Chicago Mayor Donned Keffiyeh for Arab Heritage Month Event, Sparking Outcry From Jewish Groups
26th April 2025
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson came under fire from local Jewish leaders after he wore a keffiyeh, or a traditional Palestinian headscarf, to a public event this week.
The Chicago chapter of the Council on American–Islamic Relations posted a picture of Johnson with its executive director, Ahmed Rehab, at an event to mark Arab Heritage Month. In it, Johnson, who was elected in 2023, is wearing a black-and-white keffiyeh.
“Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson (appropriately) commemorated Arab Heritage Month this week. Arab Heritage should be honored and celebrated,” Rabbi Ari Hart of Skokie Valley Agudath Jacob Synagogue wrote on Facebook. “But would it not be possible [to] commemorate Arab Heritage without wearing the symbol that millions of Jews around the world saw worn to celebrate the murder, rape and kidnapping of October 7th?”
‘Arab Heritage Month’? What’s next, KKK Heritage Month?