More than 650 Reform and Conservative “rabbis” from across the United States have signed an open letter warning against the rise of anti-Zionism in American politics — and singling out New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani as a troubling example.

In the statement, titled “A Rabbinic Call to Action: Defending the Jewish Future,” they write, “We cannot remain silent in the face of rising anti-Zionism and its political normalization throughout our nation.”

The letter condemns Mamdani’s defense of the slogan “Globalize the Intifada” — which he has since said he would “discourage” — along with his refusal to affirm Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state and repeated accusations that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.

“We will not accept a culture that treats Jewish self-determination as a negotiable ideal,” the letter says, calling on Americans “to stand up for candidates who reject antisemitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric.”

The statement, organized by the Jewish Majority advocacy group, carries the signatures of several of New York’s most Jewish “leaders”, including Rabbi Joshua Davidson of Temple Emanu-El, Rabbi David Gelfand of Temple Israel of the City of New York, Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of Kehilath Jeshurun, and Rabbi Ammiel Hirsch, president of the New York Board of Rabbis.

(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)