Campaigning in a crowded field for the New Jersey congressional seat recently vacated by newly inaugurated Gov. Mikie Sherrill, former New Jersey Lt. Gov. Tahesha Way is leaning into her support for Israel and the state’s Jewish community ahead of next month’s special election primary.

Speaking to Jewish Insider last week, Way, a Democrat, cited the rise in antisemitism that is leaving Jewish voters “terrified” as one of the reasons she’s running for office, alongside her concern about attacks on civil liberties, healthcare access, the economy and immigration raids.

She said that, going forward, it’s “really my fervor and my hope to continue my work on behalf of the Jewish community,” highlighting the work of the New Jersey-Israel Commission — which fell under her purview when she served as secretary of state — to increase trade between Israel and New Jersey as well as to push back on antisemitism.

“You think about the 1960s, when Blacks and Jewish people stood hand by hand” in the Civil Rights Movement, Way said. “That’s why I also made certain that my Israel Commission partnered with my MLK Jr. Commission, not just internally, but externally, going out to schools — especially our high school students — so that they could understand the history, understand the unity of two people in hopes of bringing about a better us.”

“Tahesha Way understands what is failing the Jewish community right now, and especially this fight against antisemitism which is on the rise,” Way said. “I have stood side by side with the Jewish community, overseeing the Israel commission and making sure that the needs and the protection has always been authentically there.”

She said she also worked with the commission to send letters to college and university presidents after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks to ensure that academic leaders took steps to combat antisemitism, and re-emphasized her support for legislation to codify the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism — which was ultimately blocked by fellow Democratic leaders, including former Gov. Phil Murphy.

She alluded to those events, noting that she had “separated myself from governing partners” on that issue.

“Tahesha Way understands what is failing the Jewish community right now, and especially this fight against antisemitism which is on the rise,” Way said. “I have stood side by side with the Jewish community, overseeing the Israel commission and making sure that the needs and the protection has always been authentically there.”

Way said she would advocate for antisemitism legislation to codify the IHRA definition on the federal level as well, and to “streamline access” to security funding for Jewish institutions through the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.

“We need [representatives] who will stand with our Jewish communities without hesitation,” Way said, asserting repeatedly that, “other candidates are not strong on this.” Several other leading candidates also have spoken out against antisemitism and in favor of federal programs to combat it, as well as supported the IHRA bill.

She connected her own daughter’s experience surviving a mass shooting at the University of Virginia to those of Jewish students, and their parents, facing antisemitic harassment on their campuses after Oct. 7.

At the same time, Way said that the federal government should not step in to defund colleges and universities — as the Trump administration has — unless the institutions are “abdicating their responsibilities to students,” and that it must do so through due process and rule of law.

“Conditioning aid to Israel would weaken it at a moment when Israel faces real security threats, and I think it would undermine our credibility as a strategic partner,” Way said. “We work with Israel on these issues as partners, not by holding their security hostage to political demands. And ultimately, I believe, those aren’t conditions. They are the foundation of a strong alliance between two democracies.”

Way visited Israel in 2019 on a delegation with other state-level officials from around the country organized by the American Jewish Committee, calling it “one of the most significant experiences of my life.” She said she wanted to “witness the alliance between our nation and Israel,” and that she had the chance to see the security and intelligence cooperation, the shared democratic values and the economic ties between the two countries.

She said she “absolutely” opposes efforts to condition or stop U.S. weapons sales to Israel, a position she said goes back to the understanding of the U.S.-Israel relationship she developed on that trip.

“Conditioning aid to Israel would weaken it at a moment when Israel faces real security threats, and I think it would undermine our credibility as a strategic partner,” Way said. “We work with Israel on these issues as partners, not by holding their security hostage to political demands. And ultimately, I believe, those aren’t conditions. They are the foundation of a strong alliance between two democracies.”

She added that she has been “clear about my expectations: responsible use of aid, commitment to humanitarian law and a path towards a two-state solution.”

Asked to clarify her vision of a two-state solution, Way said that Hamas’ dismantling is a necessary precondition to moving toward a Palestinian state.

She noted that she had the opportunity to hear from former hostage Eli Sharabi when he visited New Jersey last December, an experience she said led her to recommit to supporting Israel.

Asked about the administration’s strikes on Iran last June, Way said that “Iran is a destabilizing force in the Middle East and an existential threat to Israel and the United States” which has harmed not only U.S. service members but also Iranian citizens. “The United States must ensure that Iran never possesses those nuclear weapons.”

She connected her concerns about the regime’s violations of its citizens’ rights to her own work in New Jersey fighting for civil rights and supporting democracy.

“That’s why I take democracy to heart, that is why I am so passionate about the United States-Israel relationship and alliance, because of the shared democratic values,” Way said.

Pressed on whether she would support strikes on the Iranian government in support of protesters, she again condemned the regime but said that the administration “cannot move unilaterally” and that Congress must be involved in any military action.

Way argued that voters are “are looking for someone who has already made a difference and has proven results for New Jersey families, and that is me, and I’m definitely not done yet,” and that she’s the only candidate with the diversity of government experience, as well as the only candidate who has been sued by the Trump administration.