A synagogue in the capital of Vermont co-sponsored a fundraiser last Sunday for Mohsen Mahdawi, a former Columbia University anti-Israel activist who has voiced sympathy for Hamas, drawing sharp criticism from some congregants. 

The event took place at Unitarian Church of Montpelier, which co-sponsored it with Beth Jacob Synagogue, according to a flyer posted on the synagogue’s website and distributed to all members. The congregation is unaffiliated with a denomination.

Some synagogue members reportedly pushed back against the fundraiser before it took place.

The synagogue’s board of directors declined to comment to Jewish Insider.

In a statement to JI, the Jewish Communities of Vermont said the “questions surrounding Mohsen Mahdawi, including statements and actions attributed to him, have raised concerns deserving serious and rigorous consideration and prompted strong, deeply felt disagreements. We recognize that the pain is acute.”

“At the same time, a Jewish community intending to practice tikkun olam by creating space for engagement with a specific focus does not necessarily constitute endorsement of everything that person has said or believes.”

In a separate statement, Beth Liberman, executive director of Jewish Communities of Vermont and former director of education at Beth Jacob, said she believes the synagogue “acted from a genuine desire to raise awareness and support for a struggle that has larger implications in the Vermont community and nationally.”

“I also have grave concerns about statements attributed to Mohsen Mahdawi and what that means for the Jewish community, especially at a time of tremendous pain and fear,” Liberman told JI. “Holding these truths together is an uncomfortable but necessary challenge: honoring good intentions without ignoring consequences and staying in a relationship even through profound disagreement.”      

Mahdawi has been characterized by the Department of Homeland Security as a “ringleader” in anti-Israel protests at Columbia. It accused him of using “threatening rhetoric and intimidation” against Jewish students before graduating last year. He has not been charged with a crime.

In a “60 Minutes” interview in December 2023, Mahdawi said he could “empathize” with Hamas and its Oct. 7, 2023, attacks. “To empathize is to understand the root cause and to not look at any event or situation in a vacuum. This is for me that path moving forward,” he said. 

Mahdawi, a 34-year-old green card holder born and raised in the West Bank, was arrested and detained by federal immigration officers in April 2025 after he appeared at a U.S. citizenship interview in Vermont, where he resides.

Last month, a federal appeals court reversed a decision that had released Mahdawi from Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention on bail last year. The ruling does not require Mahdawi to return to a detention center, but he is potentially at risk for rearrest.

The event flyer said donations will directly go to Mahdawi’s legal aid.

Several of the event’s other speakers have also been critical of Israel, including Georgetown Law professor David Cole, who last year spoke before the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in defense of First Amendment speech that “many of us find wrongheaded or deeply offensive, including anti-Israel advocacy and even antisemitic advocacy”; and Rabbi Shaul Magid, a scholar of Jewish thought who has argued that Zionism prevents full equality for all of Israel’s citizens.