Prominent DC Synagogue Accused of Caving to Anti-Israel Protesters by Canceling Gallant Speech

A prominent synagogue in Washington, D.C., is facing accusations from the Jewish community that it caved to anti-Israel activists by canceling an event with former Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant.

Adas Israel, whose members have included Supreme Court justice Elena Kagan and the late justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, called off the event just one day before it was set to take place on Monday night. Anti-Israel activists, who had threatened to demonstrate outside the synagogue, took credit for the cancellation. Organizers said, however, that security concerns, not political pressure, prompted the decision.

Anti-Israel activists have called for Gallant to be arrested for "war crimes" due to his role in overseeing Israel’s war against Hamas.

News of the cancellation drew outrage from the Jewish community and fueled criticism that the influential D.C. synagogue has become a platform for left-leaning politics. Earlier this year, Adas Israel came under fire after its rabbi claimed that Jewish people "need to elect Vice President Kamala Harris" in order to comply with "sacred texts."

Michael Oren, Israel’s former ambassador to the United States and a former member of Adas Israel, said he was "appalled" by the news of Gallant’s cancellation, adding that the "Adas leadership should be deeply ashamed of this ungrateful decision."

A spokesman for Adas Israel declined to comment, but forwarded the Washington Free Beacon an email the synagogue sent to congregants on Sunday that said the cancellation was due to "specific security concerns that arose in connection with this event."

"Contrary to speculation, this decision was not based on the event’s subject matter," the email said.

Robert Satloff, executive director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP) and an organizer of the event, said on X the cancellation was driven by "real and legitimate security concerns" and said allegations of political pressure were "false and malicious." Gallant’s appearance was moved to WINEP’s office, according to the Forward. Satloff did not respond to a request for comment.

Gallant's spokesperson also said the cancellation was due to security threats, according to the Jewish Insider.

Anti-Israel activists took credit for the decision in an article in the Forward. One Adas Israel congregant, Benjamin Temchine, told the paper that he lobbied against the event in a meeting with the synagogue’s rabbis last Friday and said at least 10 other members had also complained.

IfNotNow, an anti-Israel group, said it had planned protests outside the synagogue during Gallant’s appearance. One of the group’s leaders told the Forward that the cancellation showed that the "center of gravity within the mainstream Jewish community" is shifting against Israel.

"A conservative faction in the shul thought they could host this event with Yoav Gallant, but the internal pushback was so intense that just wasn’t possible," the IfNotNow organizer said.

In August, Adas Israel faced backlash from its members after one of its senior leaders, Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt, claimed that Jewish religious scripture required Jews to support Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris, the Free Beacon reported.

Angry congregants slammed the synagogue leadership’s left-wing advocacy as "borderline insufferable" and said it left them "dreading the upcoming high holidays."

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