A hand holds a smartphone with the Twitter logo Image by Getty/Chesnot/Contributor

By Molly Boigon January 5, 2021

A top Queens official named to his post withdrew Monday after tweets surfaced in which he criticized Israeli policies and lobbying.

Michael Hurwitz, who is Jewish, was tapped as a deputy borough president for Donovan Richards, but Richards’ office tweeted that “for professional and personal reasons,” he would not take his position.

For professional and personal reasons, Michael Hurwitz will not be moving forward at this time with the Queens Borough President’s Office as Deputy Borough President as originally announced. (6/6)

Forwarding the News

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

Terms(Required)

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

Email(Required)

— Queens Borough President Donovan Richards (@QnsBPRichards) January 5, 2021

Hurwitz’s account is now private, but the Queens Daily Eagle reported that among Hurwitz’s tweets was one that defended Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, saying she “speaks the truth” and that AIPAC, the Israeli advocacy group, “influences votes” in Congress.

In another, Hurwitz called Israeli politician Naftali Bennett a “cancer to Judaism.”

Hurwitz told the Eagle that he is a “proud Jew” and a “lifelong Zionist,” and that trying to fit his views into 250 characters was “naive.”

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you move on, I wanted to ask you to support the Forward’s award-winning journalism during our High Holiday Monthly Donor Drive.

This year, we have stood together in strength and sorrow. Our Forward team has worked around the clock to help you find clarity amid the chaos.

If you’ve turned to the Forward in the past 12 months to better understand the world around you, we hope you will support us with a gift now. Your support has a direct impact, giving us the resources we need to report from Israel and around the U.S., across college campuses, and wherever there is news of importance to American Jews.

Make a monthly or one-time gift and support Jewish journalism throughout 5785. The first six months of your monthly gift will be matched for twice the investment in independent Jewish journalism. 

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount