RABBI ANDRUE KAHN, [email protected], @rabbiandruekahn
A Brooklyn-based rabbi, Kahn is the executive director of the American Council for Judaism and recently wrote the piece “Jews differ on both Zionism and Mamdani” for the New York Daily News.
The piece states: “There is a choice before American Jews as we imagine our possible futures. Some argue that Judaism and Zionism are inseparable, and that questioning this premise constitutes antisemitism. Others envision an alternative, rooted in millennia of Jewish history, that rejects the conflation of Judaism with nationalism, and dismisses the concept that there could possibly exist a singular, monolithic Jewish voice on the subject at all.
“This is not a new debate. Anti-Zionism has existed since the birth of Zionism itself. The American Council for Judaism has proudly stood in this tradition since 1942, representing what was once the mainstream stance of the Reform movement: that Jewish identity, ethics, and community do not depend on nationalism, and that Jewish life flourishes best in free and democratic societies. …
“Jewish New Yorkers do not speak with one voice. An outsized percentage of us strongly support Zohran Mamdani, as demonstrated by the Jews for Zohran campaign. Brad Lander, New York City comptroller, the highest-ranking Jewish elected official in city government, and a respected community member, has publicly endorsed Mamdani, as has the most senior Jewish member of the House of Representatives, Jerry Nadler.”