When a self-described Zionist organization stops acting like one
T’ruah calls itself a Zionist organization. Yet its recent actions, increasingly legitimizing individuals, organizations and ideas that reject Zionism and deny the legitimacy of Israel’s continued existence as a Jewish state suggest otherwise.As leading rabbis of the Zionist Rabbinic Coalition, an independent network of more than 2,000 North American rabbis spanning all denominational movements, we are deeply concerned about this contradiction. T’ruah says that it is “committed to the State of Israel’s (Medinat Yisrael’s) future as a Jewish and democratic state side by side with Palestine.” We welcome that declaration. But an organization is ultimately defined by its choices and actions, not its mission statement.The decisions T’ruah has made in recent months are concerning, and they are not isolated lapses in judgment. They reflect a broader pattern that is becoming impossible to reconcile with the group’s stated identity.As rabbis, we recognize that political disagreement within the Jewish community is both…
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.
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