Face Down - Chronicle Online/The WORD 06/26/2025

Weekly On-line Rabbi's D'var-Torah

June 26, 2025

30 Sivan 5785

Parashat Korach

Zohran Mamdani, who just won the Democratic nomination for mayor of NYC, is being celebrated in some corners as a breath of fresh air who has challenged the political establishment.  After all, it’s not every day that a 33-year-old with little managerial experience gets this close to the mayor’s office of one of the world’s most important cities.

When I heard the news, though, my response was a little different.  His age and inexperience don’t matter much to me.  I don’t care where he was born or what religion he practices.  Since I don’t live in New York City, I haven’t given his policy positions much thought.  However, it troubles me greatly that the man who is likely to be the next mayor of the American city with the largest Jewish population thinks that “globalizing the intifada” is a noble pursuit.  Andrew Cuomo’s sexism was (rightly!) disqualifying, but Mamdani’s approval of violence against Jews seems to be okay.

It should be clear by now that no matter what the word “intifada” may have once meant and no matter what it may literally mean according to a dictionary, it is now a call to violence against Jews.  The First Intifada certainly included some acts of violence and terrorism.  However, it was the Second Intifada starting in the year 2000 that introduced suicide bombings leading to the deaths of over 1,000 Israelis.

After three of the most recent antisemitic attacks in this country – the firebombing of Gov. Josh Shapiro’s residence, the murders of two participants leaving an AJC event in Washington DC and the Molotov cocktail attack on Jews in Boulder – the perpetrators ALL called out "Free Palestine." THAT is what "globalizing the intifada" looks like. 

It shouldn't be that hard to call out that phrase for what it is – a call to violence against Jews. And yet, Mr. Mamdani couldn’t do it.  Despite that (maybe because of that?), over 430,000 people voted for Mr. Mamdani in the mayoral primary – over 43% of the votes in a crowded field.

I wish I were shocked, but the last 18 months have prepared me for anything when it comes to antisemitism – even in the Jewiest city in America.

The main storyline of this week’s Torah portion is Moshe’s authority being challenged by his cousin Korach.  Korach and his followers confronted Moshe saying, “You have gone too far!” (See Numbers 16).  Moshe’s response was simply to fall on the ground face-down. 

Commentators disagree about what that gesture meant.  Was it dismay?  Was it fear of God’s reaction?  Was it exhaustion from the behavior of the Israelites in the wilderness?  No one really knows.

But, I think I know how Moshe must have felt.  When people whom I like and admire, whom I think of as intelligent can’t see things that are so obvious to me, I feel like falling face down on the ground.

In addition to the Mamdani situation, this past week, I’ve heard smart people say that Israel was the aggressor and attacked Iran – ignoring the six proxies that Iran has funded to attack Israel relentlessly over the years and the fact that Iran directly attacked Israel first with a drone attack in April 2024.  People just assume that Israel is the “bad guy.”

I’ve also heard thoughtful people express that it was a Jewish conspiracy that forced President Trump to bomb Iran.  There are STILL people who think that Jews secretly run the world.   They may not express in quite that way, but they think that Jews have too much influence on world affairs.  It’s enough to make you fall on the ground face down.

Moshe was ultimately able to prove his naysayers wrong. I can only hope that Jews in the year 2025 can similarly rebut the antisemitism that has become all too common.

Shalom,

RAF.