Over 700 Rabbis Urge Mamdani to Retract 'Monsters' Remark About AIPAC

More than 700 rabbis and cantors across the United States are demanding that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani apologize for calling AIPAC “monsters” and clearly state that Jews and supporters of Israel are an integral part of American democracy.

In an unusual letter, the signatories said Mamdani’s comments were “dangerous, unacceptable and unworthy of his office.” They urged him to walk back the remarks and explicitly affirm that Jews and pro-Israel Americans are full partners in U.S. democracy. “You can debate Israel’s policies or money in politics,” they wrote, “but an elected official must not demonize Jews or those who stand with the Jewish state.”

The dispute stems from comments Mamdani made at a rally last week. In his speech, he said that “these monsters take many forms,” then directed the remark at AIPAC, claiming the group fears “democracy” and those working, in his words, to end “the genocide and Netanyahu’s wars.”

The letter was organized by Jewish Majority, led by former AIPAC staffer Jonathan Schulman. Schulman said the goal is to make Mamdani “understand the heavy responsibility he bears to curb the rhetoric before someone is hurt,” and to use his position to “build bridges instead of deepening the rift.” This is not the group’s first confrontation with Mamdani, before the mayoral election it circulated another letter signed by more than 1,000 rabbis and cantors criticizing his support for the slogan “Globalize the Intifada” and warning against normalizing anti-Zionism.