Jewish activists slam left-wing ‘Shabbat dinner’ starring antisemite

A $5,000-a-seat dinner featuring Linda Sarsour sparked outrage among Jewish advocates.

By World Israel News Staff

Jewish activists are speaking out against a left-wing New York City event billed as a Shabbat dinner that featured Linda Sarsour, a prominent anti-Israel activist who has made numerous antisemitic statements and expressed admiration for Louis Farrakhan, who has referred to Jews as “cockroaches.”

The high-profile event, organized by climate advocacy group Climate Defiance, reportedly charged $5,000 per person and was held in the format of a “traditional Shabbat meal.”

Promotional materials described the gathering as a “no phones, no cameras, no tech” event and claimed that people of all “faiths, backgrounds, and traditions” were welcome to attend.

Critics, however, argued that the event’s true purpose had little to do with the weekly Jewish tradition.

Speaking to the New York Post, Michelle Ahdoot, director of programming at the End Jew Hatred advocacy group, criticized organizers for using the framework of a Shabbat dinner.

“Rather than ‘Shabbat dinner,’ this is nothing more than a ‘Jew-hater dinner,’” Ahdoot said.

“These very same people advocate for the racist BDS movement, which is unacceptable in today’s society, and frankly, this foursome’s Jew-hatred is unacceptable at any event, most of all at one that they dare to frame as a Shabbat dinner,” she added.

Jewish activist Tali Goldsheft of the Politically Homeless No More movement also questioned the secrecy surrounding the event.

“Why is this being done in secrecy? What is it that you’re going to say that needs to be hidden from the public? Knowing who the players are, this feels like it’s using Shabbat as a cover,” Goldsheft told the Post.

Goldsheft also criticized former New York City Comptroller Brad Lander, who is Jewish, for participating in the gathering.

Lander was “using a Jewish tradition to promote himself alongside” Sarsour, whom Goldsheft described as a “bigot and social pariah” comparable to avowed white supremacist David Duke, Goldsheft said.