The American Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists (AAJLJ) has received expressions of concern from many of our members regarding the normalization of antisemitism in New York. This normalization is occurring at all levels, and in both public and private organizations.

Recently, mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdami voiced his support for using the phrase “Globalize the Intifada.” The Intifadas were a decades-long string of terrorist attacks targeting Jewish Israelis. A call to globalize these attacks – which claimed the lives of hundreds of Jewish men, women, and children – is a call to terrorize and murder Jews worldwide. Attempts to sanitize the phrase as merely referring to a generic “struggle” must be categorically rejected.

Our Jewish members – who already face harassment, discrimination, and hostility in their workplaces, and have seen an increase in antisemitic hate crimes – are rightly concerned that this level of Jew hatred not be excused or justified.

The AAJLJ is actively monitoring these developments. We recently hosted an event with New York Representative Dan Goldman, Co-Chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism. On July 10, 2025, we will hear from Harmeet Dhillon, head of Civil Rights at the DOJ at our event “Enforcing Justice: America’s Legal Response to Antisemitism,” https://lnkd.in/eVVZHxad.

We want to assure our members that, as the national Jewish bar association, the AAJLJ is dedicated to protecting the interests and safety of the Jewish community no matter the outcome of the political process. This is yet another challenge that we, as Jews, have faced in many jurisdictions throughout history. We know that through our collective efforts, we will prevail over current adversities.

Together, we will navigate these challenges and work toward an America where antisemitism is unequivocally condemned, and the Jewish community thrives.