An Open Letter from Jews For Jamaal
As Jewish voters living in the current and former New York 16th congressional district, we are coming together to express our strong support for Congressmember Jamaal Bowman. We believe it is important for us to speak up in support of Jamaal, as Jews who appreciate his commitment to social, racial, and economic justice.
Our country faces many challenges that require urgent action. Reactionaries have seized control of the Supreme Court, bent on repealing a half century of constitutional protections for vulnerable communities. Authoritarian politicians are whipping up big lies about our democracy and our criminal justice system, while scapegoating immigrants, racial and religious minorities, including Jews. These same forces are undermining key programs that Americans rely on, for our education, our health care, our transportation, and care for older adults and people with disabilities.
Jamaal is not a typical career politician. Before he was our Representative, he was a middle school principal. We have seen him bring the skills he developed creating and leading the Cornerstone Academy for Social Action to our community and to Congress. He is tough but fair, often smiling but never a pushover. Always learning from both his peers and his pupils, from policy wonks and from the people.
Jamaal represents a diverse district and has made it a priority to establish strong relationships across communities and to treat all of his constituents as equal members of one community. As Jewish residents of the district, we have experienced this firsthand. Jamaal is in regular communication, seeking counsel and taking action around communal priorities. As an example, Rep. Bowman has been a key partner to the New York Caring Majority in pursuing a long overdue raise for home care workers. No other member of New York’s congressional delegation did more in 2022 to advocate for and deliver key investments into the care economy.
Jamaal has introduced 19 pieces of legislation and co-sponsored an additional 480 bills including:
- The COUP Act, which called for a 9/11 style commission to investigate the insurrection – this helped lead to the hearings we are seeing today.
- The Green New Deal for Public Schools to help provide essential funding to protect the health and wellbeing of students and equip the next generation with the tools to fight climate change.
- The Care for All Agenda (with Sen. Warren) to expand care infrastructure.
- The African American History Act (with Sen. Booker) which will provide resources to schools across the country for teaching all parts of American history to help bolster schools in the face of right-wing attacks on history education (CRT frenzy)
- The resolution to condemn the racist and antisemitic Replacement Theory , which passed through the House (a rarity for a freshman congressman).
We have found Jamaal to be a person guided by his principles. On more than one occasion, this has inspired attacks against him from both the right and the left, often from outside of the district, by those who want him to fall in line. We are grateful to have someone with the courage of his convictions representing us in Congress.
Signed,
Micah Sifry, Hastings on Hudson
Shari Ascher, Dobbs Ferry
Iris Hiskey Arno, Hastings on Hudson
Peter Arno, Hastings on Hudson
Peter Bernstein, Irvington
Shari Bierly, Mount Vernon
Todd Brecher, New Rochelle
Mindy Chettih, Hastings on Hudson
Sarah Cox, Irvington
Sharon Diamond, Hastings on Hudson
Judy Fletcher, Riverdale
Lisa Genn, Irvington
Jay Gilbert, Hastings on Hudson
Paula Gilbert, Hastings on Hudson
David Glass, Larchmont
Brian Glick, New Rochelle
Joan Glickman, New Rochelle
Michael Goldstein, New Rochelle
Maxine Golub, New Rochelle
Jack Gorman, the Bronx
Tyler Hack, Scarsdale
Stu Hackel, Dobbs Ferry
Meira Harris, Riverdale
Bob Herbst, Larchmont
Howard Horowitz, New Rochelle
Erica Itzkowitz, New Rochelle
Steven Itzkowitz MD, New Rochelle
Raphy Jacobson, Riverdale
Martin Laskin, Hastings on Hudson
Anne Lessy, Hastings on Hudson
Leslie Lieman, Hastings on Hudson
Becca Lish, Riverdale
Millie Magraw, New Rochelle
Delia Marx, White Plains
Jon Mermelstein, Scarsdale
Daniel Miller MD, New Rochelle
Bob Morrow, Yonkers
Andrew Mutnick, Riverdale
Laura Myerson, Cortlandt Manor
Julia Muggia Ochs, New Rochelle
Greta Parnes, Yonkers
Joey Parnes, Yonkers
Noah Parnes, Yonkers
Alex Rabb, Hastings on Hudson
Steven Rabinowitz, White Plains
Jill Bailin Rembar, Irvington
Seth Rosen, Larchmont
Lillian Rosengarten, Cold Spring
Sarah Rubin, Yonkers
Donna Russo, Hastings on Hudson
Marjorie Sachs, New Rochelle
David Schwartz, Ardsley on Hudson
Sandra Selikson, Hastings on Hudson
Bobbi Siegelbaum, Riverdale
Steve Siegelbaum, Riverdale
Jonathan Slater, Hastings on Hudson
Harry Soloway, Cortlandt Manor
Caroline Stern, Yonkers
Peter Storck, New Rochelle
Bruce Soloway MD, New Rochelle
Barak Stockler, Bedford Hills
Ellen Tattelman, Yonkers
Thom Thacker, Irvington
Alisse Waterston, New Rochelle
Lara Weitzman, Hastings on Hudson
Richard Willstatter, White Plains
Elizabeth Wilson, the Bronx
Michael Yellin, New Rochelle
Gary Zaretsky, New Rochelle
