700+ U.S. Rabbis Sign Letter Urging Mayor Mamdani to Apologize for Calling AIPAC ‘Monsters’

More than 700 rabbis and cantors from across the United States signed an open letter published Friday morning calling on New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to apologize for remarks in which he described the American Israel Public Affairs Committee as “monsters” — language that Jewish leaders across the denominational spectrum condemned as dangerous, unacceptable, and beneath the dignity of the office he holds.

The letter was organised by the Jewish Majority advocacy group, led by AIPAC veteran Jonathan Schulman. It challenged the mayor over his remarks at a pre-primary rally in which several congressional candidates he backed secured victories.

A Letter Uniting Diverse Jewish Voices

What made the letter striking was its breadth. Signatories serve different communities, hold different political views, and do not agree on every question concerning Israel, American politics, or the war in Gaza. Yet they spoke with a single voice on the question of democratic belonging.

The letter called on Mamdani to “retract his remarks and affirm clearly that Jews and pro-Israel Americans are full participants in our democracy,” drawing a careful line between criticism and demonisation:

Building Bridges, Not Widening Divisions

For Jonathan Schulman, the letter carries an urgent practical purpose: ensuring that Mamdani “understands his awesome responsibility to tamp down the rhetoric before somebody gets hurt.”

“Now that we are past the primaries, I think this is a real opportunity for the mayor to kind of reset and use this as a moment of focusing on building bridges instead of trying to divide the community,” Schulman said — language that resonates deeply with Rooted in Unity’s own mission.

Mamdani’s remarks drew criticism not only from mainstream Jewish organisations but also from some of his own progressive Jewish allies, underscoring how broadly the language was viewed as having crossed a meaningful line.

A Pattern — and a Warning

This was not the first letter Jewish Majority had organised. In the lead-up to the November mayoral election, the group published a letter signed by over 1,000 rabbis and cantors challenging Mamdani’s earlier defence of the slogan “globalize the Intifada” and opposing the political normalisation of anti-Zionism.

Friday’s letter drew many of the same signatories, including Rabbi Joshua Davidson of the Reform Temple Emanu-El and Rabbi Chaim Steinmetz of the Orthodox Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun — both prominent Upper East Side congregations — with Steinmetz having approached Schulman directly on Monday to initiate the effort.

The letter also addressed the growing national footprint of the Democratic Socialists of America, which saw two candidates — Darializa Avila Chevalier and Claire Valdez — win Democratic primaries in New York on Tuesday.

“We see that the DSA is growing in clout throughout the country,” Schulman said, “and as the most prominent member of the DSA, I think he really has an opportunity and a responsibility to tamp down on some of this language.”

At Rooted in Unity, we believe that the path to coexistence runs through honest dialogue, mutual respect, and the refusal to reduce any community — Jewish, Muslim, Christian, or otherwise — to a caricature. The call from these 700 rabbis and cantors is not a partisan act. It is an act of bridge-building, in the truest Abrahamic spirit.