‘Rabbi’ and ‘Zohran Mamdani’ should not appear in the same sentence
The next few months will unquestionably be amongst the busiest of my life. The last thing I was looking to do was take time to pen a refutation to an article that appeared in the Times of Israel a few days ago titled “We are NYC rabbis who support Zohran Mamdani – Here is Why” by “Rabbi” Rachel Goldenberg on behalf a group of other so-called “Rabbis.”
While I happen to be an Observant Jew, who received Orthodox Rabbinical Ordination in Jerusalem and spent many years in Orthodox Jewish Day School before attending Yeshiva, after receiving text messages from numerous former classmates and friends from Harvard – most of whom are not religious – asking me to respond to the article that is factually inaccurate, deeply disturbing and certainly does not represent a traditional Torah based approach – I felt a sense of obligation to set the record straight for the many readers of The Times of Israel.
When I started fielding calls from former classmates from The Wexner Heritage Foundation leadership program – some of whom have assumed leadership roles in various denominations of Judaism –all of whom were enraged by the naivete and heresy advocated by the authors, it became apparent to me that this was a classic example – as outlined in the Mishneh in Avos of “be’makom shein ish” – i.e. –“ in a place where there is no person.” To paraphrase Rashi, what this means is in the absence of individuals that have had the opportunity to invest years in deep Torah study, one has an obligation to stand up and help people understand that the views suggested in the ‘Goldenberg article’ are coming from an unlearned source and should not be taken seriously.
I believe the reason why my phone and e-mail blew up after the Goldenberg article appeared in The Times of Israel is not because I have spent years studying all aspects of Torah at an advanced level, but because of the unique background and vantage point I have that hopefully will help readers of The Times of Israel realize that while the articled penned by Goldenberg may not have a malevolent motive – sadly it is coming from ignorance, lack of understanding of true Torah values and the result of the classic mistake of pseudo liberal Jews who pursue political activism in the name of Tikkun Olam notwithstanding the fact that the concept of Tikkun Olam is not used once in the Torah, and the places where these terms appear – in the Aleinu prayer and in Jewish mysticism, never referred to the broad program of social change suggested by Goldenberg et al.
The reason I decided to refute the Goldenberg article is because sadly Goldenberg views reflect the misguided sentiments of thousands of pseudo progressive Jews in New York who voted for a radical antisemite who has openly called for the disestablishment of the State of Israel as a Jewish state and are not ashamed in the least to admit as much!
Before anyone attempts to categorize me within any stereotype, it is self-evident that my record speaks for itself. While growing up in South Africa, I produced the largest Anti-Apartheid Music Concert three years in a row, received a Fulbright Scholarship and the most prestigious Human Rights Scholarship to Harvard Law School where my final year dissertation was supervised by Professor Randall Kennedy, the first black tenured professor at Harvard Law School on the topic of discrimination. Enough said!
The core of Goldenberg’s argument is at best totally incorrect but more accurately is outright heresy. Comments like “…that is why issues like abortion access, public education, and civil, immigrant, and workers’ rights are core to our politics. These are Jewish issues because they reflect values passed down through generations” echo the Tikkun Olam mantra that has entrapped thousands of ignorant Jews.
Goldenberg not only conflates Judaism and politics, but the views expressed in the Goldenberg article do a tremendous disservice to Judaism. The truth is Tikkun Olam has no basis in Judaism. It was conceived by Jews who had rejected the faith of their ancestors and was created by radicals who saw it as a pretext to appropriate Jewish texts and corrupt religious rituals to further political ends. Tikkun olam represents the bastardization of an ancient civilization and for all the talk of liberation, the equation of Judaism with liberalism under the guise of tikkun olam. Tikkun olam as understood in recent decades is not only alien to Jewish traditions, but it also undermines them.
We should cut Goldenberg some slack because clearly Goldenberg and her cohorts have not invested the many years required in advanced Torah study to appreciate the fact that they are trying to justify a radical view which is the antithesis of Torah in the name of Jewish values. The perception of social justice that is the thread through the Goldenberg article through the prism of intersectionality portrays society as the Manichean struggle for justice by powerless victims against oppressive power holders. This view does not reflect a traditional Jewish approach at all.
What is unforgivable however is the fact that in Goldenberg’s attempt to celebrate Mamdani as the new champion of social justice, the facts are not reported accurately.
If nothing else, the readers of The Times of Israel deserve to know the clear undisputed facts which Goldenberg did not relay accurately – some of which I have noted below:
- Mamdani has, in multiple interviews, declined to condemn the term “globalize the intifada.” “Globalize the Intifada” is an explicit call for violence and celebrates and glorifies savagery and terror. When asked about the phrase earlier this month, Mamdani said, “The role of the mayor is not to police language!”
- Regarding the get-up that Mamdani has worn unapologetically at several protests and meetings, in Mamdani’s own words “ … growing up in South Africa post-apartheid, it felt as if one of the most natural things to wear around my body was a keffiyeh!”
I also grew up in South Africa. Mamdani was seven years old when he left South Africa. A keffiyeh is a clear symbol of resistance to Israel. It is shameful that Jewish people take a response like that seriously.
- Even the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust was for Mr. Mamdani an occasion for anti-Israel propaganda. He began on Oct. 8 with perfect moral equivalence: “I mourn the hundreds of people killed across Israel and Palestine in the last 36 hours.” Then his statement pivoted to criticism of Israel’s self-defense and next came libel: “The path toward a just and lasting peace can only begin by ending the occupation and dismantling apartheid.”
The words used by Goldenberg at the end of her article – “we believe that Jewish safety will not be secured by demanding unconditional support for Israel” echoes the same apologetic appeasement approach of Jewish academicians in Germany in the late 1930’s.
My message to Goldenberg et al – on behalf of hundreds of thousands of Jews who realize that Mamdani’s hatred of the Jewish state and Jewish self-determination is deep-rooted antisemitism, allowing his advocacy to seamlessly blend anti-Israelism with antisemitic tropes whether it’s that Israel is the reason America isn’t spending enough on affordable housing, or that Jews are stealing taxpayer money to fund trips to Israel – is simple – You do not represent the majority of Jews in America.
Sadly, if Mamdani is elected the next Mayor of New York I would like to make a request to Goldenberg and her cohorts – Please let me know how you are doing a year from now when you are living in a city with policies that curtail the police, socialize stores notwithstanding the fact that the business model Mamdani is advocating has failed in numerous countries, and let me know how loud you shout your support when Mamdani attempts to arrest the Prime Minister of Israel!
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Antony Gordon is a Fulbright Scholar and graduate of Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. Antony’s TEDxTalk achieved over one million views and was selected as one of the most impactful TED Talks of the decade. He is a USA Today and Wall Street Journal Best Selling Author and the host of the critically acclaimed podcast, The Antony Gordon Show. Antony has become one of the most sought-after speakers in the Jewish world for several leading organizations. Antony is Managing Director of Adeptus Advisors, a leading professional services firm which represents some of the most prominent public personalities in the sports, entertainment, music, and Influencer industries.
