Jamaal Bowman criticized after requesting photo with Jewish leader
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) faced criticism following a report where he was accused of requesting a photo with a Jewish leader to prove his connections with the Jewish community. This incident, which happened in spring 2022, was described by the unnamed Jewish leader as uncomfortable, and he refused Bowman’s request. The leader felt Bowman’s gesture reduced him to a token figure and eventually led to a fallout between the two over Bowman’s political stances concerning Israel.
The broader context of the criticism involves a shift in Bowman’s positions, particularly regarding Israel, which has alienated some Jewish supporters. After initially opposing movements like the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) against Israel, Bowman’s change of stance after the war in Gaza lost him considerable support within the Jewish community. This shift was seen as a betrayal by many, and issues like his late appearance at a Jewish gala and refusal to engage with Jewish leaders further strained relationships. Bowman has become a target for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, which is campaigning against members of Congress perceived as anti-Israel. This includes his change in stance on the Abraham Accords, which did not involve consultation with the Jewish community, exacerbating tensions.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) was heavily criticized after a report emerged that he asked for a picture of himself with a Jewish leader, ostensibly to showcase he has good relationships within the Jewish community.
In a wider report for Jewish Insider, an anonymous Jewish leader recounted an incident in the spring of 2022, where Bowman requested a picture of the two, “So I can show the world I’m friends with Jewish people,” he said. The leader did not oblige.
“I was uncomfortable,” the Jewish leader said of the encounter. “I kind of joked around with him about it. I said, ‘Oh, I’m sure you guys have it. Don’t worry about it.’”
“I was like, ‘I don’t want to be his court Jew,’” he elaborated. “That wasn’t what I signed up for.”
The Jewish leader said that the two aren’t on speaking terms anymore due to Bowman’s stances against Israel.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Bowman for comment.
The report detailed wider dissatisfaction against Bowman from Jews, stemming from his turn against Israel. He could largely count on their support before the war in Gaza, when he adopted some pro-Israel positions such as opposing the boycott, divestment, and sanctions movement, but lost their support after he changed his position.
The change was widely viewed as a betrayal by Jews, along with other slights. Former Westchester Jewish Council President William Schrag pointed to his change in stance on the Abraham Accords as a key turning point.
“However, we weren’t consulted before congressman Bowman flipped on the Abraham Accords and I don’t recall having been consulted since that time,” he said. However, he said, Bowman “was always invited to events sponsored by the council. … He chose not to attend and frankly, by that point, I didn’t care whether he attended or not because it was obvious he was on a path antithetical to the mission statement of the Westchester Jewish Council.”
At the group’s annual gala in 2023, Bowman reportedly showed up two hours late.
A Jewish activist speaking with the outlet revealed that many rabbis now refuse to speak with him due to his change in position on Israel.
“That is not someone who wants to build bridges with Jews and the Jewish community,” Justin Brasch, a Jewish White Plains councilman, said. “He doesn’t reach out. He doesn’t reach back. He’s not interested at all in the Jewish community.”
Bowman has become a main target of a campaign from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee aiming to unseat anti-Israel members of Congress, mainly members of the progressive House “Squad.”
The ad-tracking firm AdImpact found that AIPAC has spent $8 million on TV ads to oust Bowman.
AIPAC’s super PAC, United Democracy Project, went so far as to air an ad earlier this month drawing parallels with Bowman’s stances and the Holocaust, featuring the son of Elie Wiesel, one of the most famous Holocaust survivors.
“My father taught that antisemitism begins with lies and conspiracy theories, and it ends with violence that consumes any society that tolerates it,” Elisha Wiesel said. “So I ask you, will you stand up to Jamaal Bowman’s lies and conspiracy theories? Or will you sit by silently?”
Some Jewish groups have defended Bowman. Sophie Ellman-Golan, the Jews for Racial and Economic Justice communications director, defended the New York Democrat earlier this month as a “leader for decades in fighting antisemitism and all forms of hate, as a principal and in Congress. Democratic voters won’t let these ugly smear attacks from Republican-funded AIPAC divide us.”
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Despite winning his 2020 and 2022 House primaries, Bowman has emerged as one of the most vulnerable Squad members over his criticism of Israel in a district home to a lot of Jewish residents.
A March FiveThirtyEight poll found him trailing primary challenger Westchester County Executive George Latimer by 17 points. Bowman’s approval rating has plummeted to 36%, compared to Latimer’s 68% approval rating.
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