Image by Getty Images

A group of New York Jewish public figures have signed an open letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio condemning his recent proclamation that the pro-Israel lobbyist group AIPAC would always have a friend at City Hall.

The letter counters the idea that AIPAC represents the best interests of de Blasio’s New York constituents, including the city’s Jews. “AIPAC speaks for Israel’s hard-line government and its right-wing supporters, and for them alone; it does not speak for us,” the letter reads.

The letter’s 58 signatories include religious leaders, progressive academics, political activists, and others. They span the gamut from center-left liberal Zionists like author Peter Beinart to far-left voices like Rebecca Vilkomerson of Jewish Voice for Peace. Prominent writers and playwrights like Letty Cottin Pogrebin and Eve Ensler also signed on.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

The statement comes as de Blasio — a self-proclaimed champion of open-government — faces mounting pressure for comments made during a closed-door AIPAC gala, asserting his unending support for Israel and his loyalties to the right-wing lobbyist group AIPAC.

In the audio leaked by a reporter who bypassed security, he asserts that strong support for Israel is “elemental to being an American, because there is no greater ally on earth, and that’s something we can say proudly.”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

2X match on all Passover gifts!

$90 → $180 $180 → $360

$360 → $720

Other amount