani’s controversial support of radicals with anti-American agendas, such as views shared by Aber Kawas.
Kawas — a DSA member and self-described “Muslim civil rights advocate” who once described 9/11 as a terror attack that a “couple people did” — clinched the Democratic nomination for a Queens state Senate seat in June after Mamdani’s enthusiastic support and endorsement.
The NY District Attorney-turned-television host also blasted Mamdani’s anti-Israel agenda as “disgusting.”
“His policies are disgusting. He doesn’t have any business being mayor; he should go back to being a rapper,” Levy, 57, scoffed, referring to Mamdani’s past profession as emcee “Mr. Cardamom.”
The 34-year-old democratic socialist wasted no time revoking city policies supporting the Jewish state and combating hatred against Jews once he was sworn in on New Year’s Day.
The newly minted mayor spent his first day in office retracting an executive order issued by his predecessor, Eric Adams, that barred city officials from boycotting or divesting from Israel.
He also repealed an order that adopted the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism, which Adams’ administration said included “demonizing Israel and holding it to double standards as forms of contemporary antisemitism.”
A petition for Mamdani’s ban from the 9/11 tribute, launched by Giovanni Galante — whose wife, Grace, 29, was killed during the terrorist attack — cites the mayor’s reluctance to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada,” and his associations with other controversial individuals like his chief counsel, Ramzi Kassem.
Kassem previously represented an al-Qaeda tanker-bombing pilot.
Protesters marched on City Hall Tuesday, presenting the petition to Kassem’s chief of staff.
“For 9/11 families, this is not simply a public ceremony — it is a deeply personal day of mourning,” reads the Change.org call to action, with nearly 110,000 signatures (and counting).
“The presence of individuals whose words or associations are perceived as conflicting with the solemn purpose of the event risks detracting from that focus and causing additional pain.”
Grieving loved ones, including Galante, plan to completely “ignore” Mamdani, who, despite the demands for his absence, has previously vowed to “proudly honor the families, the survivors, the first responders forever impacted by that horrific terror attack by standing alongside them at this year’s 9/11 commemoration.”
But Levy, who was a private-practice attorney at the time of the attack, said the mayor’s participation in the ceremony will be solely self-serving, rather than respectful.
“I have such little faith in those governing New York City and New York State,” Levy said, also taking aim at Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“Mamdani’s going to do what benefits him, and Hochul is going to do what benefits her. They’re both hypocrites.”
Levy went on to blast Hochul, who is seeking a second full term as governor, as a “coward.”
“She’s got no business running the State of New York. Zero,” he seethed. “Do people feel safer walking down the street or taking the subway?
“They should open up mental health, psychiatric facilities in locations where these government officials live,” he insisted, “rather than letting criminals loose into communities the politicians couldn’t give a damn about.”
Levy’s heart for do-the-right-thing justice, a quality he inherited from his matter-of-fact mama, Sheindlin, 83, is expressed with equal passion on his upcoming courtroom series, debuting Sept. 14.
From the bench, the legal luminary presides over wild cases brought by feuding plaintiffs and defendants, including everything from remorseless romance scammers fleecing their targets out of more than $14,000 to animal lovers defending their pet kangaroos against claims the marsupial bit a neighbor.
But Levy credits 9/11 with forever reshaping the way he handles every case that comes across his desk.
“I remember exactly where I was. I’d just arrived at my office in Putnam County, and began preparing for a trial scheduled for that day, when I saw that a plane had hit the first tower,” recalled Levy.
“Watching the building go up in flames, then seeing the second tower hit and the building go down. It was surreal.”
From that moment, he vowed to use his litigious powers to fight for what’s right, remembering the innocent souls claimed by the al-Qaeda extremists.
“In the aftermath of 9/11, New Yorkers from every walk of life, every race, color, political affiliation, socioeconomic background, came together to rebuild this place we call home — and for the first week things were great, until they weren’t,” said Levy, lamenting over the division and disruption that plague the city and its neighboring counties.
“Now, 25 years later, we couldn’t be more polarized. We need to get back to a space where we’re doing good for one another, remembering that we all share the common goal of living in safety and harmony,” he added.
“We need to remember how we all were on September 12, 2001,” said Levy, “and the legitimate love, respect and support we showed those in mourning.”
Levy’s “Adam’s Law” airs locally on WCBS-TV Channel 2 weekdays at 3:30 p.m.
Read the full article here
