Almost 800 rabbis from throughout the nation launched 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, most from exterior New York, included quite a few distinguished New York Metropolis rabbis comparable to Joshua Davidson of Temple Emanu-El and David Gelfand of Temple Israel. The rabbis argued within the letter that Mamdani has fueled antisemitism by accusing Israel of committing a genocide in Gaza and, for a time, declining to sentence the phrase “globalize the intifada.” Mamdani has additionally stated he helps Israel’s proper to exist, however not completely 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 within the letter, which was organized by the Jewish Majority, a bunch headed by Jonathan Schulman, a prime government on 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’s Muslim and a staunch defender of Palestinian rights, didn’t instantly return a request for remark late Wednesday. The letter surfaced as a problem throughout the mayoral debate earlier within the night.
Mamdani has vehemently denied accusations that he’s fomenting antisemitism along with his positions on the battle. As mayor, he says he would give attention to combating antisemitism and different types of hate by rising funding for hate crime prevention packages almost nine-fold.
Since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 terror assault in Israel, Mamdani has stated he believes Israel is committing genocide in Gaza, citing a discovering by a United Nations fee. In keeping with the Gaza Well being Ministry, Israel has killed greater than 65,000 Palestinians as a part of its conflict in Gaza.
For a time on the marketing campaign path, Mamdani declined to sentence the phrase “globalize intifada” whereas saying he didn’t personally use it. Afterward, amid backlash, he stated he would discourage use of the phrase.
Initially Revealed: October 22, 2025 at 11:14 PM EDT
