When Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) walked up to the microphone at the “Rally for Israel” in West Hartford, Conn., two days after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terror attacks, sporting a well-worn UConn baseball hat and a quarter-zip sweatshirt, the first thing he did was apologize for his attire. He was in the middle of his annual walk across the entire state of Connecticut, sporting the same sneakers he has worn each year since 2016. 

He said he almost canceled the remainder of the walk after the attacks in Israel.

“But then I thought to myself, what better way to spend my week than traveling from one end of the state to the next to explain to the people of this state why it is so important for this state, the people of this state, to stand up and speak with one voice that we stand in support of Israel?” Murphy asked, receiving loud applause from the crowd gathered outside West Hartford City Hall. The Hartford metro area boasts the largest Jewish community in the state. 

Murphy spoke emotionally about the “unspeakable” videos and images that were emerging from Israel. “This is a moment where we are going to have to stand as a nation with greater force, with greater purpose than ever, to make sure that Israel has what it needs,” Murphy said. 

But members of Connecticut’s Jewish community say Murphy strayed from that promise just weeks after Hamas launched the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history. In late November 2023, Murphy said on CNN that he was open to placing conditions on U.S. aid to Israel, a position that astounded many of the people who had stood with him in West Hartford not long before. Since then, he has emerged as a vocal critic of Israel’s handling of the war in Gaza. 

“Unlike the unwavering support for Israel shown by President [Joe] Biden and the Democratic leadership in the Senate, your tune has changed in recent weeks,” Rabbi Tuvia Brander, the spiritual leader of Young Israel of West Hartford, wrote in an open letter responding to Murphy, published in the Jewish Link, a local Jewish news outlet. “As a voter and your constituent, I hope you will do better; Israel deserves better, America deserves better, we deserve better!”

Now, more than 18 months after the attack and Murphy’s pledge to stand by Israel, the Connecticut Jewish community’s frustration with Murphy has only grown.

The Connecticut senator voted twice in support of resolutions put forward by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) that would block certain arms sales to Israel. Following Israel’s strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, Murphy slammed Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for sending the Middle East into a “new, deadly conflict,” arguing that the U.S. has “no obligation to follow Israel into a war we did not ask for and will make us less safe.” 

His shift to the party’s left flank on Israel comes as Murphy positions himself as a leading voice in the Democratic Party in opposition to President Donald Trump’s policies and builds a stronger public profile for himself. He’s a regular on cable news shows and recently created a new political action committee to encourage protests against Trump, with plans to spend $2 million in the 2026 midterms, sparking rumors that he could mount a presidential bid in 2028. 

It’s not just Murphy’s foreign policy views that are concerning his Jewish constituents. Recently, the senator has emerged as one of the most prominent boosters of presumptive New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, even as some of his Democratic colleagues have raised concerns about Mamdani’s refusal to condemn the phrase “globalize the intifada.” 

Murphy went on national television on Sunday and announced he was endorsing Mamdani, while saying it might be necessary to include outside-the-mainstream views within the Democratic Party.

“He was authentic, right? I mean, yes, he’s got some views that are a little bit out of the conventional mainstream. But you know what? The traditional political pundits have no idea what’s actually mainstream in this country … And so Democrats should learn from his victory,” Murphy said on “Meet the Press.”

Brander told Jewish Insider that Murphy’s praise of Mamdani is “so beyond the pale of what is just in the basic interests of many of his constituents.” 

“He really seems to be trying to position himself within the progressive wing of the Democratic Party,” said Leslie Loew, an emeritus professor at the University of Connecticut’s cell biology department. “He’s been saying things and doing things that people who are supportive of Israel and are sympathetic to Israel’s plight are kind of disturbed at.” 

Murphy, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, views foreign policy as a key issue of national concern, and one where he has decided to be outspoken. His official website touts his efforts to chart a “forward-thinking foreign policy vision” for the United States, describing himself as an “outspoken proponent of diplomacy, international human rights and the need for clear-eyed American leadership abroad.” 

Some in the Jewish community — including many who have supported him in the past, particularly around gun control, the issue that first brought him national attention — are left watching all of this warily. (Murphy became a vocal advocate for gun violence prevention after the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012, when he represented Newtown in the House of Representatives.)

“He really seems to be trying to position himself within the progressive wing of the Democratic Party,” said Leslie Loew, an emeritus professor at the University of Connecticut’s cell biology department. “He’s been saying things and doing things that people who are supportive of Israel and are sympathetic to Israel’s plight are kind of disturbed at.” 

Loew, a Democrat, voted for Murphy in his first two Senate elections. But last year, when Murphy was on the ballot, Loew opted not to vote in the Senate race. 

Murphy defeated Republican challenger Matthew Corey by nearly 20 points. He does not face any serious political opposition in solidly blue Connecticut.

“There’s really no challenging him in terms of state politics. He can have his Senate seat as long as he wants it,” said Scott McLean, a political science professor at Connecticut’s Quinnipiac University, who also called Murphy “one of the most visible voices challenging the [Trump] administration on a whole variety of issues.” 

One of those issues is Iran, and, more broadly, Trump’s foreign policy in the Middle East. Murphy had also taken aim at Trump for bombing three nuclear sites in Iran, saying that Trump was “goaded into these strikes by the perpetual cheerleaders of war in the Middle East,” and called the actions “illegal” while warning that “countless Americans” could die as a result. 

Last week, a senior foreign policy advisor in Murphy’s office met virtually with Loew and Ari Schaffer, who founded an Israel advocacy group called Greater Hartford for Israel, over concerns about Murphy’s approach to Iran. Loew and Schaffer have been organizing weekly pro-Israel marches in West Hartford since Oct. 7. 

Murphy’s staffer “insisted that he is fully supportive of Israel,” Loew said after last week’s meeting. “I actually believe her. I think that in his mind, he believes in Israel’s right to exist, but he doesn’t project that when he criticizes Israel. He criticizes Israel at every opportunity, and obviously very unfairly in many cases.”

Murphy told JI in a statement Monday that he “will always be a strong friend of the Israeli people and support Israel’s right to defend itself, especially after the horrors of October 7th but also against the threats posed by Iran and its proxies.” 

In April, on the morning of the Senate vote on the Sanders-sponsored resolutions on cutting arms sales to Israel, Murphy spoke with a group of leaders from Jewish federations throughout Connecticut, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting. He listened to their arguments, but he was still one of 15 Democratic senators to vote in favor of the resolutions.

Stephen Davis, a Harvard Law School professor who lives in Connecticut, defended Murphy, despite his distance from the Jewish communal establishment. “Senator Murphy is as pro-Israel as they come. But that doesn’t mean backing everything the current Israeli government does,” said Davis, the chair of J Street’s Connecticut chapter. 

Murphy told JI in a statement Monday that he “will always be a strong friend of the Israeli people and support Israel’s right to defend itself, especially after the horrors of October 7th but also against the threats posed by Iran and its proxies.” 

He argues that the change is not his attitude toward Israel, but Israel’s actions in Gaza and the shifting geopolitical reality in the Middle East. “I have consistently supported sending Israel the military aid it needs to decimate Hamas’ military capabilities and eliminate Hamas leadership,” said Murphy, adding that he believes “those aims have been achieved, and the government should prioritize a cease-fire deal that brings home all of the hostages.” 

“Sen. Chris Murphy has been a critical voice in the fight against antisemitism and extremism. At a time when Jewish communities face historic threats, he has renewed his commitment to strengthening and growing the Nonprofit Security Grant Program,” said Stacey Sobel, the Anti-Defamation League’s Connecticut director, adding that the ADL will continue “working through any differences to advance our shared goals.” 

“My vote on the recent JRDs reflects my serious frustration with how Prime Minister Netanyahu has prosecuted this war, which has led to the deaths of more than 50,000 Palestinians and pushed Gaza to the brink of famine,” Murphy said, referring to the Sanders-authored resolutions.

Despite mounting frustration over Murphy’s approach to Israel, Jewish leaders have found common cause with the senator on their requests to increase federal funding for vital security aid for nonprofits. Murphy, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, plays an important role on that issue, and has advocated for additional funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program. 

“Sen. Chris Murphy has been a critical voice in the fight against antisemitism and extremism. At a time when Jewish communities face historic threats, he has renewed his commitment to strengthening and growing the Nonprofit Security Grant Program,” said Stacey Sobel, the Anti-Defamation League’s Connecticut director, adding that the ADL will continue “working through any differences to advance our shared goals.” 

Still, despite the areas of collaboration, some of Murphy’s Jewish constituents view his approach to Israel as a betrayal — and a cause for concern as he ascends within the Democratic Party.

“A lot of people are worried what it means for the future of the Jewish community and the safety of the Jewish community, for our relationship with the State of Israel, if he’s the kind of person who’s going to be the standard bearer for the Democratic Party going forward,” Schaffer, who is a registered Republican, said. 

The pro-Israel marches that Schaffer has organized since Oct. 7 have drawn several Connecticut lawmakers, including Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Rep. John Larson (D-CT). Despite regular invitations, Murphy has yet to attend one of the weekly pro-Israel events.