Jewish groups compare Trump to Pharaoh, ask New York leaders to resist immigration order
‘We implore you to be the leaders we desperately need at this moment,’ the rabbis wrote in a letter to Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul
Collage photo of President Donald Trump signing an executive order and NYC Mayor Eric Adams discussing immigration on Fox News. Photo by John Lamparski and Andrew Harnik for Getty Images
By Jacob Kornbluh February 18, 2025
A group of 70 rabbis, clergy and liberal Jewish groups are calling on New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Gov. Kathy Hochul to resist President Donald Trump’s mass deportation orders, drawing a parallel to the biblical story of King Pharaoh’s decree to kill Hebrew boys in ancient Egypt.
“We read in the Book of Exodus of how a new Pharaoh arose over Egypt who scapegoated and marginalized the Israelites, spinning a narrative that they were a threat and needed to be suppressed and ultimately enslaved,” the 70 rabbis wrote in a letter addressing New York governmental leaders. The group compared themselves to the Egyptian midwives who refused to comply with Pharaoh’s decree. “We refuse to be among the silent or compliant today,” the signatories wrote. “We implore you to be the leaders we desperately need at this moment, and do all you can to resist Trump’s terrifying anti-immigrant agenda.”
The letter outlined specific actions for Adams and Hochul to take, including publicly denouncing the mass deportations and instructing local law enforcement to limit immigrant enforcement operations in sensitive locations like houses of worship and schools, as well as prohibiting the use of local jails for detaining immigrants.
Adams has come under fierce criticism – and growing calls for his resignation – for allegedly striking a quid pro quo deal with the Justice Department to drop federal corruption charges against him in exchange for helping implement Trump’s immigration crackdown. Manhattan’s acting U.S. Attorney Danielle Sassoon, who is Jewish, resigned last week in protest of the order to drop the corruption case. Adams appeared in a joint interview with Trump’s ICE czar, Tom Homan, on Fox News Friday morning.
Some two dozen rabbis and leaders gathered on the steps of City Hall Tuesday morning, reading their letter aloud and urging the mayor to take a moral stand by refusing to cooperate with the administration.
Rabbi Joel Mosbacher, senior rabbi of Temple Shaaray Tefila, a reform synagogue in Manhattan, referenced another historical narrative – the biblical story of Esther – to urge Adams to use his power to protect the vulnerable. “If you are to remain mayor, like Esther, you must use your power in this moment to stand up against xenophobia,” he said. “You have been called to use your power to be willing to put your own position at risk to stand up for what is right.”
Religious groups representing three major Jewish denominations — the Reform, Conservative, and Reconstructionist movements— filed a lawsuit last week against the Department of Homeland Security to block immigration raids at houses of worship.
A message from our Publisher & CEO Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism so that we can be prepared for whatever news 2025 brings.
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. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
