Mamdani Causes Exodus of Orthodox Jews From New York to Florida

As antisemitism surges under New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, more than 100 Orthodox Jewish families are packing up and heading south, and more are following.

They're bound for Lakefront Estates, a $300 million, 550-acre development in Glades County, Fla., where 60 families have already settled. The community officially opened in October with a synagogue, a yeshiva, and a kosher supermarket. CEO Yidel Perlstein told the New York Post that Orthodox Jews made up the first wave of buyers because many were desperate to leave New York, though anyone can buy a home there. Prices start at $460,000 for a four-bedroom, 2,500-square-foot house and reach $585,000 for a seven-bedroom, 3,700-square-foot one.

The families who spoke to the Post said the final push came from City Hall.

"You could feel the antisemitism everywhere; even my community Borough Park changed after Mamdani came in," said Morris, a former Brooklyn resident who gave only his first name because he fears retaliation.

A mother of four, who also asked not to be named, now works as an educator in the new community alongside her husband. "New York has become increasingly antisemitic, we've been facing that a lot," she told the Post. High housing costs and Florida's private school tuition vouchers factored into her family's decision too.

The numbers back them up. NYPD data shows hate crimes in New York City are up nearly 16% from last year, and half of them targeted Jews. Half. In a city with the largest Jewish population in the country, that should set off alarms at every level of government.

Mamdani's answer arrived last month as a $30 million strategy, complete with a shiny new Interagency Task Force to Combat Antisemitism. Critics quickly mocked it as a ruse, and it's easy to see why. The plan never defines antisemitism. It never explains what sets Jew-hatred apart from any other racial or religious bigotry. It never uses the word "Zionism," and it gives Israel a single passing mention. It even funds anti-Israel groups. On top of that, Mamdani declined to formally recognize Israel's existence while unveiling it.

A mayor who can't (or won’t) define the problem has no intention of solving it, and these families know it.

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The exodus reaches well beyond the five boroughs.

New York state Rep. Aron Wieder (D-Rockland County) said 20 families from his heavily Orthodox district have already relocated to Lakefront.

"All my grandparents were Holocaust survivors, never would they have dreamed that their descendants would have to face what they faced in the leadup to the Holocaust," Wieder said. "For a Jew to have to look over their shoulder when they're walking down the street, it's very disturbing," he added.

Wieder also blamed high taxes and housing costs, and he's right about that.

A Citizens Budget Commission study found New York has the highest state and local taxes in the country, at roughly $13,000 per person, and the 2026 Realtor Housing Report Card ranked the state dead last in housing affordability and homebuilding. Orthodox families tend to be large and need bigger homes or costly additions, which keep slipping out of reach. Decades of Democrat Party governance had already made New York a punishing place to raise a big family.

Mamdani turned it into a hostile one.

Florida offers a fresh start, though not a perfect one. Perlstein said most Glades County locals have welcomed the newcomers and that his investment has helped the local economy, but a pair of online influencers showed up in mid-October to stir up trouble against the residents. Perlstein credited local authorities with protecting the community, and the families say they simply want to raise their kids and be good neighbors.

Editor’s Note: The 2026 Midterms will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both chambers of Congress.

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