When Jewish Ethics Are Invoked to Excuse Antisemitism: The "rabbis" who support Mamdani ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Monday, July 07, 2025

When Jewish Ethics Are Invoked to Excuse Antisemitism: The "rabbis" who support Mamdani

Last week, some left-wing, anti-Zionist rabbis published a letter saying they support Zohran Mamdani for mayor of New York.

Normally I ignore such open letters - they are the cheapest way to get publicity and they invariably take a fringe position and claim that this is a mainstream Jewish position.

But when they invoke Jewish morality as their reason for supporting an anti-Zionist candidate, given that I have been working on my Jewish ethics project, I take notice.

What, exactly, are the Jewish morals that they invoke?

Our religious tradition calls us to pursue justice and invokes our responsibility to bring it into the world. For many of us, the campaigns of Mamdani and mensch co-endorser Brad Lander marked the first time in a long while that we witnessed the Jewish call for justice clearly reflected in the platforms and character of mayoral candidates. We are confident that Zohran will carry those values forward – we hope, all the way to Gracie Mansion.

Supporting Zohran and Brad was, for us, an explicitly Jewish act, and we’re kvelling over our contribution as Jewish New Yorkers to Mamdani’s historic victory.

The diasporic Jewish life that has always thrived in New York City shows up in multiracial, interfaith coalitions. We are part of a proud Jewish progressive tradition that has shaped this city for generations. From Jewish garment workers and labor organizers to generations of socialists and civil rights activists, this legacy continues in our support for candidates like Mamdani.

Polling shows that most Jewish Americans feel a fierce commitment to equality and democracy. That is why issues like abortion access, public education, and civil, immigrant, and workers’ rights are core to our politics. These are Jewish issues because they reflect values passed down through generations: care for the vulnerable and a deep belief in human dignity that goes hand in hand with the aforementioned call to justice.

Their definition of Jewish values is very selective. Essentially, they are calling social justice "Jewish." and their proof is:

The word "justice" in the Torah
A tradition of progressivism among American Jews
Jewish values passed down through generations

The latter two have only existed for the past 150 years, at best. Calling socialism a Jewish tradition when it it didn't exist as a Jewish value for anyone before the late 19th century hardly makes it "Jewish." Jewish values come from a tradition of thousands of years, not one that arose as a specifically anti-religious movement that is relatively recent. Calling that "Jewish" is absurd.

Judaism does support care for the vulnerable, dignity, and justice. But it does so alongside - and often through - other values these rabbis conspicuously ignore.

First of all, when rabbis use their status to publicly legitimize figures who are okay with phrases like “globalize the intifada,” they desecrate God's Name - it is a "chilul Hashem." It implies that the Torah doesn't care about a public call for violence against Jews.

Secondly, there is the Jewish values of areivut - responsibility. It contradicts basic Jewish ethical mores: defending Jewish lives is the most important imperative of the Jewish community, and these rabbis are only willing to protect that community when the attackers are also their political opponents. There is nothing principled about a political position that condones attacks on Jews. The Jewish dictum that all Israel is responsible for one another is trampled by rabbis who prioritize politics over values.

Thirdly, Jewish nationhood and Jewish self-defense are age-old Jewish political values. Even in the Diaspora that they lovingly refer to, Jews were always considered a nation in exile. These rabbis attack Jewish unity - achdut - another critical Jewish value, daily.

Finally, these rabbis invoke the Torah's verse in Deuteronomy 16;20 that says, "Justice, justice shall you pursue" to promoter an anti-Zionist candidate. The very next part of the verse is as Zionist as can be: "..., so you may thrive and occupy the land that your God is giving you."

Yes, Jews settling Israel is a reward for pursuing justice - meaning that Zionism is the culmination of justice, not its antithesis, as these rabbis are claiming. This is a knowing misrepresentation of the verse, and it is a violation of yet another Jewish value, that of emet - truth.

Are these rabbis truly applying Jewish ethics? Or are they invoking bits of Jewish language and a smattering of Yiddish to sanctify a political ideology that contradicts much of Jewish moral tradition?

The answer is clear.

They may speak in the name of justice, but they ignore areivut, achdut, emet, and pikuach nefesh – the obligation to preserve life. They ignore thousands of years of Jewish ethical development in favor of the last 150 years of American progressivism. They aren’t guided by Torah values – they’re retrofitting Torah to justify a political stance already chosen.

Jewish ethics is not a fig leaf for partisanship. It’s a moral framework – one that demands consistency, responsibility, and truth. And when it is abused to excuse or empower antisemitism, it must be called out.