Three dozen former leaders of prominent American Jewish organizations have signed a letter calling on the groups they once led to “resist the exploitation of Jewish fears.”
The letter, which was published as a full-page ad on Thursday in The New York Times, included signatures from past chairs and CEOs of some of the largest Jewish organizations, including the Anti-Defamation League, the Jewish Agency for Israel, the American Jewish Committee, Hillel International, the Jewish Federations of North America and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.
“With few exceptions, major Jewish organizations have been far too silent about the stunning assault on democratic norms and the rule of law,” the letter read. “While modest declarations of ‘respecting the rule of law’ and similar phrases have been included in multiple organizational statements, we believe the present moment requires far more.”
'Freedom of speech and the press'
The letter added, “We urge Jewish leadership to forcefully and publicly reaffirm the historic and continuing commitment of the American Jewish community to academic freedom, to the rule of law, to ensure due process to anyone accused of breaking the law, to freedom of speech and the press.”
Some liberal and centrist American Jewish groups — including the rabbinical associations of the Reform and Conservative movements — have condemned the Trump administration’s recent crackdown on campus antisemitism, which has included billions of dollars in funding cuts and arrests of campus pro-Palestinian protesters.
Others have aired more guarded criticism. Last month, Hillel CEO Adam Lehman expressed “concern” over planned deportations and federal funding freezes.
The former CEO of Hillel International, Wayne L. Firestone, and its former chair, Randall Kaplan, signed the letter urging more action. The list of signatories also included:
- Charles Ratner, former board chair of the Jewish Agency for Israel
- Seymour D. Reich, former chair of the Conference of Presidents
- Alisa Doctoroff, former board chair of the Jim Joseph Foundation
- John Ruskay, former CEO of UJA-Federation of New York
- Robert Sugarman, former ADL national chair
- Ruth Messinger, former Manhattan borough president and American Jewish World Service CEO
The letter also included signatures from past leaders of local Jewish Federations in cities including Los Angeles, San Francisco and Miami.