Americans For A Safe Israel Backs UK Chief Rabbi’s Call to Outlaw “Death to the IDF” Chants Urges Similar Action in the United States

NEW YORK (July 6, 2026 )— Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI) expressed its strong support for UK Chief Rabbi Sir Ephraim Mirvis following his recent statements at the Religion Media Festival in London. AFSI is calling on American lawmakers to follow the Chief Rabbi’s lead and pass legislation that makes chanting “death to the IDF” a criminal offense in the United States.

In his remarks, Chief Rabbi Mirvis explained that chanting “death to the IDF” (Israel Defense Forces) is not just political speech, but a direct “call to kill” millions of Jewish people. He argued that because the IDF exists to protect the people of Israel from destruction, calling for its elimination directly incites hatred and violence against Jews.

Chief Rabbi Mirvis

AFSI completely agrees with Chief Rabbi Mirvis’s message and believes that similar actions must be taken in the U.S. to protect American citizens and others in the U.S. who have served in the Israeli military. Calls for “death to the IDF” are designed to provoke mass murder and elicit support for Hamas. This is not a question of “offensive” or “inflammatory” speech, and these words should not be protected political expression. Chanting “death to the IDF” is clearly direct incitement to violence. Americans have witnessed violent attacks on visible Jews and Israelis increase to these acts being nearly daily.

“Chief Rabbi Mirvis is exactly right,” stated Moshe Phillips, chairman of Americans For A Safe Israel (AFSI). “Phrases like ‘death to the IDF’ are not part of legitimate protest. These are dangerous threats that incite violence against Jewish people worldwide. That these hateful chants are being used by pro-violence extremists on American college campuses and at anti-Israel protests is unacceptable in today’s hostile environment. It is time for the United States to change its legal approach and make these dangerous calls for deadly violence illegal.”