Outrage After Rabbi Disinvited from MLK Day Celebration

A San Diego rabbi says he was quietly pushed out of a major Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration. His alleged offense? Supporting Israel at a time when tensions over the Middle East have sharply divided American institutions.

Rabbi Hanan Leberman of Tifereth Israel Synagogue posted a letter on Instagram exposing what he called a “deep disappointment and a troubling message.” He said event organizers abruptly canceled his role delivering the closing prayer at the All Peoples Celebration in Balboa Park.

“This message I intended to share is fully aligned with Dr. King’s teachings,” Leberman wrote. “I will not apologize for supporting Israel. I will not apologize for preaching unity. Those things should never be in conflict.”

The rabbi said he accepted the invitation knowing the stage would include activists and speakers from across the political spectrum. He insisted that this was the point of honoring King’s legacy.

“Dr. King taught us to sit with people we disagree with,” he added. “That’s how we build bridges. That’s how we grow. That’s how we honor his dream.”

Event organizers at Alliance San Diego did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Their silence only intensified accusations that the organization caved to pressure from anti-Israel activists — a controversy that has grown nationwide as protests, boycotts, and campus unrest escalated throughout President Trump’s second term.

A longtime community volunteer who requested anonymity told us, “People are scared to say it out loud, but this is part of a larger trend. Jewish voices are being pushed out if they don’t fit a very specific political script.”

The move raised eyebrows given Dr. King’s well-documented support for Israel. In a 1967 speech, King famously said, “Israel’s right to exist as a state is incontestable.” Historians note that King worked alongside Jewish leaders during the civil rights movement and rejected attempts to pit the Black and Jewish communities against each other.

Alliance San Diego later posted a short Facebook statement saying Leberman was “welcome to attend,” but acknowledged he declined. The post did not explain why he was removed from the program after initially being invited.

Critics called the statement evasive. One local resident commented, “They didn’t answer the question. They didn’t deny it. They just tried to smooth it over.”

The group brands itself as a champion for “inclusive democracy.” Yet the keynote speaker for this year’s event was B.A. Parker, co-host of NPR’s Code Switch, a program known for progressive analysis of race and identity. The theme of the celebration — “Choose Courage” — struck many observers as ironic given the quiet removal of a rabbi who planned to preach unity.

Just days before the event, Alliance San Diego’s advancement director Miesha Rice urged the public to stand together. “Any attack on one is an attack on us all,” she told KPBS.

Rabbi Leberman’s supporters say his removal proves the opposite.

A father of three who attends Leberman’s synagogue said, “If they can disinvite a rabbi on MLK Day because he supports Israel, then the message is clear. Some voices matter. Some don’t.”

A growing number of local leaders are calling for transparency, saying the public deserves to know whether political pressure played a role.

“This shouldn’t happen in America, especially not when the president has repeatedly stressed his commitment to protecting Jewish Americans,” said community organizer Daniel Reiss. “If unity events aren’t actually unifying, people will notice.”

For now, Rabbi Leberman says he will continue preaching the same message he prepared for the event.

“Light only grows when people dare to speak it,” he said. “I will always show up for unity, even when others choose otherwise.”