Jamaal Bowman Allegedly Requests Photo with Local Jewish Leader to Demonstrate Friendship

Embattled Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) reportedly once asked a local Jewish leader for a photo of the two of them together so that he could “show the world I’m friends with Jewish people” ahead of a tough primary election in 2022.

Jewish Insider’s Matthew Kassel reported the story on Tuesday, teasing it with the following post on X: “New: In late spring 2022, Rep. Jamaal Bowman reached out a local Jewish leader with an unusual request as he faced mounting scrutiny over his record on Israel. ‘Do you have pics of us?’ he texted. ‘So I can show the world I’m friends with Jewish People.’”

New: In late spring 2022, Rep. Jamaal Bowman reached out a local Jewish leader with an unusual request as he faced mounting scrutiny over his record on Israel.

“Do you have pics of us?” he texted. “So I can show the world I’m friends with Jewish People.” https://t.co/M1YVmrtF0s

— Matthew Kassel (@matthewkassel) June 18, 2024

Under a headline that reads, “No more bridges to burn in Jewish Westchester,” Kassel reports that the Jewish leader — who chose to remain anonymous — said that he did have such a photo, but opted not to send it for several reasons.

First, he explained that while the alleged photo was taken at an event where Bowman had promised support for then-President Donald Trump’s Abraham Accords, by the time he requested the photo, he had already walked back that support. And second, the alleged request had simply made him uncomfortable about the nature of their relationship.

“I was uncomfortable. I kind of joked around with him about it. I said, ‘Oh, I’m sure you guys have it. Don’t worry about it,’” he told Jewish Insider, later explaining, “I was like, ‘I don’t want to be his court Jew.’ That wasn’t what I signed up for.”