Betsy Berns Korn and William Daroff, chair and CEO respectively of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said on Friday that they are “deeply concerned” by the car ramming and shooting attack on a Reform temple in Michigan the prior day.
“We are grateful to law enforcement and security personnel for their swift response, and we pray for the safety and well-being of all those who were inside suburban Detroit’s Temple Israel at the time of the attack,” stated the leaders of the umbrella group, which represents 50 national Jewish organizations.
“Jewish communities must be able to gather, pray and live in safety and without fear,” they said. “An attack on a synagogue is an assault on the fundamental right to religious freedom and on the ability of Jews to practice their faith openly and securely.”
Two added that they are “reminded once again that rhetoric matters.”
“With slogans such as ‘globalize the intifada,’ or other language that demonizes or threatens Jews, are allowed to circulate unchecked, words carry consequences and can help fuel the climate that endangers Jewish communities,” they said. “We stand in true solidarity with the congregation and the Michigan Jewish community.”
Zohran Mamdani, the mayor of New York City who has said he would have the Israeli prime minister arrested in the Big Apple, is one of the most prominent politicians who has declined to decry the phrase “from the river to the sea” and other statements, which Jewish organizations say calls for antisemitic violence.
The 50 members of the umbrella group have responded differently to Mamdani’s mayorship, with some decrying the mayor’s policies publicly and others responding with silence. On rarer occasions than its statements from its two leaders, the Conference of Presidents releases statements that are signed by all of its members.
