Yechiel Leiter, Israeli ambassador to the United States, sent a sharply worded letter to several American Jewish groups that coordinated with Spain on an exhibit of Jewish life under Muslim rule in medieval Spain.

The traveling exhibit, called “The Golden Age of the Jews of Al-Andalus,” showcases the contributions of Jews to Spanish society during that period. The Spanish Embassy in Washington hosted the exhibit Wednesday.

The ambassador’s letter, obtained by the Times of Israel, excoriated the groups for working with a government that he said is spreading libelous disinformation about Israel and under whose jurisdiction antisemitism rose by 567% from 2022 to 2024.

The letter was addressed to the World Jewish Congress, the American Sephardi Federation and the Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America and represented a rare criticism from an Israeli official directed at pro-Israel groups.

“As the ambassador of the State of Israel, the nation-state of the Jewish people, I found your partnership in this event both surprising and deeply disappointing given the Spanish government’s ongoing and aggressive campaign against the State of Israel and, increasingly, against the Jewish people more broadly,” Leiter wrote.

“In recent years, Spain’s leadership … has repeatedly promoted deeply hostile rhetoric toward Israel. They have leveled the libelous charges of genocide, ethnic cleansing, and starvation, against the Jewish state, while publicly calling for Israeli officials to face international prosecution,” he said.

“Against this backdrop, participation in such an event risks lending legitimacy to a government that is actively working to isolate and vilify the world’s only Jewish state,” he added.

“I have no doubt that the rise of antisemitism is also of deep concern to you, and it is
precisely for that reason that I am writing to you. At this critical time in Israel’s history, the Jewish
people must stand shoulder to shoulder. We all bear a responsibility to speak clearly and
unapologetically against campaigns aimed at delegitimizing Israel and Jewish people,” he concluded.

The Jewish groups pushed back, expressing disappointment with Leiter’s tone and saying that disengagement is not the solution. The WJC also expressed a willingness to meet with Leiter to discuss the matter further.

“We were somewhat surprised by both the tone and framing of your message, particularly given the longstanding and constructive relationship between the World Jewish Congress and Israeli institutions and embassies around the world,” the WJC said in a letter also obtained by the Times of Israel.

“At a time of widespread ignorance about Jewish history and identity, such initiatives are very necessary,” the group explained. “We are fully aware of the difficult environment currently facing Jewish communities in Spain, including rising antisemitism and deeply concerning rhetoric by members of the Spanish government toward Israel,” the response read.

“We have a duty to protect and strengthen Jewish life wherever it exists,” the letter added. “That requires maintaining dialogue with institutions and interlocutors willing to contribute meaningfully to Jewish life, Jewish visibility, and the fight against antisemitism in their respective countries.”