More than 700 rabbis representing every major Jewish denomination across the United States are calling on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to publicly apologize for remarks he made about the pro-Israel lobbying group AIPAC.
In an open letter released Friday afternoon, the Jewish clergy condemn the mayor's statement in which he described members of the pro-Israel lobby as "monsters" and claimed they were spending "millions in dark money" to preserve their power and sow division. The rabbis note that Mamdani has refused to retract his remarks despite mounting criticism and are demanding that he clarify his position.
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Mamdani described members of the pro-Israel lobby as 'monsters'
(Photo: AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)
The letter's release coincides with a new poll by the Jewish Majority organization highlighting deep concern within the community. According to the survey, 82% of Jewish voters in New York are concerned about rising antisemitism, with most respondents linking it to the normalization of anti-Zionism. The poll also found that a majority believe Mamdani's refusal to condemn calls to "globalize the intifada" has emboldened pro-Hamas demonstrators.
The criticism comes in the wake of strong performances by Democratic Socialists-backed candidates in New York's primary elections, whom the anti-Israel mayor supported. According to the rabbis, those candidates used similar rhetoric about Israel to appeal to voters.
The letter was prompted by a speech Mamdani delivered last week, when he used celebrations marking the New York Knicks' championship to launch what the rabbis described as an unprecedented attack on AIPAC and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Mamdani and his wife at the celebrations marking the New York Knicks' championship
(Photo: REUTERS/Dylan Martinez)
In a speech at a rally backing progressive candidates in Brooklyn ahead of the Democratic primaries, Mamdani accused AIPAC of pouring “millions of dark-money dollars” into efforts to turn the public against itself. He claimed the lobby feared democracy and “the end of the genocide and Netanyahu’s wars.”
The letter's authors emphasize that the unusually broad coalition of rabbis, who often disagree on political issues, united over what they see as the dangerous implications of Mamdani's remarks. They note that his comments came just days after five people were charged with plotting to kill government officials supported by AIPAC, and on the same day that a man in Florida was indicted for allegedly planning a mass shooting at the organization's offices.
Mamdani's refusal to condemn calls to 'globalize the intifada' has emboldened pro-Hamas demonstrators
(Photo: Shannon Stapleton / Reuters)
"By casting pro-Israel civic participation as monstrous, conspiratorial and anti-democratic, Mr. Mamdani has put a target on the backs of American Jews and their allies," the letter states.
Leaders of major American Jewish organizations quickly joined the condemnation. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, accused Mamdani of spreading "of bigoted conspiracy mongering that you expect from unhinged streamers or white supremacists. It’s not the language that we should expect from the mayor whose jurisdiction suffers from the highest levels of antisemitism of any city in America."
Mamdani's ad with the Palestinian flag
(Photo: Screenshot from X social platform)
Ted Deutch, CEO of the American Jewish Committee, added: "When you call people monsters, you’re not debating ideas, you’re dehumanizing the people you disagree with."
The letter's signatories argue that the intense focus on AIPAC reflects a double standard, noting that American politics is awash in money from a wide range of sources, including corporations, lobbying groups and labor unions. They call on Mamdani to retract his remarks and apologize publicly, warning that normalizing language portraying Zionists as monsters could encourage other candidates to adopt similar rhetoric, putting Jewish communities at greater risk.