Hundreds Of Rabbis Denounce Anti-Zionism Following Mamdani Interview

By Cecilia Levine From Daily Voice

Nearly 900 rabbis from across America have joined a national coalition condemning what they call the “political normalization of anti-Zionism” in the wake of comments made by New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, the Democrat nominee, during a Fox News interview last week (scroll for a list of local religious leaders).

The open letter — titled “A Rabbinic Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future” and published by JewishMajority.org — urges Americans to “stand up for candidates who reject antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric, and who affirm Israel’s right to exist in peace and security.”

The statement comes days after Mamdani appeared on "The Story" with Martha MacCallum, where he dodged repeated questions about whether Hamas should put down its weapons and relinquish control of Gaza.

“I believe that any future here in New York City is one that we have to make sure that's affordable for all,” Mamdani said. “And as it pertains to Israel and Palestine, that we have to ensure that there is peace and that is the future that we have to fight for.”

When pressed by MacCallum, “But you won't say that Hamas should lay down their arms and give up leadership in Gaza?” Mamdani replied, “I don't really have opinions about the future of Hamas and Israel beyond the question of justice and safety.”

Mamdani, who has said he would arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he came to New York, faced backlash from Democratic leaders following the interview.

In their letter, 880 (as of 10 a.m. Oct. 23) rabbis said they “cannot remain silent” as anti-Zionist rhetoric gains political traction. “When public figures... 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,’” the letter quotes Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, president of the New York Board of Rabbis, as saying.

“Zionism, Israel, Jewish self-determination — these are not political preferences or partisan talking points,” added Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, also cited in the statement. “They are constituent building blocks and inseparable strands of my Jewish identity.”

Mamdani later clarified his comments at the New York City mayoral debate last week, saying he believes Hamas should lay down its weapons.

“Of course I believe that they should lay down their arms,” Mamdani said. “I’m proud to be one of the first elected officials in the state who called for a ceasefire, and calling for a ceasefire means ceasing fire. That means all parties have to cease fire and put down their weapons. The reason that we call for that [ceasefire] is not only for an end of the genocide, but also an unimpeded access of humanitarian aid. I, like many New Yorkers, am hopeful that this ceasefire will hold. I’m hopeful that it is durable. I’m hopeful that it’s just.”

At the mayoral debate on Wednesday, Oct. 22, Mamdani was attacked by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is running an independent campaign for mayor after losing to Mamdani in the primary. Cuomo said Mamdani was "stoking the flames of hatred" against Jews, while Republican nominee Curtis Sliwa accused Mamdani of supporting a "global jihad" and said he's made his Sliwa's two Jewish children feel less safe.

"I have never, not once, spoken in support of global jihad," Mamdani said, saying he was being attacked for this because he's on the verge of being New York's first Muslim mayor.

Mamdani identifies as a Shia Twelver Muslim, a minority branch of Islam distinct from the Sunni majority, whose adherents often do not recognize Shia Muslims as part of their faith.

At the debate, Mamdani vowed to be mayor for all New Yorkers and he would help implement a new set of public school lessons on Jewish history “so that children in this city learn about the beauty and the breadth of the Jewish experience.”

The signatories include dozens of Tri-State and Mid-Atlantic rabbis, among them:

New Jersey: Rabbis Matthew Gewirtz (Short Hills), David-Seth Kirshner (Closter), Nathaniel Helfgot (Teaneck), Philip Bazeley (New Brunswick), Ilana Schwartzman (Mahwah), Arthur Weiner (Paramus), Sam Josephson (Fair Lawn), Eric Eisenkramer (East Brunswick), Alan Berkowitz (Teaneck), Daniel Cohen (South Orange), Daniel Alter (Englewood), Ned Soltz (Teaneck), Avi Rosalimsky (Fair Lawn), Jeffrey Salkin (Montclair), Barry Schwartz (Leonia), Laurence Groffman (Montclair), Dan Selsberg (Bridgewater), Steven Stern (Clark), Shammai Engelmayer (Tenafly), David Vaisberg (Livingston), Ethan Prosnit (Westfield), Simeon Cohen (Livingston), E. Samuel Klibanoff (Livingston), Josh Goldstein (New Providence), Joseph Prouser (Franklin Lakes), Micah Peltz (Cherry Hill), Jeremy Ruberg (Closter), Ronald Roth (Fair Lawn), Eliezer Rubin (Livingston), and Cathy Felix (Teaneck).

New York (outside NYC): Rabbis Eve Rudin (White Plains), Paul Kurland (New City), Marc Schneier (Westhampton), Jonathan Jaffe (Chappaqua), Howard Goldsmith (Rye), Dina Rosenberg (Briarcliff Manor), Claudio Kupchik (Roslyn), David Berkman (New City), Elie Weinstock (Atlantic Beach), Jonathan Blake (Scarsdale), Lester Bronstein (White Plains), Rafi Spitzer (Schenectady), Michael White (Roslyn Heights), Joel Levenson (Syosset), and Mark Diamond (Rye Brook).

Connecticut: Rabbis Mark Cohn (New Milford), Michael Kohn (Meriden), Mitchell Hurvitz (Greenwich), Jon Haddon (Danbury), Yitzchok Adler (West Hartford), Colin Brodie (Fairfield), Pamela Ehrenkranz (Greenwich), Evan Schultz (Bridgeport), and Eric Polokoff (Southbury).

Pennsylvania: Rabbis Geri Newburge (Wynnewood), Gregory Marx (Maple Glen), Charles Sherman (Elkins Park), Claire Green (Philadelphia), Robert Leib (Abington), and Albert Gabbai (Philadelphia).

Maryland & Virginia — Rabbis Adam Raskin and Stuart Weinblatt (Potomac), Joshua Gruenberg (Baltimore), Steven Rein (Alexandria), Rosalin Mandelberg (Norfolk), and Warner Ferratier (Herndon).

Massachusetts: Rabbis Elaine Zecher (Boston), Joel Sisenwine (Wellesley), Amy Wallk (Springfield), Neal Gold (Natick), and Audrey Marcus Berkman (Newton).

In the letter, the rabbis call on “all Americans who value peace and equality” to unite “across political and moral divides” and to reject language “that seeks to delegitimize our Jewish identity and our community.”