Brad Lander had everything going for him. At only age 57, the politician and urban planner managed to defeat incumbent representative Dan Goldman in New York’s 10th congressional district primary.
Given his very progressive stand, including strong support for illegals, as well as disdain for federal immigration enforcement, positions compatible with Democratic Socialist newcomers, Lander was a shoo-in to win in this November’s midterm elections.
There was only one fly in the ointment. Lander himself is Jewish – something that has become a massive liability in today’s very antisemitic atmosphere among the far-left.
It was only a few days ago when Lander was “targeted with insults and calls to leave Madison Square Garden, over allegations of being a Zionist.” Getting in his face and screaming, one individual called him a filthy ball sack, followed by the F bomb, for being a Zionist.
Apparently, it wasn’t enough that Lander accused Israel of having committed a genocide in Gaza, or his characterization of Judea and Samaria as being occupied. Nor was it sufficient that he referred to the Jewish state as having violated human rights standards.
One might have thought that advocating for recognition of a Palestinian state and standing up for Islamophobia would have earned him a few brownie points, but when you’re Jewish, none of that seems to matter. Because, at the end of the day, you cannot rid yourself of that ethnic label which reduces you to a detestable creature in the eyes of antisemites.
But Lander is not alone in that unsolvable dilemma. Along with him are the likes of Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Chicago Governor JB Pritzker, presidential hopeful Rahm Emmanuel, Georgia Sen. Jon Osoff, Sen. Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and many others who now run the risk of being left behind for the great sin of having been born Jewish.
Because if prominent influencer and streamer Hasan Piker, the new political kingmaker, has his way, all future leaders will emerge from the Democrat Socialist party, and none of them will be Jewish!
With the possible exception of Bernie Sanders, also Jewish, but one who is already too old to run for public office, no other Jew will have his level of “protection,” insulating him from the hateful rhetoric and sentiments that are openly being hurled at well-known and once respected Jewish politicians.
Even far-left Scott Wiener, whose controversial positions included “opposing a bill that would have barred registered sex offenders from running for local or state office, arguing the ban was too broad,” as well as a law, authored by him, “that blocks federal immigration and customs agents from wearing ski masks to hide their identities during operations,” was not safe as he, too, was on the receiving end of an antisemitic assault.
Harassed and cornered by activists in San Francisco in June 2026, he was berated by a demonstrator at a bar, repeatedly demanding he say “Free Palestine.”
This was the darling of the trans movement – the man who, per his own website, authored and vigorously championed major key legislative bills that sought to protect and expand rights for transgender, nonbinary, and LGBTQ+ individuals.
Yet the moment he hesitated to mouth the obligatory “Free Palestine” chant, identifying him as a willing sell-out to his own ethnicity, Wiener was seen as useless and belonging to the “others” category, similar to the separation that was made over the course of centuries between Jews and non-Jews.
Is this the end of the line for Jewish politicians?
So where does this leave Jewish political candidates or those already serving public office? What will become of their future?
According to an April 2026 article that appeared in the New York Times, titled, “Excruciating and Agonizing: A New Reality for Jewish Democrats,” “while high-profile Jewish politicians continue to win elections, command significant national platforms, and anchor leadership roles across federal, state, and local governments, they are navigating a cycle marked by severe ideological litmus tests, targeted harassment, and shifts in traditional party alliances.”
Keep in mind that five months have passed since the writing of that article, and what we are seeing is a consistent trend where Jewish candidates are either being sidelined or marginalized at a faster pace than ever before.
But it turns out that this is not true just of Jewish candidates. It also applies to non-Jews who are pro-Israel. Take Pennsylvania Sen. John Fetterman, a staunch supporter of the Jewish State. As a result of his unwavering position, Fetterman has been rebuffed by DSA members (Democratic Socialists of America).
One example of this happened after a contentious media appearance in which Fetterman defended his Israel stance against progressive critics. In response, the Pittsburgh branch of the DSA responded publicly by sharing a link to their organization’s sign-up page for prospective members.
Of course, Piker went one step further, completely denouncing Fetterman, citing his loyalty to Israel as proof that he “no longer represents the values of the party’s base.”
But which party base is Piker referring to? Because many among the base of the Democratic Party are, themselves, Jewish.
While that might not be true of the DSA leadership, most of whom are extremely anti-Israel and anti-Zionist (another term for being anti-Jewish), the Democratic Party still boasts a sizeable contingent of Jewish leaders, as well as pro-Israel supporters, even if they are reticent to admit it publicly.
Fetterman, a faithful Democrat, has been carefully watching this trend, declaring that if his party ever decides to formally turn against Israel, that will be grounds for him to leave the party.
Whether he wants to admit it or not, that has already occurred.
Because by defining the Democratic Party as a “big tent” party, and failing to denounce or condemn the Democratic Socialists who loudly excoriate Israel, accusing her of the worst crimes committed against humanity, the traditional Democratic Party has effectively merged with those who hate Israel.
There is no other way to look at it. In fact, Democratic Party leaders will find it more and more difficult to skirt the “Israel” issue. One way or another, they will have to declare their position of support or opposition, making it the deciding factor of a unified or split Democratic “big tent” party. AOC is already figuring out how to navigate those choppy waters.
What has become clear is that this looks like the end of the line for Jewish politicians.
The writer, a former principal of Jerusalem elementary and middle schools, was a member of Kibbutz Re’im from 1994 to 1999. She is the author of Mistake-Proof Parenting, based on the time-tested wisdom found in the Book of Proverbs, available on Amazon.