Hundreds of US rabbis sign letter urging Mamdani to apologize for calling AIPAC ‘monsters’

More than 700 rabbis and cantors have signed a letter demanding an apology from New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. The mayor recently described the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as "monsters" at a rally preceding Democratic primaries in New York.

“

these monsters take many forms

The letter, organized by the Jewish Majority advocacy group, stated that Mamdani's remarks were "dangerous, unacceptable, and beneath the office he holds." It called on the mayor to "retract his remarks and affirm clearly that Jews and pro-Israel Americans are full participants in our democracy."

"We can debate policy. We can argue about money in politics. We can disagree passionately about Israel and the Middle East. But no elected leader should demonize Jews or those who stand with the Jewish state," the letter read. It further clarified that while criticizing Israeli policy is not antisemitic, treating "millions of Zionist Jews as morally suspect, politically illegitimate, or less deserving of equal participation in public life is."

“

We serve different communities, hold different political views, and do not speak with one voice on every question concerning Israel, American politics, or the war in Gaza. But we are united in our belief that Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s recent speech about pro-Israel civic participation is dangerous, unacceptable, and beneath the office he holds.

Jonathan Schulman, leader of Jewish Majority, expressed that the goal was to ensure Mamdani "understands his awesome responsibility to tamp down the rhetoric before somebody gets hurt." He suggested the current moment, after the primaries, offered an opportunity for the mayor to "reset and use this as a moment of focusing on building bridges instead of trying to divide the community."

“

retract his remarks and affirm clearly that Jews and pro-Israel Americans are full participants in our democracy.

This is not the first time Jewish Majority has opposed Mamdani's rhetoric. In the lead-up to the November mayoral election, the group published a similar letter signed by over 1,000 rabbis and cantors, which opposed Mamdani's past defense of the slogan "globalize the Intifada" and voiced opposition to the "political normalization" of anti-Zionism.

“

We can debate policy. We can argue about money in politics. We can disagree passionately about Israel and the Middle East. But no elected leader should demonize Jews or those who stand with the Jewish state. Criticizing Israeli policy is not antisemitic. Treating millions of Zionist Jews as morally suspect, politically illegitimate, or less deserving of equal participation in public life is.