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A Brooklyn Democratic district leader peddled antisemitic conspiracy theories and blamed “Zionists” for her personal property dispute — prompting Jewish leaders to demand her resignation Tuesday.
Carmella Charrington, who represents socialist friendly turf in Bedford-Stuyvesant, is a key vote in an ongoing fight over who will be the next chair of the powerful Kings County Democratic Party.
Charrington has been embroiled in a legal inheritance fight over her family’s brownstone home in Bed-Stuy, and outrageously pointed the finger at “Zionists” with ties to the West Bank for her troubles.
“They’re Zionists that basically did this. Same thing that they’re doing in the West Bank, it’s the same thing. There’s a connection,” Charring recently told Egyptian podcaster Raha Zein, an interview that was picked up by Jewish Insider Tuesday.
Charrington also stirred outrage last year when she shared a video on Instagram promoting notorious antisemite industrialist Henry Ford’s “The International Jew” booklets that falsely claimed Jewish people control business, media and banking.
“Repeatedly invoking Zionists’ as a collective villain, particularly after previously promoting Henry Ford’s ‘The International Jew’, is not legitimate policy criticism. It traffics in some of the oldest and most dangerous forms of antisemitic scapegoating,” said Mark Treyger, CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council.
“Rhetoric has consequences. Jewish New Yorkers continue to be disproportionately targeted by hate crimes. We have witnessed physical attacks and synagogues targeted,” Treyger said.
“Carmella Charrington should resign as district leader. She has demonstrated that she is unfit for this position of public trust.”
Charrington has claimed she’s a victim of deed theft, but a Georgia conservator accused her of kidnapping her elderly father, who suffers from dementia. In the podcast interview, she mentioned Joseph and Elliot Ambalo and Daniel Gazal, who bought stakes in the property from the conservator for Charrington’s dad.
State Sen. Sam Sutton, who reps southern Brooklyn, said Charrington’s smearing of Jews cannot be condoned.
“As the first Sephardic Jewish state senator in New York history, I cannot remain silent when antisemitism is legitimized in my home borough,” Sutton said.
“Brooklyn is the largest Democratic county in America, in a city home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel,” he said. “Yet Jewish New Yorkers continue to be the leading targets of hate crimes in our city.
“Words and leadership matter,” Sutton said. “Carmella Charrington has demonstrated that she is unfit for public duty. She should resign immediately.”
The calls for Charrington to step down come amid a tug-of-war in the the Brooklyn Democratic Party, with progressive members, including those from the Democratic Socialists of America, looking to oust the current moderate chairperson, Assemblywoman Rodneyse Bichotte, who has served as party leader since 2020.
Charrington is aligned with Bichotte’s main challenger, Julio Pena.
She’s also the district leader in neighborhoods represented by democratic socialists — state Sen. Jibari Brisport, City Councilman Chi Ossé and Assembly Democratic nominee Eon Huntley.
State Democratic Party Chairman Jay Jacobs, who is Jewish, said Charrington’s remarks “smacks of antisemitism” but stopped short of calling on her to resign.
“It definitely smacks of antisemitism. It’s not right,” Jacobs said. “Those comments are distasteful and not intelligent.”
A spokesman for Mayor Zohran Mamdani also called out Charrington’s overt antisemitic comments.
“Suggesting that an alleged deed theft in Brooklyn is part of a global conspiracy involving Jewish people is blatant, reprehensible antisemitism. Trafficking in these dangerous antisemitic tropes and conspiracy theories is vile and inexcusable,” said spokesman Sam Raskin in a statement.
The Post reached out to Charrington for comment.
Democratic Party honcho Gov. Kathy Hochul had no immediate comment.
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