Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) on March 22, 2023. Photo by .Nathan Howard/Bloomberg via Getty Images

By Jacob Kornbluh October 19, 2023

Jewish allies of Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a New York Democrat, are pushing back against an effort by local rabbis and pro-Israel groups to paint the progressive incumbent as hostile to Israel and remove him from office. 

Centrist Democrats, Jewish activists and the American Israel Public Affairs Committee have mounted a campaign to encourage George Latimer, Westchester’s popular county executive, to challenge Bowman in next year’s primary — and he has indicated that he’s considering it.

Their efforts intensified in recent days after Bowman joined a number of his colleagues to denounce Israel’s military campaign in Gaza. Israel’s response to Hamas — which killed more than 1,400 Israelis and kidnapped around 200 — sparked a war. The death toll is mounting fast. More than 3,500 Palestinians are estimated to have been killed in Israeli air strikes on Gaza, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced in what aid groups call a humanitarian crisis.

A group of more than 40 rabbis affiliated with the Westchester Board of Rabbis signed a statement this week expressing “frustration and anger” over the congressman’s positions on Israel and called on him “to exercise better leadership.” Additionally, more than two dozen rabbis in New York’s 16th District, Southern Westchester County, issued a letter to Latimer urging him to announce his candidacy. 

Bowman’s stance on Israel could become an issue in a competitive primary. The two-term congressman won the 2022 Democratic primary with just 54% of the vote against two rivals in the deep blue district.

But Bowman also has many Jewish supporters.

Jewish activists, calling themselves “Jews for Jamaal,” wrote an open letter to Latimer on Thursday, discouraging him from running. “A primary between the two of you would be needlessly wasteful and terribly divisive,” the signatories wrote, “especially at a time when all Democrats need to stand united against the rise of MAGA demagogues and authoritarianism.”

Calling him “a Democratic champion throughout your career,” they implored Latimer to “resist any temptation to unseat Congressman Bowman, who is also a popular Democrat who is clearly aligned with the voters on so many issues.” 

The county executive didn’t immediately reply to an inquiry about whether he’s leaning toward a run and when he expects to make a decision.

A nuanced approach to Israel 

Bowman, 47, has had a strained relationship with some Jewish leaders in his district since he beat longtime Jewish Congressman Eliot Engel, a staunch supporter of Israel, in 2018. Bowman has aligned closely with the four congresswomen — Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York, Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts — known as “The Squad.” Each of the four has made particularly pointed critiques of Israel.

But Bowman has also faced pressure from the left for traveling to Israel and his more nuanced approach to the conflict.

Following the Hamas attack, Bowman issued a strong condemnation of the terrorist group, called on Israel to de-escalate, and advocated for an immediate cease-fire. He also condemned those who celebrated the attacks on Israel at a demonstration in New York “in the strongest possible terms.” 

He nonetheless drew the ire of the Westchester rabbis for blaming Israel for the blockade of Gaza and co-sponsoring a cease-fire resolution. They charged Bowman with drawing a false equivalence between Hamas’ killings of Israelis and the death of Palestinians used “as human shields” by Hamas in Gaza.

Pushing back against the critics

Bowman’s Jewish supporters counter that his critics distort his record and unfairly assert that he blamed Israel for the attack against it.

Bowman said in an emailed statement that he’s “grateful” for his supporters “as we continue our work to bring peace, love, and justice to all people.” While he didn’t specifically address the situation in Israel and Gaza, he called it “an extremely difficult time for so many in the district and around the world.

“It is more important than ever for us to continue to connect, learn, and grow together even when we disagree,” Bowman said.

He added that it’s an honor to represent one of the most diverse districts in the country, which includes “the beautiful diversity within the Jewish community” and asked his critics to “fight the urge to allow division to overcome us.”

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

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.

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

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

$36 $500

$120 $180 Other amount