More than 650 rabbis warned Wednesday that electing Democratic Socialist frontrunner Zohran Mamdani would endanger “the safety and dignity of Jews in every city,” citing his refusal to condemn “globalize the intifada,” denial of Israel’s legitimacy, and “genocide” claims, according to a letter published by the Jewish Majority.
In the open letter titled “A Rabbinic Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future,” the signers said they “cannot remain silent in the face of rising anti-Zionism and its political normalization throughout our nation,” adding that when public figures like Mamdani refuse to condemn violent slogans, deny Israel’s legitimacy, and accuse the Jewish state of genocide, they “delegitimize the Jewish community and encourage and exacerbate hostility toward Judaism and Jews.”
Quoting New York Board of Rabbis president Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, the letter warned that such rhetoric “delegitimizes the Jewish community and encourages and exacerbates hostility toward Judaism and Jews,” crossing a line from policy debate to community harm.
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove of Park Avenue Synagogue, also cited in the letter, said Zionism and Jewish self-determination are “inseparable strands” of Jewish identity. “Zionism, Israel, Jewish self-determination — these are not political preferences or partisan talking points,” he said. “They are constituent building blocks and inseparable strands of my Jewish identity … To accept me as a Jew but to ask me to check my concern for the people and state of Israel at the door is a nonsensical proposition and an offensive one.”
“We will not accept a culture that treats Jewish self-determination as a negotiable ideal or Jewish inclusion as something to be ‘granted,’” the rabbis wrote. “The safety and dignity of Jews in every city depend on rejecting that false choice.”
The letter urges Americans “who value peace and equality” to stand up for candidates who reject antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric and affirm Israel’s right to exist in peace and security.
It also appealed to interfaith and communal partners “to stand with the Jewish community in rejecting this dangerous rhetoric and to affirm the rights of Jews to live securely and with dignity.”
Released shortly before Wednesday night’s debate, the warning landed as early voting nears, with signers pressing what they called an urgent need to counter the normalization of anti-Zionism in public life.
“Now is the time for everyone to unite across political and moral divides, and to reject the language that seeks to delegitimize our Jewish identity and our community,” the letter concluded.
Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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