Eleven years ago, just after departing the Obama administration, I traveled to a Jewish community center in Brooklyn to defend the Iran nuclear deal on a panel organized by US Rep. Hakeem Jeffries. I had just left the State Department, where I advocated for the nuclear deal to Congress, specifically in the House of Representatives.
What I saw that night from the presumptive speaker of the House, Jeffries, is that he should give all Jewish Americans confidence that he’ll be a great leader on issues related to Israel and antisemitism.
That night in Brooklyn, I experienced in full force what Jeffries had been confronting from his Jewish constituents-an angry, nervous crowd that wanted him to oppose the deal. There was much vitriol at that event, which I tried to subdue by mentioning that my father was born in Brooklyn. That didn’t do me much good. One audience member called me a “kapo” and compared me to the Jewish people who she claimed, “marched in Manhattan in support of Adolf Hitler.”
To say the audience’s reaction to the deal was overwrought would be an understatement. But you know who wasn’t overwrought? Hakeem Jeffries.
What I saw at that event was a preternatural calm in a politician who was still new to this issue. Instead of bending and breaking to the restiveness of the crowd, and instead of dismissively rejecting the crowd’s concerns, Jeffries asked for calm. He spoke to the audience with openness. He was empathetic toward them and their concerns. He spoke about the weightiness of the decision before him. In a word, he was a statesman.
Jeffries supported Obama-era Iran nuclear deal
Weeks later, Jeffries publicly supported the deal. I’d like to think that the panel played a small role in his positive decision. But that is not the most important consideration as we assess his qualifications and fitness for the speakership. Jeffries showed, in the midst of a highly contentious political debate over a complex policy decision, a respect for his constituents, a seriousness about the task at hand, and a thoughtfulness that demonstrated tremendous leadership skills.
After his decision, which was not popular in the district, he was overwhelmingly reelected in the next election. I believe he won over constituents who disagreed with him because of the serious, courteous way he engaged on the issue. They knew that he understood them, heard them, and respected them.
As an American Jew who has worked intimately with Congress over the course of my career, on Jewish community concerns and in foreign policy, I’m incredibly bullish about the upcoming tenure of Jeffries as speaker, especially on the thorny issue of America’s relationship with Israel and how to confront antisemitism.
We all know that there’s been a vibrant debate – no, an intense argument – inside the Democratic Party about what it means to be pro-Israel and what constitutes antisemitic language and behavior. This past election cycle, multiple Democratic candidates entered the political fray making an argument that Israel should be treated as an American adversary, that language that targets American Jewish supporters of Israel isn’t antisemitic, and that the threat from Iran isn’t real. As a result, the Jewish community raised legitimate concerns about the party’s direction on these issues.
That’s why I’ve spoken out extensively against the rising tide of antisemitic, anti-Israel language inside the Democratic tent. My arguments have been well taken at Democratic gatherings, even by those who disagree with my concerns. I firmly believe that the Democratic Party is a big tent, and that the bigger the tent, as we have just seen, the bigger the majority for Democrats. We are having an argument inside the party that must be had; we cannot walk away from the party and expect to shape it.
Midterm results heartening on issues of Israel, antisemitism
This is why on the issues of Israel and antisemitism, the midterm results are so heartening. The massive Democratic victories last week elevated a diverse set of lawmakers from every corner of the party to office. American Jews of diverse viewpoints all still have a seat at the Democratic table.
Which brings me back to Jeffries. As speaker, Jeffries will have a caucus large enough to grant him significant leeway to manage the harsh internal debates about Israel policy and antisemitism, just as he did in that town hall a decade ago.
The numbers prove this point. While there will be a dozen far-left Squad members and Democratic Socialists of America-aligned candidates who are hostile to Israel, there will also be roughly 15 conservative Blue Dog members balancing them out.
And the broadly liberal Congressional Progressive Caucus will have roughly 125 members, while the broadly moderate New Democrat Coalition will have roughly 140 members. We don’t know the final tally yet, but Democrats may get upwards of 260 seats. A large majority would give Jeffries considerable negotiating latitude.
The size of Tuesday’s victory should hearten American Jews about the future direction of the Democratic Party. It is not being consumed by a far-left anti-Israel faction, as many Republicans would like us to believe. In fact, our community’s willingness to fight for our values and push back against antisemitism and the Israel haters has made an impact. It has isolated extremists and backed those who want to chart a more productive path. We need to keep up this fight. It’s working.
So now we get to see soon-to-be Speaker Jeffries work his magic. This is a man who cares deeply about the Jewish community, about America’s relationship with Israel and about taking on antisemitism. The fight inside the Democratic Party on these issues will continue, but now we can safely say that those most hostile to the Jewish community will have to sit down at the table and make their case to a statesman like Jeffries. And they will see us there too.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of JTA or its parent company, 70 Faces Media.
