Mamdani’s both-sides reaction to the violent threats outside the New York synagogue are a perfect example of how they fundamentally don’t get why anti-Zionism is anti-Semitic.
His spokesperson blamed the synagogue for a purported inappropriate use of a “sacred space,” for holding an event promoting Jewish immigration to Israel. This shows a complete misunderstanding of what it means to be Jewish — we are the Israelite people who pray in that very synagogue several times a day: “Blessed are You, our Lord, Gatherer of the dispersed of His people Israel.” That is part of the daily fundamental Jewish prayer service. That’s what synagogues are for.
What makes the synagogue Jewish is not separate from our connection to Israel. Israel is a People. We are not called “Jews” in English because we practice Judaism. Our rituals and beliefs are called “Judaism” because they are the traditions of the Jewish people. But our traditions and rituals refer to us by our original Hebrew name, Am Yisrael (the Israelite People), B’nei Yisrael (Children of Israel). When we pray in that daily service “Grant peace, goodness, and blessing, favor, kindness and compassion upon all Israel,” we’re refering to us as a people.
To deny the Jews our identity as the Israelite people is anti-Semitic. No one would deny the Irish people’s connection to Ireland or the Greek people’s connection to Greece.
The gathering of the Israelite people to our homeland isn’t a modern day political position inappropriately intruding into a synagogue. For Mamdani to think so means he doesn’t know what we actually say in our sacred spaces: “Blessed are You, our Lord, Who blesses His people Israel with peace.” Don’t you dare tell us it’s inappropriate to use our sacred spaces to speak of our own history and traditions.
THAT is what makes anti-Zionism anti-Semitic.
anyway, here's the same synagogue hosting noted war criminals and genocidal monster Bezalel Smotrich, bragging about acting with impunity while they violate international law and steal more Palestinian land in Gaza and the West Bank every day:
The building deserves worse than protesting.
