Progressive Rabbis Support Mamdani — Where’s the Push Back?

A recent piece by a number of rabbis was published in The Times of Israel, where they explain their “proud” support for Zohran Mamdani.

Their article exposes one of the most dangerous fractures within the Jewish community today: a growing number of Jews who, in the name of “justice,” find themselves purposefully aligned with those who refuse to condemn statements like “Globalize the Intifada,” have a documented history of antagonism towards the world’s only Jewish State, and even mocked and ridiculed the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.

Rabbi Goldberg uses charming Yiddishisms like “kvell” to describe her support for “progressive” candidates and causes. But where is the kvell when those same candidates stand with people chanting “globalize the Intifada”?

For context, the Second Intifada (2000–2003) was not a political protest. It was a campaign of terror — bombings, shootings, and mass murder of civilians in restaurants, buses, and nightclubs. Innocent people were targeted during ordinary moments of daily life. That is what “intifada” means. And calling to “globalize” it is not a metaphor — it is a call for terror to spread.

Mamdani also refuses to recognize Israel as the legitimate and sovereign nation-state of the Jewish people. He demands that Jews surrender their homeland and live in a state stripped of their national identity — something he does not ask of any Muslim or Christian-majority country. He supports a radical socialist agenda and aligns with movements that see Jewish people and Zionism as obstacles to their vision of global revolution.

But this isn’t just about one person or one election. It’s about a broader pattern. We are witnessing the normalization of antisemitism, extremism, and dangerous political ideologies — in our own city.

If Mamdani’s kind of rhetoric and worldview is what wins elections in New York City, it sets a chilling precedent for the rest of the country.

It is deeply disturbing when Jewish leaders proudly support a candidate who still refuses to condemn “globalize the Intifada” or recognize Israel as a Jewish state. Is that truly what Jewish values demand? Many progressive Jews strongly disagree.

Here is how Goldberg defends that comment:

We also reject the bad-faith attacks on Mamdani over the phrase “globalize the intifada,” a phrase he has never used himself. When asked about it, after stating that it is not language he himself uses, he added that it means different things to different people, the same explanation Jewish writers have made in The Forward. While the phrase conjures up fear and concerns of violence for many Jews, for many Palestinians, it literally refers to a shaking off of occupation.

Many people find this summary of facts highly skewed, including prominent Democrats who have refused to accept Mamdani’s ridiculous explanation. Goldberg does not defend any of his other views in the article, including refusing to say Israel should be a Jewish state.

She says, “We believe that Jewish safety will not be secured by demanding unconditional support for Israel.” But how is acknowledging Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish country “unconditional support”? That should be the bare minimum.

Rabbi Goldberg does not speak for me — because I remember the Intifada not as a slogan but as a funeral procession. She does not speak for people like me, who want to see a Jewish future that is both moral and safe. And she certainly does not speak for Israelis who lived through the trauma that so many outside voices now casually invoke for political effect.

She is, of course, entitled to share her opinion. But she is not entitled to do so without any pushback. If Rabbi Goldberg wants to fight for justice in the world — there’s no shortage of worthy causes. But when it comes to the Jewish State and the Jewish people’s right to live in security, dignity, and sovereignty — the least she could do is not fight against us.

Daniel Rosen is  the Co-founder of a Non-profit Technology company called Emissary4all which is an app to organize people on social media by ideology not geography . He is the Co-host of the podcast “Recalibration.” You can reach him at [email protected]

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