Nearly 800 rabbis from across the nation released an open letter Wednesday condemning what they see as Democratic NYC mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani’s “dangerous” rhetoric about Israel and Zionism.
The 788 signatories, many from outside the city, included a number of prominent New York City rabbis such as Joshua Davidson of Temple Emanu-El and David Gelfand of Temple Israel. The rabbis argued in the letter that Mamdani has fueled antisemitism by accusing Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza and, for a time, declining to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” Mamdani has also said he supports Israel’s right to exist, but not as a Jewish state.
“We call on all Americans who value peace and equality to participate fully in the democratic process in order 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 rabbis wrote in the letter, which was organized by the Jewish Majority, a group headed by Jonathan Schulman, a top executive at the conservative-leaning American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
“We also call on our 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,” the rabbis added.
A spokeswoman for Mamdani, who is Muslim and a staunch defender of Palestinian rights, did not immediately return a request for comment late Wednesday. The letter surfaced as an issue during the mayoral debate earlier in the evening.
Mamdani has vehemently denied accusations that he’s fomenting antisemitism with his positions on the conflict. As mayor, he says he would focus on fighting antisemitism and other forms of hate by increasing funding for hate crime prevention programs nearly nine-fold.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terror attack in Israel, Mamdani has said he believes Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, citing a finding by a United Nations commission. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel has killed more than 65,000 Palestinians as part of its war in Gaza.
For a time on the campaign trail, Mamdani declined to condemn the phrase “globalize intifada” while saying he didn’t personally use it. Later on, amid backlash, he said he would discourage use of the phrase.
