NEW YORK CITY (Press Release) — Nearly 700 rabbis from across the United States released an open letter on Friday demanding that Mayor Zohran Mamdani apologize for remarks that cast pro-Israel Americans as uniquely sinister participants in public life.
Together, they are demanding that the mayor apologize for describing the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) as “monsters” who use “millions in dark money” to “preserve their power” and “turn us against one another.”
They note that, “Using the language of ‘monsters’ against political opponents is an act of dehumanization, and when the targets of that dehumanization are overwhelmingly associated with the Jewish community the consequences become especially dangerous.”
The Rabbis’ urgent call for the Mayor to apologize is amplified by the New York City election results this Tuesday, in which several candidates used their support for the elimination of Israel and vilification of supporters of Israel as a tool to court voters.
The rabbis note that campaigns against Jews often begin with rhetoric portraying them as uniquely sinister, uniquely powerful and somehow less deserving of equal treatment, and that Mr. Mamdani’s words invoke a familiar story about Jewish power, Jewish money and Jewish manipulation of public life.
Mamdani’s comments came mere days after five individuals were charged for plotting to kill government officials, who happened to be supported by AIPAC, and the same day that a man was indicted for planning a mass shooting at an office of the organization.
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Preceding provided by the Jewish Majority research organization.