A New York bookshop has blamed a staff member for cancelling the launch of a new book exploring American Jewish identity just an hour before the scheduled event, and telling the author that they “would not permit a Zionist on the premises.”

The launch event for Joshua Leifer’s book Tablets Shattered: The End of an American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life was set to feature a conversation between the author and local rabbi Andy Bachman, but on Tuesday Leifer shared that powerHouse Books an independent bookshop in Brooklyn, had abruptly cancelled it.

Leifer, a journalist, said in a post on Twitter: “Less than an hour before the launch of my book Tablets Shattered, a conversation with Rabbi Andy Bachman, powerHouse Books in Brooklyn told me they are unwilling to host the conversation with Andy because they would not permit a Zionist on the premises.”

Publisher and founder of powerHouse Books, Daniel Power, told the JC a “sub staffer” who was scheduled to run the event while the shop’s events coordinator is away decided “for reasons unknown to us” to Google the moderator, prompting her “to express reservations of some sort.”

“It was not her place to do so and she was reprimanded last night for doing so, but her assertion is that the questioning of choice of moderator caused the publicist, not us, to cancel the event on very short notice,” Power said. “I am independently trying to ascertain this from the Penguin Random House publicist.”

Author Joshua Leifer stands outside the powerHouse Books shop in Dumbo, Brooklyn NYC following the cancellation of his book launch with Rabbi Andy Bachman. (Photo: Joni Kletter via X)

In response to the event’s cancellation, Leifer said on Twitter: “I wrote this book to explore debates within American Jewish life, which of course includes many people who identify as Zionists. My biggest worry was about synagogues not wanting to host me. I didn’t think it would be bookstores in Brooklyn that would be closing their doors.”

The author also shared a photo, of a sign posted in the window of the bookshop, which said: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, tonight’s event is cancelled.”

In a post shared on Facebook, Rabbi Bachman wrote that he arrived at the bookshop early to find out that the event had been cancelled, at which point he called Leifer: “When I spoke to Josh, who was on his way to the event with his family, he said the store told him that they cancelled the event because I was a Zionist,” Bachman wrote. He added that once Leifer arrived, he spoke to the shopkeepers for several minutes, but they refused to change their position.

“This rank and delusional antisemitism is outrageous,” Bachman wrote. “What we are now seeing is nothing short of Stalinist or Maoist thinking; a moral flattening of the political sphere; a social movement predicated on loyalty and purity tests that at this point can only tolerate, at best, one kind of Jew.

Rabbi Andy Bachman and writer Joshua Leifer stand outside the Brooklyn bookstore where the launch of Leifer's new book was scheduled to occur. (Photo: Joni Kletter via X)

“It's disgusting, it's antisemitic and if the owners of powerHouse Books had any courage, they'd fire the dopes who cancelled last night's event.”

Bachman added: “Our planned conversation last night was exactly the kind of conversation and dialogue our world needs: one based in discourse, disagreement, civility, and shared human values.”

Former NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio responded to the incident on Twitter, writing: “Shouldn’t a bookstore in NYC be a place committed to hearing all voices? Aren’t the right-wing the ones who ban books, not us?”

New York Congressman Ritchie Torres also reacted to the news, writing: “Powerhouse Books abruptly and arbitrarily cancelled an event featuring Rabbi Andy Bachman simple because he is a pro-Israel Jew. The far left is making 'Zionists’ (i.e. most Jews) the exception to progressivism’s rule against discrimination.”

Leifer has written extensively about the Israel-Palestine conflict for the Guardian, The New York Times, Haaretz, and numerous other international and Israeli publications.

Update 22 Aug 21:31

In a statement published to social media, PowerHouse said: “On Tuesday evening, a (former) employee of Powerhouse made the grossly misguided decision to unilaterally derail a highly-anticipated event in one of our bookstores featuring Joshua Leifer, author of Tablets Shattered, and Rabbi Andy Bachman. As of Tuesday, this individual was already slated to depart Powerhouse the following week, and for reasons we still do not understand, decided to accelerate her departure from Powerhouse by arbitrarily injecting her own personal biases and prejudices where they were unneeded, unwanted, and unauthorized. She abused her position as a Powerhouse employee and wrongfully usurped responsibility for planning and logistics from our designated events managers. The result was an noxious exchange between her and Mr. Leifer in which she stated that she did not want "a Zionist on our stage" in reference to Rabbi Bachman.

"The gross irony of this situation, with one disgruntled employee allowing her biases to run roughshod over Powerhouse's clear enthusiasm to host these speakers and provide them with a public forum, is surmounted only by the dark specter of antisemitic bigotry that her words conjured. She forced Leifer and Rabbi Bachman's planned event to discuss the complex evolution of American Jewish identity in the 21st century to instead become a case study in the shocking re-emergence of anti-Semetic hostility that continues to rear its head in spaces and communities where all of us would least expect it to. This exclusionary language would have stung no matter where it was uttered, but bookstores especially cannot fulfill their basic raison d'être without an unflinching commitment to the free and open exchange of ideas. We at Powerhouse have welcomed writers, readers, and thinkers of all stripes for decades and we will always continue to do so.

“Tuesday's events were an outrageous betrayal of our values, not just as book lovers, but as human beings. What she did was unequivocally and blatantly wrong. Litmus tests as a precondition for participation in public life are wrong. Rejections of dialog, debate, and nuance are wrong. We cannot allow ourselves to be represented by this shameful conduct. Dismissive intolerance of others is utterly antithetical to who we are, and it necessitates a decisive and honest rebuke. Today, we feel the same sorrow about the pain and hurt caused by these words that are shared by all our fellow New Yorkers, Jewish or not, and it is our sincere hope that you all will realize that we stand against antisemitism, bigotry, and racism.

"This incident does not define us. Opening our spaces, our minds, and our hearts to people of different religions, races, and cultures is not just a Powerhouse value. It is a New York value, an American value, and a humanistic value, plain and simple. There is always more work to be done, and we hope that you will stand alongside us in disavowing all forms of othering, intolerance, and prejudice as we fight to uphold our fundamental principles of extending acceptance, dignity, and respect to everyone. We ask that you please recognize our genuine dismay over what transpired and accept our most heartfelt apologies for any harm that it has caused.”