Rep. Jamaal Bowman must stand with the Jews in his district as war rages in Israel

In 2022, a terrorist held Rabbi Charlie Citron-Walker and several of his congregants hostage in Colleyville, Texas. That night, my congressman, Rep. Jamaal Bowman, graciously reached out to me to say that he stands with me and the Jewish community. It was a warm, genuine gesture that encouraged me to begin more intentional outreach to other interfaith and communal leaders. That outreach has borne fruit as clergy from many denominations have reached out in solidarity after Hamas terrorists killed over 900 Israelis and took over 100 Jews hostage. Indeed, dozens of them attended a rally for Israel at a White Plains synagogue on Tuesday night. Sadly, I have not heard from Bowman.

What did the initial, brief statement from Bowman say about the terrorist onslaught in Israel this past weekend? In that initial statement, after a boilerplate condemnation of the attack by Hamas, he implicitly blamed the violence on the Israeli blockade of Gaza. Talk about “blame the victim.” Israel tightly controls the goods going in and out of Gaza because, time and again, those materials are used to build terrorist tunnels into Israel and build up supplies of rockets to fire at Israel. Nevertheless, over the last few years, Israel has issued permits for tens of thousands of Gaza residents to commute into Israel each day to work, a boon for the Gaza economy. Israel has also regularly facilitated the transfer of significant funds from the Qataris to the Hamas regime. Furthermore, the blockade is maintained not only by Israel, but also by Egypt. I would like to ask the congressman if he sees Hamas perpetrating mass terrorist attacks against Egypt. Of course not. Hamas attacked Israel not because of the blockade. Hamas attacked Israel because Israel is filled with Jews.

Bowman sent a new statement on Tuesday. To his credit, he forcefully condemned the attacks. He also condemns the New York City rally by the Democratic Socialists of America which featured swastikas and the celebration of Israeli civilian deaths. (Bowman is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America.) Nevertheless, his new statement fails to call for the eradication of Hamas and its terrorist infrastructure.

Bowman’s initial outreach to the mainstream Jewish leaders in his district has turned into hostility toward our beloved Israel. He boycotted Israeli President Isaac Herzog’s speech to Congress. He refused to sign on to a resolution rejecting Israel as a racist state. He voted against legislation supporting the historic Abraham Accords. If all that is not enough, he cosponsored a bill calling for the return of all Palestinian refugees and their descendants to their ancestral homes within Israel, a move that every negotiator acknowledges would mean the end of the Jewish state.

Bowman regularly advocates for the rights of indigenous and historically oppressed peoples. This is commendable. Jews have been oppressed, exiled, and persecuted for 2,000 years. You would expect the congressman to celebrate an indigenous, historically oppressed people realizing self-determination in their ancient homeland. Sadly, his sympathy for the historically oppressed does not extend to the Jewish people. Instead, he aligns with other anti-Israel congresspeople and disregards the views of the vast Jewish population in his district.

Live updates: US death toll rises to 22; Hamas denies targeting kids; misery across Gaza

More perspective: Israel blockade of Gaza is inhumane despite ghastly attack by Hamas

The occupation of the Palestinian people is a tragedy. The leadership of the Palestinian people has failed over and over again to seize opportunities for statehood and self-determination. Their failure of leadership does not absolve Israel of moral responsibility for those living under the occupation. And still, Israel’s first responsibility is to its own citizens. More than 1,000 Israelis were brutally murdered, including 40 babies. More than 130 Israelis have been taken hostage. The basic responsibility of any government is to protect the lives of its citizens. Therefore, Israel must do everything necessary to root out the terrorists who planned and perpetrated this horror — even if those terrorists hide among a civilian population. The responsibility for civilian deaths in Gaza will be on Hamas for hiding its bomb factories, rocket launch sites, and munitions depots among the civilian population. This is the basic truth that Bowman clearly rejects.

Congressman, please reconsider your position. Please reach out to your constituents whose hearts are broken. Please recognize not only our pain today, but our 2,000 years of suffering. Please stand with us as we stand with Israel — the miracle of an indigenous, historically oppressed people returning to its ancient homeland. Congressman, as our representative, please represent us.

Rabbi Howard J. Goldsmith is the spiritual leader of Congregation Emanu-El of Westchester in Rye, New York. 

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Israel war: Rep. Jamaal Bowman must stand with Westchester Jews