Chicago mayor donned keffiyeh for Arab Heritage Month event, sparking outcry from Jewish groups

Chicago Mayor dons keffiyeh, sparks Jewish outrage

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson faced harsh criticism from the city's Jewish community after wearing a keffiyeh to a public event last week commemorating Arab Heritage Month. "Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson appropriately commemorated Arab Heritage Month this week. Arab Heritage should be honored and celebrated," Rabbi Ari Hart from the local Jewish community wrote, "but would it not be possible to commemorate Arab Heritage without wearing the symbo…

Chicago mayor donned keffiyeh for Arab Heritage Month event, sparking outcry from Jewish groups

(JTA) — Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson came under fire from local Jewish leaders after he wore a keffiyeh, or a traditional Palestinian headscarf, to a public event this week. The Chicago chapter of the Council on American–Islamic Relations posted a picture of Johnson with its executive director, Ahmed Rehab, at an event to mark Arab Heritage Month. In it, Johnson, who was elected in 2023, is wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh. “Chicago Mayor Bra…

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson wore the controversial item of clothing at an event to mark Arab Heritage Month • Local Jewish community leaders attacked: "This is important at a time of historic anti-Semitic threat levels"

Mayor Brandon Johnson’s gesture during the Arab Heritage Month sparks criticism from Jewish organizations, which see in the kufiya a symbol of hatred after the attacks of October 7. Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson was harshly criticized by Jewish leaders and organizations after appearing publicly using a kufiya – the traditional Palestinian handkerchief – during an event commemorating the Arab Heritage Month. The controversy sparked after the loca…

Chicago Mayor Under Fire for Wearing Keffiyeh

The Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) slammed Johnson’s insensitivity towards Chicago’s Jewish community.