Overview
- Coordinated by Jewish Majority, the national sign‑on drew more than 1,000 rabbis within roughly 72 hours, according to organizers.
- The letter frames challenges to Israel’s legitimacy as assaults on Jewish identity and warns against making anti‑Zionism acceptable in U.S. politics.
- It singles out Zohran Mamdani, citing his refusal to condemn violent slogans, accusations of Israeli genocide, and positions the petition says deny Israel’s legitimacy, quoting New York Board of Rabbis president Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch.
- Mamdani has said Israel should exist with equal rights for all, that he would discourage the phrase “globalize the intifada,” and that he would seek the arrest of Benjamin Netanyahu if he visited New York, according to coverage of his remarks.
- The American Council for Judaism and pro‑Mamdani Jewish groups criticized the letter as a partisan attempt to control discourse, noting support for Mamdani from Jews for Zohran and endorsements by Brad Lander and Rep. Jerry Nadler.