"But whatever we do, we must do so on our own, unshackled and untainted by Mamdani’s unconcealed hatred not just for Netanyahu but for Israel both as a state and as an integral part of our Jewish identity."
"JTA — Watching a train wreck in real time, while mesmerizing, is never fun. It can, however, be educational.
"By encouraging New Yorkers to protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when he next comes to Gotham to address the UN General Assembly, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is preparing the ground for yet another opportunity to showcase anti-Israelism and antisemitism in their most radical forms.
"I’ve protested against Netanyahu’s previous visits to the city. But there is absolutely no reason for any of us who want to push for a more just Israel to collaborate in protests next month, and every reason to stay far, far away from them.
Many if not most lifelong liberal Zionists, myself among them, are outraged, bordering on horrified, by the disastrous policies of the Netanyahu government. Our commitment was and is to the simultaneously Jewish and democratic State of Israel envisioned in its Declaration of Independence. While recognizing Israel’s obligation to eliminate Hamas as an existential threat, we empathize with the continued suffering of the civilian population of Gaza. And we categorically condemn the violence perpetrated by Israeli — read Jewish — settlers against Palestinian civilians in the West Bank.
"But for Mamdani, a good number of us would probably have wanted to express our anger publicly on Netanyahu’s next appearance in New York. We’ve done so before. On September 22, 2023, I was among several thousand Jews who rallied in Dag Hammarskjöld Plaza to denounce the Netanyahu government’s crude legislative efforts to undermine the independence and authority of Israel’s judiciary.
"We did so out of a love for and commitment to Israel. We did so in solidarity with the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who had been protesting for months against Netanyahu’s autocratic disregard for democracy and the rule of law.
"Mamdani has made it impossible for me to do so again this year. I have not changed my mind about or my attitude toward Netanyahu, but I will not be drawn by Mamdani into standing alongside or anywhere near antisemites whose declared goal is the destruction of Israel. I suspect I am far from alone in holding these sentiments." . . . More...
Menachem Z. Rosensaft is adjunct professor of law at Cornell Law School and lecturer-in-law at Columbia Law School. He is the author of Burning Psalms: Confronting Adonai after Auschwitz
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