Left-wing Jewish group J Street endorses NY’s Goldman for Congress, while nodding to opponent Lander

The left-wing Jewish advocacy group J Street endorses US Rep. Dan Goldman’s reelection run against Brad Lander, an ally of New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani.

Goldman and Lander, both Jewish, are running for the 10th District of New York, covering lower Manhattan and parts of Brooklyn.

The two candidates are both Democrats who are in line on many issues, but divided in their approach to Israel. Goldman takes more of a centrist position, while criticizing the Netanyahu government, while Lander is more to the left, accusing Israel of genocide, for example.

“J Street is proud of our endorsement of Congressman Dan Goldman, and we deeply value his pro-Israel, pro-peace and pro-democracy leadership in Congress,” J Street President Jeremy Ben-Ami said in a statement.

The endorsement also nodded to Lander, though, who has long ties to the progressive group.

“We are also grateful for our years-long friendship with Brad Lander, who is a vocal leader for our values. We know that the issue of peace is close to both of their hearts,” Ben-Ami said. “Congressman Goldman is our sole endorsee in the race. We’ve added Brad Lander as a ‘primary approved’ candidate to our online portal. J Street supporters can donate to either candidate through our PAC.”

“At the end of the day, it is a win for the district and the nation to have two J Street-aligned voices in this race,” he said.

Goldman has the support of New York Governor Kathy Hochul and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, while Lander has Mamdani’s endorsement.