More than 650 rabbis warned Wednesday that the election of Democratic Socialist Party leader Zohran Mamdani would jeopardize the “safety and dignity of Jews in every city,” citing his refusal to condemn the “globalization of the intifada,” denial of Israel's legitimacy and claims of “genocide,” according to a letter released by the Jewish majority.
In an open letter called “A Rabbinic Call to Action: Protecting the Jewish Future”,The signatories said they “cannot remain silent in the face of growing anti-Zionism and its political normalization throughout our country,” adding that when public figures like Mamdani refuse to condemn violent slogans, deny the legitimacy of Israel and accuse the Jewish state of genocide, they “delegitimize the Jewish community, encourage and deepen hostility towards Judaism and Jews.”
Quoting Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, president of the New York Council of Rabbis, the letter warns that such rhetoric “delegitimizes the Jewish community and encourages and exacerbates hostility toward Judaism and Jews,” crossing the line from political debate to public harm.
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of the Park Avenue Synagogue, also named in the letter, said Zionism and Jewish identity are “inextricable threads” of Jewish identity. “Zionism, Israel, Jewish self-determination are not political preferences or partisan talking points,” he said. “They are the integral building blocks and inextricable threads of my Jewish identity… Accepting me as a Jew but asking me to leave my concern for the people and State of Israel at the door is a meaningless and insulting proposition.”
“We will not accept a culture that views Jewish self-determination as a negotiable ideal and Jewish inclusion as something to be ‘granted,’” the rabbis wrote. “The safety and dignity of Jews in every city depends on rejecting this false choice.”
The letter calls on Americans “who value peace and equality” to support candidates who reject anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric and affirm Israel's right to exist in peace and security.
He also called on interfaith and community partners to “support the Jewish community in rejecting this dangerous rhetoric and affirm the rights of Jews to live in safety and dignity.”
Issued shortly before Wednesday night's debate, the warning came as early voting approached, with signatories insisting on what they called an urgent need to counter the normalization of anti-Zionism in public life.
“Now is the time for everyone to come together across political and moral differences and reject language that seeks to delegitimize our Jewish identity and our community,” the letter said.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
