Maya Kornberg, a Jewish Democrat in Brooklyn, launched a long-awaited campaign on Tuesday to challenge Shahana Hanif, a far-left New York City councilwoman who has faced backlash from Jewish constituents over her strident criticism of Israel amid accusations of insensitivity to reports of rising antisemitism.

“I’ve dedicated my career to making democracy work better,” Kornberg, who leads elections and government research at the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law, said in a statement, vowing to focus on “standing up against hate, providing reliable constituent services, and delivering meaningful change for every resident in every corner of the district.”

The matchup sets the stage for what is expected to be a fiercely contested primary next June, pitting a pragmatic progressive who has been fundraising aggressively in recent months against an outspoken democratic socialist whose council district is home to one of the largest Jewish constituencies across the five boroughs.

As many left-leaning Democrats reevaluate their messaging to voters following a rightward shift in New York City during the presidential contest last month, the upcoming council race could serve as a downballot test of whether Hanif’s far-left positions and ties to anti-Israel groups will prove too extreme for liberal voters in the deeply progressive district. 

For several months, Jewish leaders in the central Brooklyn district, which includes progressive Park Slope, have been anticipating Kornberg’s challenge, eager to back a new candidate who they believe will be more amenable to hearing their concerns about a surge in antisemitic activity sparked by Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attacks, among other issues.

Kornberg, who declined to comment to Jewish Insider about her campaign, has previously expressed more measured commentary on Israel, where she studied abroad while in college. 

On her campaign site, Kornberg states that she will “take a stand” against “discriminatory violence, vandalism, and other acts of hate” in the district, arguing that “calls to defund the police are only hurting local communities’ safety” —  a veiled swipe at Hanif’s more radical approach advocating for divestment from local law enforcement. “Amidst rising division, we must create more spaces for local dialogue, centering shared humanity and restorative justice instead of megaphones,” Kornberg adds.

“Maya is smart, hardworking, and will work for all residents of District 39,” Cindy Greenberg, a Jewish communal leader in Brooklyn, told JI on Wednesday. “It’s been inspiring to see how much support and energy there is for her in the district.” 

Last spring, Greenberg was among several Jewish leaders in the district who met privately with Hanif for a discussion that grew increasingly tense as they aired their concerns with her commentary on Israel and suggested some of her statements were stoking antisemitism, according to audio of the gathering previously shared with JI.

Among the comments that Jewish leaders said they found worrying was a statement days after the Oct. 7 attacks attributing “the root cause” of the violence to Israel’s “illegal, immoral and unjust occupation of the Palestinian people,” which was seen as excusing Hamas. In her first campaign three years ago, Hanif had also amplified a social media post endorsing a call to “globalize the intifada,” which Jewish leaders said they interpreted as an antisemitic provocation. 

During the hour-long meeting, some participants also expressed concerns that Hanif had neglected to speak out against instances of antisemitic vandalism and graffiti, while others asked whether she would be willing to publicly condemn Hamas and to issue a statement recognizing “Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state.”

Bristling at the requests, Hanif, who in 2021 made history as the first Muslim woman elected to serve in the City Council, said that she was “not going to discuss geopolitics,” while adding, “I’m not going to just have a conversation with me as the only Muslim person in this room full of just only Jewish leaders. That’s not a fair conversation.”

After her comments from the meeting were first published in August by JI, which also reported that Kornberg was weighing a challenge, Jewish leaders said they observed a change in rhetoric from Hanif, who was arrested at a Manhattan cease-fire protest last year organized by the Democratic Socialists of America and other groups.

But despite her high-profile involvement in such activism, Hanif now appears to be largely avoiding commenting on Israel and the war in Gaza, which she has called a genocide, according to people who have followed her public statements on the conflict.

Andres Spokoiny, a Jewish community activist in the district who attended the meeting last spring, speculated that Hanif recognized her comments on Israel had become a political liability and “changed her tune since it became clear that there would be a challenger.”

“She stopped being so vicious against Israel, but she’s doing it in a very calculated way,” said Spokoiny, who leads the Jewish Funders Network but was speaking in a personal capacity.

Andy Bachman, a former rabbi at a prominent Reform synagogue in Park Slope who now lives in Portland, Maine, agreed with that view. He said Hanif had reached out to him via text in August to express solidarity and ask to chat after a Brooklyn bookstore canceled an event he was set to moderate because of his identification as a Zionist.     

Bachman, who was among a handful of Jewish leaders whom Hanif had privately contacted amid a looming primary threat, said he declined to speak with the city councilwoman because he is no longer actively engaged in New York City politics and was mindful about her engagement with acquaintances in the Jewish community who had informed him of their previous meeting.

But he also felt that Hanif’s outreach felt “strategic” in light of the upcoming election and amid fallout in the Jewish community, he said in an interview with JI. “Shahana is now seeing that there’s opposition to her, and so you’re seeing her try to mend fences,” he said. “These are classic strategic political moves.”

“Whether or not she can actually, with sincerity, condemn terrorism in any form — can accept the Jewish state’s right to exist — let’s see what she has to say,” Bachman told JI. 

Hanif’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment about how she is assessing the primary.  

In recent months, Hanif has signaled that she is seeking to walk a delicate balance in speaking about Israel and antisemitism, issuing a statement on the one-year anniversary of the Oct. 7 attacks in which she “categorically” condemned “Hamas’ atrocities” and urged “the safe return of all hostages,” even as she called “for the U.S. to halt weapons transfers to Israel.”

Hanif also released a belated public explanation of her vote last year opposing a resolution to establish an annual “End Jew Hatred Day” in New York City, writing in a statement last month that it had been “backed by a coalition that has concerning ties to far-right politicians who promote problematic and hateful rhetoric.”

“While I stand by my vote, I deeply regret and apologize that I did not share more context on the rationale,” Hanif, who serves as co-chair of a new Taskforce to Combat Hate on the City Council, wrote in her statement. “Moving forward,” she added, “I am committed to fostering an even more transparent and open dialogue and forging stronger relationships with a variety of Jewish leaders, organizations and constituents across District 39.”

Prior to issuing the statement, Hanif had, a month earlier, sent a private letter to a coalition of Jewish constituents in response to a petition voicing their “profound disappointment” regarding her “actions and omissions” since the Oct. 7 attacks, and urging her “to do more to protect and support” the Jewish community.

In her reply — which was obtained by JI — Hanif reiterated her condemnation of Hamas’ “horrific attacks” and said she is “heartbroken that we still have not seen a return of all of the hostages,” while citing legislation that she is seeking to pass to help counter antisemitism. Hanif also expressed regret for boosting the phrase “globalize the intifada” on social media, in contrast with her past comments on the matter. 

“I unequivocally apologize for this,” she wrote in the letter to Jewish community members, which was sent in October. “I understand now that the phrase can invoke feelings of hostility, discrimination and fear for Jewish people. It was never my intention to promote such messaging, and I removed the post as soon as I recognized its harmful implications.”

The Jewish constituents, part of a group called Brooklyn BridgeBuilders that organized a vigil outside Hanif’s office on Oct. 7, said in their own response that Hanif’s evolution was “encouraging,” but still called on her to publicly share her apology rather than privately expressing contrition for the post.

“While we appreciate your private acknowledgment, public harm necessitates public accountability, and we are requesting that you make a public apology to address the damage done,” the Jewish constituents, including participants from the meeting with Hanif, wrote in their follow-up message. “We do hope your letter signals a genuine shift in your approach and reflects a deeper commitment to addressing your constituents’ concerns.”

Still, many Jewish constituents remain skeptical about Hanif’s evolution. Ramon Maislen, a leading organizer with Brooklyn BridgeBuilders, which is raising money to oppose Hanif in the primary, said the councilwoman “has consistently failed to take the concerns of the Jewish community seriously, particularly amid rising hate crimes against our community.”

The race is expected to draw spending from outside groups targeting Hanif, who also faced attacks from one well-funded super PAC in her primary last year, even as she was running unopposed. A consultant familiar with the ad campaign — which hit Hanif for voting against “End Jew Hatred Day,” among other issues — previously confirmed to JI that some “groups aligned” with the super PAC will engage in the June primary.

Kornberg, who is a first-time candidate, could also receive a boost from a local pro-Israel group, New York Solidarity Network. Sara Forman, the group’s executive director, told JI it is supporting Kornberg, marking its first endorsement of next year’s election cycle. 

“It’s always great to see someone as highly accomplished and dedicated to community advocacy as Maya Kornberg throw her hat into the political ring — she is a candidate Solidarity PAC is excited to support,” Forman said in a statement on Wednesday, referring to the group’s political arm. “Maya will bring many thoughtful and productive new ideas to the City Council that will not only serve her constituents, but will benefit all of Brooklyn and the city at large.”

In a demonstration of how the race could gain more attention in the coming months, Kornberg has drawn contributions from a number of prominent donors, including Len Blavatnik, Leonard Stern and Alice Tisch, according to campaign finance records.

While some observers believe Hanif will be hard to beat, some local activists in the district feel it would be unwise to underestimate the level of liberal discontent with the councilwoman’s tenure. “Our grassroots organization emerged from the frustration of being ignored,” said Maislen, the local organizer. “Hanif has prioritized extreme political agendas over local issues like public safety, sanitation and community cohesion.”