Anti-Israel Democrats Revving Up Primary Challenges in New York City Congressional Districts

What a bumper sticker message: “I will invest in the economy. Ritchie invests in bombs.”

And Michael Blake is off – to oust pro-Israel U.S. Rep. Ritchie Torres, and other so-called “progressive” candidates may follow suit to make Congress more “Palestinian”-friendly. They could be challenging three other incumbent representatives who support Israel in next year’s New York City’s Democratic primary while Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani presides at City Hall.

For Jews and others who wonder how to help Israel, this will be the perfect opportunity – by defending these incumbents. We want them to continue to aid Israel while preventing anti-Israel candidates from getting elected.

The Progressive movement, whatever that means nowadays, feel emboldened to expand support for “Palestinian” causes in politics since Mamdani was elected mayor last month.

The potential targets besides Torres are Reps. Daniel Goldman, who is Jewish, Grace Meng and Adriano Espaillat. Torres represents much of the Bronx, including Riverdale with a sizeable Jewish population. Goldman represents Lower Manhattan and much of west Brooklyn, home to Jewish communities in Brooklyn Heights and Park Slope. Meng’s district includes Jewish communities in Bayside, Forest Hills and Kew Gardens. Espaillat represents parts of Manhattan and the Bronx.

Mamdani won the districts represented by Torres, Goldman and Espaillat, according to The New York Times. The mayor-elect has been accused of antisemitism partly because he supports divestment from Israel and refuses to condemn the Arab chant “Globalize the Intifada.”

His father, Columbia University professor Mahmood Mamdani, has declared that the state of Israel should not exist.

Critics fully expect that Mamdani will be a disaster for the entire city as well as Jewish New Yorkers. That is very possible, but at the least Jews there cannot trust Mamdani. Who can predict with accuracy what he will do?

Michael Blake, a former state assemblyman, was apparently referring to America’s military aid to Israel when he said Torres “invests in bombs.” Other challengers condemned the incumbents for their support of Israel’s military attacks on Gaza; Hamas claims that 70,000 Gazans have died, though that number has never been independently confirmed.

Israel’s military campaign followed Hamas’ massacre of 1,200 Israelis and the kidnapping of 250 others on Oct. 7, 2023.

“There is no denying that U.S. taxpayer dollars are undergirding what is happening: the utter destruction of Gaza,” said City Councilwoman Alexa Aviles, a possible challenger to Goldman, according to the Times.

Chuck Park, a candidate who cited pro-Israel contributions to Meng, said, “She is responding to big checks and big donors rather than the needs of voters in Queens,” the Times also reported

They distort the issues when they accuse congressional Democrats of aiding Israel while ignoring domestic needs because both political parties are united in helping Israel. Democratic plans to improve the lives of American citizens are often blocked by Republicans, who meanwhile are trying to weaken what social programs exist.

So what can we do? Supporters of Israel who live in their districts must turn out to vote for the incumbents. Also, anyone with a little time on their hands can campaign for the incumbents.

As their challengers point out, Torres and company will probably receive plenty of campaign money. Torres received $1.2 million since 2022 from the fund-raising arm of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Mamdani has taken no sides in these primaries, but it’s early yet. Blake and the other challengers may not even want his endorsement. Remember: Mamdani must prove himself to New Yorkers. If he fouls up, he will lose friends fast.

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Bruce S. Ticker is a Philadelphia-based columnist.