Over 650 rabbis denounce Zohran Mamdani for ‘dangerous anti-Zionist rhetoric,’ encouraging ‘hostility toward Jews’

The statement, signed by rabbis from Reform, Conservative, and Orthodox congregations nationwide, specifically names Mamdani as an example of this trend, citing his repeated refusal to condemn violent slogans and his record of falsely accusing Israel of genocide.

“When public figures like New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani refuse to condemn violent slogans, deny Israel’s legitimacy, and accuse the Jewish state of genocide, they delegitimize the Jewish community and encourage hostility toward Judaism and Jews,” the letter quotes Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, president of the New York Board of Rabbis, as saying.

Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, another prominent Manhattan rabbi, was also cited in the letter: “Zionism, Israel, Jewish self-determination, these are not political preferences or partisan talking points. They are constituent building blocks and inseparable strands of my Jewish identity,” Cosgrove said. “To accept me as a Jew but to ask me to check my concern for Israel at the door is nonsensical and offensive.”

The rabbis’ message, unusually direct for such a broad coalition, urges Americans “who value peace and equality” to stand against “antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric” in the political arena and to “affirm Israel’s right to exist in peace and security.” It calls on interfaith and civic leaders to “reject language that seeks to delegitimize Jewish identity and community.”

The letter landed the same day as Mamdani faced blistering attacks from both former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa during the final New York City mayoral debate, where the issue of antisemitism dominated the night.

In that debate at LaGuardia Community College, Cuomo accused Mamdani of being a “divisive force” who has “stoked fear among Jewish New Yorkers.” He cited the rabbis’ open letter as proof that the city’s Jewish community feels threatened by Mamdani’s rhetoric, particularly his refusal during the Democratic primary to condemn the slogan “globalize the intifada.”

“You won’t denounce it,” Cuomo said on stage. “You know what it means, ‘Kill Jews.’ There’s unprecedented fear in New York. Six hundred and fifty rabbis signed that letter. That’s not politics, that’s alarm.”

Mamdani pushed back, insisting his words were being twisted. “I’ve heard from Jewish New Yorkers about their fears, and they deserve a leader who takes antisemitism seriously, not one who weaponizes it to score political points,” he said. He added that he would “discourage” the use of the slogan but refused to disavow the activists who use it.

Sliwa was even more blunt, calling Mamdani “the arsonist who fanned the flames of antisemitism” and warning that Jewish families in the five boroughs “are frightened and scared.”

The rabbis’ letter adds to a growing list of controversies that have dogged Mamdani’s mayoral bid. The Democratic socialist and first-term state assemblyman from Queens has previously drawn criticism for his sharp rhetoric about Israel, his social-media posts attacking police and capitalism, and his associations with controversial figures.

Mamdani remains the frontrunner in the race. A Fox News poll conducted October 10–14 shows him leading with 49% support among registered voters, far ahead of Cuomo’s 28 percent and Sliwa’s 13 percent. Among likely voters, Mamdani surpasses 50 percent, a milestone that could make him New York City’s first Muslim and first openly socialist mayor in modern history.

“We will not accept a culture that treats Jewish self-determination as a negotiable ideal,” the rabbis’ letter reads. “The safety and dignity of Jews in every city depend on rejecting that false choice.”

That line, several observers noted, directly rebuts Mamdani’s framing of Zionism as a “political ideology” separate from Jewish identity, a distinction that has become central to his defense against charges of antisemitism.

President Donald Trump has repeatedly mocked Mamdani as a “100 percent Communist lunatic,” while Republicans like Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) have gone further, accusing Gov. Kathy Hochul, who endorsed Mamdani last month, of “backing a pro-terrorism mayor.”

For many Jewish leaders, however, this week’s letter represents something larger than one election. “Now is the time for everyone to unite across political and moral divides,” the rabbis wrote, “and to reject the language that seeks to delegitimize our Jewish identity and our community.”