An open letter to Jonathan Greenblatt: This is not the way

I know you have serious disagreements with Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani. I know it is important that you articulate your concerns to the incoming administration. That is your job — and your responsibility — as an American Jewish leader.

But, as the late Yitzhak Rabin said when he condemned the growing incitement within Israeli society, לא זו הדרך — this is not the way.

I am deeply worried by the divisive and overheated reactions I’ve seen — from you and from others who speak in our community’s name. They do not reflect our real interests or values. They isolate us at a moment when what we most need is a measured, level-headed approach — one that allows for real give-and-take, the kind of negotiation and constructive interaction between communal leadership and government that, as you well know, is critical for Jewish safety and Jewish concerns.

You have chosen a different approach — one grounded in confrontation — and I understand why. You’re deeply concerned about the new mayor’s positions on Israel, and you may also question how much sway some of those who helped him win — people you rightly see as hostile to core elements of your beliefs — will have on his decisions.

But this approach won’t change his positions or reduce the influence of those around him. It won’t change the dynamics that made his victory possible or convince millions to think more positively about Zionism or Israel.  More likely, it will cause them to dig in further — and it risks alienating potential allies who share our concerns about antisemitism but recoil from the tone and tactics being used.

When we abandon engagement and dismiss the incoming administration’s efforts to connect with various Jewish communities, we weaken the very structures that sustain Jewish life in America — democracy, civil rights, and the alliances that have kept us safe. That’s because democracy ensures that no group can be excluded from power.

These are not abstract principles; they are the pillars that have enabled Jewish security and flourishing in America for more than a century. Civil rights protect us when public opinion turns. And alliances give those protections strength. When any of these erode, Jewish safety erodes with them.

Moreover, the path you have taken until now risks serious consequences that will make Jews less safe. It divides us from others — at a moment, after the Gaza cease-fire — when there is finally a possibility of healing some of the wounds that followed October 7 and its aftermath. Instead, I fear it will only deepen the wounds. I’m not naïve enough to think we’ll be sitting around a campfire together, but perhaps we will be able to come back into coalition with some of those whom we need in order to confront the greatest threats we face together — to democracy, to democratic institutions, to the country itself.

Dividing us is exactly what President Trump and the people around him want. Confrontational tactics feed right into their playbook — a divide-and-conquer strategy that weakens democratic coalitions and gives extremists more space to operate. They open the door for true, dyed-in-the-wool antisemites to create further havoc — and for authoritarians, waiting for an excuse to send the National Guard into New York’s streets, to assert their authority.

At a moment when antisemitic incidents are rising and far-right extremists hold power at the federal level, we can’t afford to turn our focus inward or create new fronts of division.

I know, as I’ve written to you in the past, that we have our differences over what is and what isn’t antisemitic and how to counter the scourge of Jewish hatred.  But we also share common concerns. We know that when the FBI breaks ties with or targets the ADL and other watchdog groups, it crosses a dangerous line.  We both see it as a warning sign that the system meant to protect us is being turned against us, as a signal that truth and accountability are no longer shared priorities.

So, too, do we both know that swastikas on mezuzahs in college dorms — no matter who painted them — are abhorrent and signs of danger. We know that Nick Fuentes is a problem. We know that the return of antisemitic tropes and myths to everyday discourse is ominous.

Confronting these must be our greatest priority. We have to push back against the use of antisemitism as a tool to stir hatred and scapegoat Jews — and we must not allow it to be turned into a weapon that pits us against each other.

We cannot do this if we are doing battle with the new mayor of New York. We can disagree with him, we can have fervent debates, but we need to find a way to work with him and his team — because only together will we be able to confront the greatest danger we face.

This is a time for honesty and good faith — for meeting real threats together, not turning on each other. The only way to safeguard our community and our democracy is to engage, even when it’s hard, and to do it side by side with those who don’t always agree with us.

זו הדרך – This is the way.