Among the supporters of the proposed mosque near Ground Zero this morning were about a dozen members of the progressive Jewish group J Street.

Isaac Luria, a spokesman for the organization, said the group had launched a petition on Monday, and was at the vote to present 10,000 signatures in support of the proposed mosque.

“As American Jews, as minorities here in this country, we know–from our experience elsewhere–that standing up for minority rights is incredibly important,” Luria said. “If anybody in this country is threatened, if their rights are taken away, that means all of us are at risk. So we’re here standing up strong for religious freedom.”

“We believe that this Islamic cultural center is an important addition to the city. What they are doing is absolutely within their right,” he said. “It’s going to be modeled after the 92nd Street Y, here in our city, a cultural institution.”

“This is a critical moment for the American Jewish community. Will we line up with religious freedom? Or will we side with bigotry and Islamophobia?”

J Street’s entrance into the debate comes a few days after the Anti-Defamation League took the opposite position–opposing the mosque as “counterproductive to the healing process.” Mr. Luria declined to comment on the ADL’s position.

“I don’t want to get into another Jewish organization’s position. What we’re here doing is indication enough of where we stand and what we’re standing up for,” he said.

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