Press Releases

The Rabbinical Alliance of America/Igud HaRabbonim—representing over 950 American rabbis— commends President Joe Biden on the unveiling of a comprehensive national plan to fight antisemitism. This plan, referred to as the “whole of society” approach, is hailed by the President as the most ambitious and comprehensive effort led by the US government in the history of combating antisemitism in America. [...Click headline above for more...] 

The Rabbinical Alliance of America—Igud HaRabbonim, representing over 950 American rabbis—applauds Assembly Members Daniel Rosenthal (D-Qns.) and Nily Rozic (D-Qns.) for leading the charge at the New York State Assembly in protecting Israel from the woke socialist left.
Unfortunately, a great travesty has occurred. Some New York State politicians have adopted sharply anti-Israel and anti-Semitic positions. Recently, Democratic Socialist lawmakers Jabari Brisport (D-B’klyn) and Zohran Mamdani (D-Qns.) proposed legislation that would punish New York-based charities that engage in “unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity.”
These lawmakers have introduced the “Not on Our Dime!: Ending New York Funding of Israeli Settler Violence Act” — legislation aimed at barring New York-based charitable groups from engaging in “unauthorized support of Israeli settlement activity.” The proposed legislation would give the state attorney general the authority to revoke a charity’s tax-exempt status if it is involved in aiding the expansion of Israeli settlements. This proposed legislation follows recent skirmishes in which Israel defended its civilian population from terrorists in the Gaza strip who relentlessly and mercilessly have engaged in shelling Israel with rockets.
In a memo in support of their bill, Assemblyman Mamdani and Senator Brisport shockingly said, “these settlements play an important role in entrenching Israel’s apartheid rule over millions of Palestinians who are forced to live in enclaves surrounded by checkpoints and with a separate set of rules and rights based on their ethnicity.” Brisport and Mamdani were blatant in their anti-Semitic tropes when they claimed that these organizations “masquerade as charities” and “funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to ethnic cleansing.”
“Many of those who lead the settlement enterprise, including its most harmful and radical elements, are actually funded by organizations here in New York State. Although they are in direct violation of international and human rights law, the organizations masquerade as charities. This allows them to funnel hundreds of millions of dollars to ethnic cleansing while enjoying tax-exempt status in New York, meaning that New York State is effectively subsidizing these atrocities,” the lawmakers said.
However, to date approximately 70 members of the Assembly — including Speaker Carl Heastie — have signed on in support of Israel, thanks to the efforts spearheaded by Assembly Members Daniel Rosenthal and Nily Rozic. These pro-Israel lawmakers drew a line and made it crystal clear that this draconian proposed bill would, if approved, punish charitable Jewish organizations that provide aid to the needy and emergency care for victims of terrorism. [...Click headline above for more...] 

The Rabbinical Alliance of America—Igud HaRabbonim, representing over 950 American rabbis—applauds New York City Mayor Eric Adams for his support of the Yeshiva education system. In a speech to the Teach NYS Annual Dinner on May 11, 2023, Mayor Adams offered enthusiastic support for the yeshiva system that is under attack from some political corners. Mayor Adams acknowledged the important contributions of yeshiva education to New York City. He said that now, more than ever, New York City needs people imbued with faith and values, which the Yeshiva system successfully instills in its graduates. In fact, added Mayor Adams, New York public schools should learn from yeshivas how to educate the whole student. [...Click headline above for more...] 

The Rabbinical Alliance of America—Igud HaRabbonim, representing over 950 American rabbis—condemns the rash of terror in Israel that occurred this past weekend, described by many security experts as one of the deadliest attacks on Israelis in years. The attacks were not just deadly but sacrilegious, attacking innocent people at a place of worship on the holiest day of the week. [...Click headline above for more...] 

The Rabbinical Alliance of America — Igud HaRabbonim, representing over 950 American rabbis — applauds Gov. Kathy Hochul who vetoed on December 23 the Community Preservation Fund for the Town of Chester Bill (NY State Senate Bill S1810A). On its face, the bill innocently appears to authorize the town of Chester to establish community preservation funds. In actuality, this bill was a ploy to prevent the Hasidic and Orthodox population from developing legitimate housing for its communities needs. [...Click headline above for more...] 

The Rabbinical Alliance of America — Igud HaRabbonim, representing over 950 American rabbis — encourages Jews to take heart from the Chanukah menorah and stand proud as a Jew in the face of antisemitic oppression. The rising trend of antisemitism has rightly caused alarm among many Jews. We live in a time in which someone may be attacked on the street simply for looking like a Jew. Some might react by hiding their Jewish identity. This reasonable response will only make things worse. We must confront antisemitism both directly and indirectly. [...Click headline above for more...]