Mamdani’s Jewish allies criticize use of ‘monsters’ to describe AIPAC

New York City Mayor Eric Adams is facing criticism from some of his Jewish supporters for his use of the word "monsters" to describe the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) at a rally for progressive candidates.

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monsters

Rabbi Jill Jacobs, head of the progressive rabbinic human rights group T’ruah, expressed concern that the term "monsters" casts individuals as less than human, rather than as political opponents. Rabbi Misha Shulman, a supporter of Adams who leads The New Shul, a progressive synagogue in Brooklyn, stated he was taken aback and did not like the remarks, viewing them as a "flag."

Adams defended his word choice at a press conference, explaining he was quoting Italian anti-fascist philosopher Antonio Gramsci, whose phrase "Now is the time of monsters" he cited at the beginning of his speech. The rally aimed to support progressive candidates, including Jewish congressional candidate Brad Lander, ahead of New York's primaries.

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Calling AIPAC and its backers ‘monsters’ casts them as less than human, rather than as human beings who are one’s political opponents.

Adams elaborated that he used the term to describe "all those who are preventing the birth of a new world" and spoke of the "untenable nature of a status quo that is quite literally starving people in this city." While he initially suggested his use of the term was broad, he later singled out AIPAC, calling it a group backing "a status quo for immorality."

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I was taken aback. I didn’t like those remarks. It was a little bit of a flag for me.

During the rally, Adams had also stated that Gramsci's "monsters take many forms today," including AIPAC, which he accused of fearing "an end to genocide and [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s wars" and aiming "to turn us against one another." For some progressive Jews, these comments raised alarms about dehumanizing rhetoric directed at Jewish groups.

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Now is the time of monsters