New York, NY, October 17, 2023 – New York City Mayor Eric Adams delivered a landmark speech on America and Israel’s response to the Hamas terror attack. The following statement is attributable to Jack Rosen, President of the American Jewish Congress, and Daniel Rosen, Vice Chair:
“The chief executive of New York City, America’s largest city and the world’s financial hub, has delivered an important message: It is time to end Hamas’ reign of terror in Gaza. There is no going back on this. The world, and America’s partners and friends, must join this fight.
Mayor Adams captured this message in a four-word sentence that he repeated in his speech: “We Are Not Alright.” We join him in endorsing this message: All is not alright after the Oct. 7 attack, and there cannot be business as usual.
For those out there who doubt America’s unity in adversity, and our determination to punish those responsible for the Oct. 7 attack, they should listen to Eric Adams and what he represents.
America’s largest city reflects both our nation’s diversity and our determination to be united when facing adversity. Make no mistake: We faced 9/11 and rallied America in a united response to international terrorism. We are united again, after Oct. 7.
In Adams words: “We are not alright. We are not alright when we see young girls pulled from their homes and dragged through the streets. We are not alright when we see grandmothers pulled from their homes and children shot in front of their families. We are not going to say we have a stiff upper lip and act like everything is fine. Everything is not fine. Israel has the right to defend itself. Your fight is our fight.”
This is a powerful entreaty for moral clarity at a difficult time in international diplomacy. We believe these words are a true representation of American unity in support of Israel. We should treat this as a historic speech by an American politician, an African-American leader, and a New York City mayor, whose words reflect American unity in response to the Oct. 7 terror attack.
This clarity on the attack on Israel transcends American politics to provide international leadership at a time when the world is vexed by misleading narratives on what is happening in the Middle East, narratives that seek to sow confusion and obscure what should never be in dispute: our humanity.
The American Jewish Congress strongly endorses Mayor Adams’ appeal to the world to decisively confront the hate and bloodshed that Hamas has unleashed on Israeli and American citizens and on the people of Gaza who endure a war imposed by this terror group. The world and our partners need to know that Hamas and whoever supports or sympathizes with it – are not just dealing with an angry Israel, but also with an angry America.
Israel is not alone in this fight. This was an attack on more than thirty nations whose citizens are either traumatized, injured, kidnapped, or dead. All is not alright, until the perpetrators of Oct. 7 carnage face justice.”
