Harris is a strong ally for Israel and American Jews

As members of Congress, we carry a sacred trust to serve our constituents’ interests, enact laws that reflect their values, and uphold our oath to defend America’s Constitution. We strive to honor those responsibilities each day.

Yet we are also American Jews, who have witnessed and experienced alarming surges in violence, intimidation, and hatred. Campus protests following the barbaric October 7 attacks starkly revealed vicious antisemitism, leaving our community feeling marginalized and isolated. It lands atop the recent memory of deadly attacks on synagogues and other Jewish spaces, and the Trump-led Republican Party’s unprecedented steps to politicize the US-Israel relationship.

All of this creates anxiety among Jewish and pro-Israel voters. So, we want to be very clear: Vice President Kamala Harris is, and will remain, a steadfast ally of the American Jewish community. She is, and will remain, a robust defender of Israel’s right and ability to defend itself.

Her career of public service, deep engagement on national security and community safety, and lifelong efforts to counter hate, resonate with our principle of tikkun olam – repairing the world. Harris has carried these values in every office she’s held, and she will lead a Democratic Party that fully embraces American Jews as an essential part of our nation’s fabric.

We know the Vice President well. We’ve proudly worked with her on critical issues, from addressing antisemitism and protecting Israel, to restoring reproductive freedom, voting rights, and much more. We can say, without hesitation, she fully understands the challenges Jewish Americans face and tackles them head-on.

Her body of work paints a clear picture – and her backing for the Jewish community demonstrates a deep-seated commitment to standing up for all Americans. As a young girl, she raised money to plant trees in Israel, carrying those little blue tzedakah boxes that we all know. As San Francisco’s district attorney, she successfully prosecuted an antisemite who attacked Nobel laureate and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel.

As a senator, the first measure she introduced was a bipartisan resolution to combat antisemitism. As vice president, she helped develop and implement our country’s first-ever National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism.

Her husband, Doug Emhoff, has used his platform to denounce antisemitism and promote Jewish pride. And for the first time, a mezuzah adorns the front door of the Vice President’s residence – a powerful, public symbol of Jewish life in America.

However, what really matters is how a leader responds when history demands urgent action – like the aftermath of Hamas’s horrific attack on October 7th.

Vice President Harris instantaneously confirmed her ironclad support for the US-Israel alliance and the Israeli people and partnered with President Biden to provide the most significant, sustained support for the state of Israel since its founding.

She supported President Biden’s decision to send two carrier strike groups to the region, and helped enact the emergency Israel aid bill House Republicans had blocked for six months after the attacks.

Indeed, it was Biden and Harris who oversaw an unprecedented defense of Israel against Iranian missiles in April – and again in October – plus they authorized several major arms sales to Israel that will deepen our cooperation against terrorism. Their administration has forcefully confronted Iran and its violent proxies.

Her advocacy for Israel and the Jewish people continues to be impactful. At a time when others were silent on the sexual violence committed by Hamas against Israelis on October 7th, Harris highlighted those attacks, hosting a White House screening with hostage families of Sheryl Sandberg’s documentary on Hamas’s use of sexual violence. She consistently voices support for Israel’s right to defend itself and commits to supplying what is necessary to do so, and she works tirelessly to end the violence and bring home the hostages – including several Americans still held in Gaza.

Trump’s antisemitic tropes

All that stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump. He has a record, too. But it’s not one any of us wish to see reprised.

Trump is a dangerous choice for American Jews and Israel. He consorts with white nationalists, called neo-Nazis “very fine people,” and reportedly told his Chief of Staff that Hitler did “some good things.” Trump recently claimed that if he loses again, “the Jewish people would have a lot to do with the loss.”

Repeatedly deploying such antisemitic tropes in this tense political moment endangers Jews and fuels rising hatred.

But it’s not just words. In Israel’s moment of crisis, Trump opposed the Biden-Harris security assistance bill and his running mate JD Vance voted against it. And while Republicans pronounce their opposition to campus antisemitism, they repeatedly vote to defund the Department of Education’s enforcement arm that protects Jewish students. The party Trump runs also proposed cutting grants that protect synagogues and prevent hate crimes.

These erratic policies are not what we need. Trump takes positions based on what’s good for Donald Trump, not for Americans, the people of Israel, or anyone else.

President Kamala Harris will be a true, enduring friend to the American Jewish community. She will lead Democrats in defeating the forces of darkness that thrive on hatred, demonization and isolation.

As Jews and elected officials, Harris is the best and only choice on November 5.