By Rabbi Reuven H. Taff, JNS
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove used his Shabbat sermon to make clear the danger that mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani poses to the community.
Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove, the senior rabbi of Park Avenue Synagogue on New York City’s Upper East Side, delivered one of the most important and courageous sermons last Shabbat. The first 20 seconds alone were extraordinary. He began:
“To be clear, unequivocal and on the record, I believe Zohran Mamdani poses a danger to the security of the New York Jewish community.”
It’s hard to overstate the power of those words. In a time when too many remain silent in the face of antisemitism, especially when it comes wrapped in political language, Cosgrove spoke with moral clarity and uncommon courage.
As I listened to the rabbi’s words, I thought about my 25 years as a pulpit rabbi. I always tried to steer clear of politics. Before I was ordained, I recall one of my teachers half-jokingly advising me: “Reuven, if you ever find yourself in the position of a congregational rabbi, stay away from two subjects: politics and religion.”
There was truth in that advice. People come to synagogue to be inspired, to find comfort and meaning and to be uplifted by words of Torah, not to be lectured about elections or campaigns. They long for perspective, hope and spiritual nourishment. For much of my rabbinic career, I took that guidance to heart.
But there are rare moments when a rabbi must set aside caution and speak with moral urgency. And Cosgrove did just that. He gave voice to the unease and indignation felt by so many in the Jewish community who have watched with dismay as Mamdani’s antisemitic rhetoric has become normalized. He reminded his congregation, and by extension, all of us, that the role of the rabbi is not merely to comfort the afflicted, but to afflict the comfortable.
I addressed this very concern in an earlier JNS piece, “Rabbis for Mamdani? Distressing, divisive and downright dangerous.” In that essay, I wrote that the fact that seven New York City rabbis have endorsed Mamdani was not just misguided, but deeply troubling and morally reprehensible:
“This isn’t about ‘litmus tests,’ nor is it about silencing criticism of Israel. It is about recognizing that when rabbis or Jewish communal leaders align themselves with those who deny Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, who excuse or minimize antisemitic rhetoric or who celebrate movements that call for its destruction, when they support such a candidate for public office, it is not a moral act. It is moral negligence, and it carries a cost we cannot afford. It threatens the very fabric of our community.”
In an era when far too many shy away from calling out Jew-hatred, especially when it masquerades as criticism of Israel, Cosgrove’s words are not only courageous but essential. He models what it means to be a moral leader—to confront hate clearly, to defend the Jewish community without compromise, and to speak truth to power with integrity and conviction.
Early voting in New York begins on Oct. 25. Election Day is on Nov. 4. Cosgrove has sounded the alarm. New York Jews must heed his warning and act. Not a single member of its community should empower a candidate whose words and actions fuel hatred of Jews.
I pray that all voters will see through the rhetoric, reject Mamdani and send an unmistakable message that antisemitism will not be tolerated in the city with the largest Jewish population in the world outside of Israel.
