When a self-described Zionist organization stops acting like one

The Zionist Rabbinic Coalition has expressed deep concern regarding T’ruah’s recent actions, questioning whether the self-described Zionist organization still upholds Jewish national self-determination and Israel’s existence as a Jewish state. The coalition, representing over 2,000 North American rabbis, argues that T’ruah’s choices increasingly legitimize individuals and ideas that reject Zionism. They cite several examples:

• T’ruah CEO Rabbi Jill Jacobs opposed Israeli President Isaac Herzog speaking at the Jewish Theological Seminary.
• T’ruah featured New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a prominent opponent of Israel’s existence, at its annual gala. Rabbis David-Seth Kirshner, Erez Sherman, and Neil Zuckerman noted, “There is something profoundly revealing about a moral framework that seeks to deny a platform to the president of the Jewish state while enthusiastically offering one to a politician openly hostile to its existence.”
• The organization presented its Raphael Lemkin Human Rights Award to Gili Getz, who has publicly accused Israel of genocide and apartheid.
• T’ruah has hired national rabbinic organizers and partnered with organizations that identify as anti-Zionist or anti-nationalist.

The coalition urges T’ruah to unequivocally reaffirm the Jewish people’s right to national self-determination, cease elevating anti-Zionist figures, and distinguish between criticism of Israel and repudiation of Zionism.