More than 650 rabbis warned Wednesday that electing Democratic Socialist frontrunner Zohran Mamdani would endanger “the protection and dignity of Jews in each metropolis,” citing his refusal to sentence “globalize the intifada,” denial of Israel’s legitimacy, and “genocide” claims, in response to a letter printed by the Jewish Majority.
In the open letter titled “A Rabbinic Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future,” the signers stated they “can’t stay silent within the face of rising anti-Zionism and its political normalization all through our nation,” including that when public figures like Mamdani refuse to sentence violent slogans, deny Israel’s legitimacy, and accuse the Jewish state of genocide, they “delegitimize the Jewish group and encourage and exacerbate hostility towards Judaism and Jews.”
Quoting New York Board of Rabbis president Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, the letter warned that such rhetoric “delegitimizes the Jewish group and encourages and exacerbates hostility towards Judaism and Jews,” crossing a line from coverage debate to group hurt.
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue, additionally cited within the letter, stated Zionism and Jewish self-determination are “inseparable strands” of Jewish id. “Zionism, Israel, Jewish self-determination — these aren’t political preferences or partisan speaking factors,” he stated. “They are constituent constructing blocks and inseparable strands of my Jewish id … To settle for me as a Jew however to ask me to verify my concern for the individuals and state of Israel on the door is a nonsensical proposition and an offensive one.”
“We is not going to settle for a tradition that treats Jewish self-determination as a negotiable excellent or Jewish inclusion as one thing to be ‘granted,’” the rabbis wrote. “The security and dignity of Jews in each metropolis rely on rejecting that false alternative.”
The letter urges Americans “who worth peace and equality” to face up for candidates who reject antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric and affirm Israel’s proper to exist in peace and safety.
It additionally appealed to interfaith and communal companions “to face with the Jewish group in rejecting this harmful rhetoric and to affirm the rights of Jews to dwell securely and with dignity.”
Released shortly earlier than Wednesday evening’s debate, the warning landed as early voting nears, with signers urgent what they known as an pressing must counter the normalization of anti-Zionism in public life.
“Now is the time for everybody to unite throughout political and ethical divides, and to reject the language that seeks to delegitimize our Jewish id and our group,” the letter concluded.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
