Open Letter From NY Jews to Mayor de Blasio: `AIPAC Does Not Speak For Us’

Open Letter From New York Jews January 31, 2014

Mayor Bill de Blasio at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. (Wikimedia Commons)

We are Jewish residents of New York who read, in the leaked transcript of your private speech to a meeting of AIPAC leaders, the following: City Hall will always be open to AIPAC. When you need me to stand by you in Washington or anywhere, I will answer the call and I’ll answer it happily ’cause that’s my job. We understand that the job of mayor of New York is a complex one that often calls for your participation on the international stage, and we would not presume to define your job for you. But we do know that the needs and concerns of many of your constituents—U.S. Jews like us among them—are not aligned with those of AIPAC, and that no, your job is not to do AIPAC’s bidding when they call you to do so. AIPAC speaks for Israel’s hard-line government and its right-wing supporters, and for them alone; it does not speak for us.

Sincerely yours, Ruth J. Abram Karen R. Adler Arlene Alda Anita Altman Esther Ann-Asch Emanuel Ax Peter Beinart Andrew Berger Loren Bevans Martin I. Bresler Kenneth David Burrows Howard Clyman Rabbi Rachel Cowan Barbara Deinhardt Barbara Dobkin Eugene Eisner Laurel W. Eisner Daniel Engelstein Eve Ensler Danny Goldberg Sally Gottesman Linda Gottlieb Laurence Greenwald Jane Hirschmann Erica Jong Peter A. Joseph Alice Kessler-Harris Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum Gil Kulick Martha Weinman Lear Bobbie Leigh Jonathan Leigh Alan H. Levine Rabbi Ellen Lippmann Rabbi J. Rolando Matalon Marilyn Kleinberg Neimark Donna Nevel Kathleen Peratis Letty Cottin Pogrebin Bertrand B. Pogrebin Michael Ratner Anne Roiphe Betty Rollin Al Ruben Marlene Sanders James Schamus Dan Silverman Beverly Solochek Carla Singer Rabbi Felicia Sol Alisa Solomon Gloria Steinem Herbert Teitelbaum Rebecca Vilkomerson Rabbi Burton Visotzky Peter Weiss Jack Willis Eugenia Zukerman   [Adam Horowitz is Co-Editor of Mondoweiss.net ]

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