MTA boss ripped as ‘insane’ for accusing Jewish rights group of ‘cyber attack’ after complaint about anti-Israel subway art
MTA boss Janno Lieber is facing fire after he accused a group combating antisemitism of launching a “cyber attack” after the group complained about unauthorized Israel-bashing ads posted on subway trains.
“Ironic that End Jew Hatred which I am sympathetic to has set in motion what is effectively a cyber attack against MTA leadership. Very poor judgment,” Lieber, the MTA chairman and CEO, said in an March 8 email to Gerard Felitti, a civil rights attorney and activist with #EndJewHatred.
A startled Felitti called the response by Lieber, who is Jewish, “really crazy”, “insane” and “unbelievable.”
Lieber was responding to a note sent by #EndJewHatred to MTA brass and transit police complaining about artwork that accused Israel of genocide in Gaza covering paid-for ads.
“It has come to our attention that certain individuals have unlawfully installed artwork, covering paid advertisements for businesses and spreading hate towards Israel, which in turns fuels antisemitism,” the email to MTA leaders said.
“The false claims and inflammatory messages about Israel being propagated through this artwork only serve to fuel antisemitic sentiments and create divisions in our community.”
The group also forwarded pictures of the rogue messages and asked that they be removed.
One message read: “Israel Bombs. USA Pays. How many kids did you kill today?.”
Another showed a picture of bombed-out Gaza with the statement, “This is Genocide. 250 people killed each day.”
#EndJewHatred urged the MTA to take “swift and decision action” to remove the anti-Israel and anti-US artwork from the ad space and requested that the MTA Police Department “increase monitoring efforts” to prevent the placement of the Israel-bashing art.
MTA policy bars political ads in the transit system.
“I trust that it will be handled with the seriousness it deserves,” said the note, which listed Felitti as the contact.
When #EndJewHatred failed to get a response, more than 1,500 supporters flooded officials with emails demanding action, the organizers said, prompting Lieber’s “cyber attack” missive.
“It’s certainly surprising to get such an aggressive response from the MTA instead of addressing the problem,” Felitti told The Post.
“These ads looked like they were approved by the MTA. They were not being removed quickly enough or not at all.”
Lieber, through an MTA rep, defended the agency’s response to the complaints — and his own to #EndJewHatred.
“The MTA acts swiftly to remove hateful graffiti and fake ads and did so in this instance,” said spokesman Aaron Donovan:
The authority added that it had removed hundreds of unauthorized signs from the system.
Lieber also did not back down from his criticism, with the MTA saying it received thousands of spam messages fueled by #EndJewHatred — and claiming the group’s leaders never made a good faith effort to discuss steps taken to remove the offensive art.
Hate crimes, including those fueled by antisemitism, have surged following Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, terror attack on Israel and the ongoing Middle East war.
