A Jewish Call for Compassionate Leadership and Shared Humanity
Whatever the outcome of the New York mayoral race, we, the undersigned , seek to honor our shared interdependence in the treasured pluralistic city of New York, in America, and in Israel/Palestine.
In response to concerns raised, we recognize that candidate Zohran Mamdani’s support for Palestinian sovereignty stems from his moral convictions. In cases where we disagree and even disagree strongly, we affirm that only genuine solidarity and relationship-building across differences can keep us safe. That work has sustained us for generations wherever Jews have lived, and remains our only path forward.
There are so many people who are bravely engaged in the work of building mutual respect and caring across significant differences in Israel and Palestine. These include: Standing Together, Women Wage Peace, Combatants for Peace, A Land for All, Bereaved Families Forum, Friends of Roots and the more than 160 organizations that are networked through the Alliance for Middle East Peace (ALLMEP) including board members and activists across the green line. These models are inspiring in this moment of growing division, and are worthy of our partnership.
As Antisemitism rises here in America, standing against it must also mean standing against Islamophobia, which is also rising. Seeking Jewish safety must include ensuring the safety of our Muslim neighbors. Our faith and our safety demand nothing less.
May this be a moment of awakening—to remember that the security of one people can never come at the expense of another, and that only empathy, justice, and shared humanity can secure a future for all.
Signed,
Rabbi Shoshana Leis – Pleasantville, NY
Rabbi Suzanne Singer – Riverside, CA
Rabbi Ben Newman – Pleasantville, NY
Rabbi Sandra Lawson – Durham, NC
Rabbi Doug Alpert – Kansas City, MO
Rabbi Dan Fink – Boise, ID
Rabbi Gerald Serotta – Chevy Chase, MD
Cantor Michael Zoosman – Vancouver, BC, Canada
Rabbi Michael Rothbaum – San Diego, CA
Rabbi Jeremy D. Sher – Oakland, CA
Rabbi Aliza Schwartz – Boston, MA
Cantor Emma Maier – Ann Arbor, MI
Cantor Abbe Lyons – Ithaca, NY
Rabbi Lori Klein – Capitola, CA
Rabbi Amita Jarmon – Amherst, MA
Rabbi Jonathan Brumberg-Kraus – Providence, RI
Rabbi Daniel Bogard – St. Louis, MO
Rabbi Karen Kriger Bogard – St. Louis, MO
Rabbi Malka Drucker – Santa Barbara, CA
Rabbi Philip J. Bentley – Jewish Peace Fellowship
Rabbi Ruhi Sophia Motzkin Rubenstein – Eugene, OR
Rabbi Charna Rosenholtz – Boulder, CO
Rabbi Laura M. Rappaport – Seattle, WA
Rabbi Benjamin Zober – Reno, NV
Rabbi Sara Zober – Reno, NV
Rabbi Patti Haskell – Asheville, NC
Rabbi David N. Goodman – Philadelphia, PA
Rabbi Charles M. Feinberg – Washington, DC
Rabbi Dr. Tirzah Firestone – Boulder, CO
Rabbi Rachel Goldenberg – Jackson Heights, NY
Rabbah Riqi Kosovske – Northampton, MA
Rabbi Steven B. Jacobs – Alameda, CA(note: this letter has been self-organized by the undersigned rabbis)