House Democrats announced committee assignments yesterday for their freshmen members. We looked at the members joining some of the House’s key panels:

Foreign Affairs

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) replaces former Rep. Ted Deutch (D-FL), whom he succeeded in a South Florida district, on the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Moskowitz, like Deutch, has pledged to be a vocal supporter of Israel. In an interview yesterday, he addressed concerns about the new Israeli government. Read JI’s full interview with Moskowitz about the new appointment.

Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL) is the son of civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jackson. He told JI he had tagged along with his father on trips throughout the world, including to the Middle East, and witnessed anti-apartheid efforts in South Africa. Based on those experiences, he rejected accusations that Israel has engaged in apartheid, and said “we have to educate some members of our own Congress that there’s a history here.” He supports reentering the 2015 nuclear agreement with Iran.

Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA) told JI that the U.S. is “fortunate” to have allies like Israel and has a longtime relationship with the California Jewish community. She said last May that the U.S. has an “obligation” to reenter the Iran nuclear deal.

Homeland Security

Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) is an entrepreneur and former Michigan state representative who self-funded his campaign in the face of opposition from AIPAC’s super PAC, which raised concerns about his past support for legislation urging an end to aid to Israel and describing the country as an “apartheid state.” Thanedar has since walked back his support for that legislation. He also offered conflicting views on anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions laws in Michigan. In June 2022, he introduced legislation condemning antisemitism and urging law enforcement action.

Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-MD) is a former prosecutor who received significant support from the pro-Israel community in his campaign against former Rep. Donna Edwards. Ivey said that former President Donald Trump had “unleashed the full force” of rising antisemitism and other forms of hate, and worried that “I don’t know if we can put it back in the bottle.” Ivey was also assigned to the Judiciary Committee.

Rep. Dan Goldman (D-NY) is a former federal prosecutor and the lead Democratic counsel in the first Trump impeachment trial representing Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn, winning the support of the local Haredi community. He told JI that being pro-Israel is “very important to both me and… to the country,” and was supported by the United Democracy Project.

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) is the former mayor of Long Beach and received support from United Democracy Project and others in the pro-Israel community. During the campaign he told JI, “For me, what’s really important about our relationship with Israel is Israel is the one place in the region where me, as an openly gay person, can walk around with my husband, and know that you are supported and that you are safe, and that you can be openly gay.”

Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-IL) is a former member of the Illinois House, who told JI that she will “will oppose all forms of antisemitism and Islamophobia and will support legislation to secure the rights of Jews and Muslims to live without fear of violence and discrimination.” She was endorsed by J Street during the primary.

Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI), who has a Catholic mother and Jewish father, told JI he identifies “ethnically” as Jewish, and has faced “anti-Jewish slurs from a very young age.” He said public officials “need to model behavior that is kind and respectful and [be] unafraid to call out bias in all of its forms.”

Rep. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is the son of Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and aligns with his father — a prominent pro-Israel Democrat — on a range of issues, including in foreign policy. “You have to be vocal and out front in opposition whenever there are any incidents of hate or antisemitism,” Menendez told JI.

Armed Services

Rep. Chris Deluzio (D-PA) is a Navy veteran who told JI he saw firsthand the malign influence of Iran during his service in the Middle East, and called the U.S.-Israel relationship “imperative” for regional security.

Rep. Don Davis (D-NC) is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy whose election campaign received support from AIPAC’s super PAC.

Rep. Jeff Jackson (D-NC) is a major in the North Carolina Army National Guard who served in Afghanistan and is now a member of the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps. He is a former North Carolina state senator who was endorsed by AIPAC’s PAC, DMFI, J Street and JDCA.

Rep. Gabe Vasquez (D-NM) is a former member of the Las Cruces, N.M. City Council. He was endorsed by DMFI, J Street and JDCA. 

Rep. Jill Tokuda (D-HI) is a former member of the Hawaii Senate and a fourth-generation Japanese American.