Image by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

By Jacob Kornbluh May 21, 2021

A group of activists and philanthropists are launching a new political action committee to push back against candidates and politicians they see as out of sync with the views of the mainstream Jewish and pro-Israel community.

The group, called the “Real Jewish Vote,” had been in the works in recent weeks, preparing to play a role in the upcoming NYC mayoral and municipal elections. But in wake of recent comments by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and other progressive politicians, the group decided to launch on Friday, ahead of when it had planned, to forcefully push back against increasingly strident criticism of Israel, sources familiar with the discussion told the Forward.

Moshe Friedman, the group’s co-founder, said they were motivated to act swiftly after witnessing violent clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and Jews attending a rally in support of Israel in Time Square on Thursday and a spike in antisemitic incidents.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“The antisemitic attacks that we have seen in the last 24 hours are a direct result of the actions and statements of many of our elected officials and leaders,” Friedman said.

Image by Screenshot

In a video released on Friday, as part of its six-figure campaign, the group described elected officials speaking out against Israeli action in Gaza as “Hamas sympathizers.”

“In the next month, every elected official in New York City is up for reelection,” the ad’s narrator says in the video.“We must stop these terrorist sympathizers.”

The PAC — which will primarily focus on social media platforms — intends to get involved in city and state races with candidates which they deem openly anti-Israel and antisemitic. The group plans to announce its committee members within days.

“We have the largest Jewish community outside of Israel here in New York,” Friedman, who has not been active in politics before, said in an interview. “The only thing they understand is political activism. That’s why we are going to beat them at the ballot box.”

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount