Rep. James Walkinshaw (D-VA) touted his history with local Jewish organizations and vowed to make combating antisemitism a priority in Congress while speaking to members of Northern Virginia’s Jewish community on Wednesday.

Walkinshaw appeared at the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington’s “Lox and Legislators” breakfast in Falls Church, Va., where he lauded attendees for helping to “build communities in ways that make our communities better and stronger for all of us,” recounted his visits to the Fairfax community’s eruv and highlighted his relationships with Congregation Olam Tikvah and the JCRC.

Walkinshaw, who won a special election in August to replace the late Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), his longtime boss, cited Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America while noting that the recent celebration of the fourth anniversary of the eruv’s opening highlighted “the quintessential Americanness of that eruv project.” An eruv is a boundary that allows observant Jews to carry items outside their homes on Shabbat, a foundational feature that makes communities accessible to religious Jews.

“The United States of America, a nation founded on the principle of religious liberty and freedom, where everyone is free to express their faith,” Walkinshaw said. “A lot of folks who remember their [de] Tocqueville, Democracy in America, from high school or college history courses. … He traveled across the country in the 1830s and was impressed by our institutions and our founding documents.”

“He [de Tocqueville] wrote that what actually made — to borrow a phrase — what made America great was our spirit of association and our ability to come together in all kinds of different ways, as faith communities, as neighborhoods, as communities,” he continued. “To solve problems together and work together to make our communities, our states, our nation even better and stronger.”

Walkinshaw expressed concern about the rise in antisemitism nationally and in Virginia, vowing to fight for an increase in Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding for the next fiscal year and to urge the House Education and Workforce Committee to “take a holistic look at antisemitic incidents in school districts across the country,” something he penned a letter to Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) about last month.

“We have to be united. We have to be firm in our opposition to hatred in any form or opposition to antisemitism,” Walkinshaw said. “We can’t allow antisemitism to be a partisan issue. We have to stand against it, Democrats and Republicans, no matter where it takes place.”

The Virginia lawmaker went on to say that “so much of what the Jewish community does in Northern Virginia, what the JCRC does across our region, is build communities in ways that make our communities better and stronger for all of us.” 

“The Fairfax eruv is an affirmation of Jewish belonging here in Northern Virginia, and in Fairfax an affirmation that Jewish people and Jewish families are welcome here and should feel safe here in Fairfax and in Northern Virginia,” he told the crowd. “We know that’s not a feeling that we can take for granted.”

Reached for comment by Jewish Insider on his outreach to Northern Virginia’s Jewish community since taking office, Walkinshaw said in a statement, “Throughout my career in Northern Virginia, I’ve worked closely with our region’s diverse communities, including the Jewish community, to advance safety, dignity, and opportunity for all.”

“As a Member of Congress, I’m proud to continue that work — advancing progressive policies, confronting all forms of hate including antisemitism, and advocating for democratic values and human rights,” his statement added.

Ron Halber, the CEO of the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, gave Walkinshaw a glowing assessment based on his job performance since taking office in September.

“I really have a very, very strong and positive feeling about Rep. Walkinshaw,” Halber told JI. “He’s incredibly thoughtful. I think he has spent a great deal of his career on Capitol Hill, and that he’s just ready for this job.”

“He’s got deep relationships in the Jewish community. I think the Jewish community overall is very, very positively disposed to him. He had a tremendous reaction, a tremendously positive reaction in that room, including from myself,” Halber continued. “I think he’s a great guy, and I think he’s going to do great things. … He’s done a lot of outreach to the Jewish community, makes himself accessible. I think we’re going to have a champion for the Jewish community with him.”

Halber went on to predict that Walkinshaw, who he described as “an excellent speaker,” could become a rising political star. “He’s young, and I think he’s going to become a leader in Congress very quickly. I think he’s very, very smart about a lot of issues,” Halber said.

James Walkinshaw, a longtime former aide to Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA), aims to follow in his late mentor’s footsteps as the strong favorite to win a special general election in Virginia’s 11th Congressional District in September.

Walkinshaw, who has been a member of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors for the last five years, spent more than a decade as Connolly’s chief of staff on Capitol Hill. He’s now running to fill the seat Connolly held from 2009 until his death earlier this year. Walkinshaw said that Connolly, who was not planning to seek reelection next year, had encouraged him to run, and he received the endorsement of Connolly’s family members.

Asked if he sees any major differences between himself and Connolly — whether on policy or his approach to the role of a member of Congress — Walkinshaw said that there are few, and that he was aligned with his former boss’ views on most issues. 

But when it comes to Israel, Walkinshaw sounds likely to adopt a more moderate tone on Middle East policy, something of a contrast from Connolly, who took an increasingly critical view of the Jewish state during his tenure in the House.

Connolly, who was a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, represented a sizable Jewish population and a significant Muslim population in his Northern Virginia district. 

“I’m a strong believer in the importance and value of a secure, democratic … Jewish state,” Walkinshaw told Jewish Insider. “I think the U.S.-Israel relationship has immense historical importance. It has immense strategic importance to the United States, and I want to see a strong U.S.-Israel relationship with bipartisan support.”

He said that the current situation in Gaza presents “a very difficult moment in the region and in the relationship, but my hope is we can get through this moment and preserve the really important relationship that we have.”

Walkinshaw said he’s hopeful that talks will resume to return all of the remaining hostages, end the violence in Gaza and increase humanitarian aid to alleviate the current crisis, which he described as “unacceptable.”

Walkinshaw said he opposes the push by some progressive House members for a full halt to U.S. military aid to Israel, arguing that “severing the U.S.-Israel relationship in that way” would not serve anyone’s interests, including the Palestinians. “I think it is really important that relationship continue.”

“I wish that President Trump had continued to pursue that diplomatic path. I think that path was still available to him when the decision was made to launch the strikes against Iran. And I’m hopeful that that diplomatic path can be resumed,” Walkinshaw told JI.

“But I do think that the president of the United States, whether it’s Joe Biden or Donald Trump, has a responsibility to be a neutral broker and try to encourage both sides to come to an agreement to reach a ceasefire and the president of United States has a lot of leverage in those conversations, and should use it,” he continued.

Walkinshaw said that a nuclear-armed Iran is “unacceptable” and would endanger both Israeli and U.S. interests globally, but said that a deal with the Iranian regime is the only path to guaranteeing that Iran cannot obtain a nuclear weapon.

“I wish that President Trump had continued to pursue that diplomatic path. I think that path was still available to him when the decision was made to launch the strikes against Iran. And I’m hopeful that that diplomatic path can be resumed,” Walkinshaw told JI, when asked about the administration’s June military strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

He argued that although the U.S. and Israeli strikes had “diminished” the regime’s capabilities, Iran still has the capacity to rebuild and resume its nuclear weapons program, potentially in a more covert fashion than in the past.

And he said he believes that the Constitution and the War Powers Act “are clear” that Trump should have come to Congress for authorization before launching the strikes.

Walkinshaw’s district has seen a series of antisemitic incidents in recent months, including the arrest of a George Mason University student for plotting a terror attack against the Israeli consulate in New York and the discovery of pro-terrorism materials in the homes of two other students.

“The first thing we all have to do as leaders is speak out clearly that any form of hate or discrimination, including antisemitism, are absolutely unacceptable,” Walkinshaw said. He said that he would work in Congress to speak out against antisemitism “wherever it might take root” and to “ensure that in our schools, we’re educating students about antisemitism and ways to speak out against it and be involved in the very important efforts to end antisemitism.”

He noted that George Mason falls under the supervision of the state, and that Fairfax County has no authority over the campus or campus property, but said he’s “proud of the work that the Fairfax County Police Department did in coordination with other law enforcement agencies” to respond to the three students in question.

He also noted that there was a spree of instances of antisemitic graffiti in the district he represents on the Fairfax County board, all perpetrated by one individual. He said that, after those incidents, he brought together a local group of interfaith leaders to speak out and show solidarity with the Jewish community.

“The first thing we all have to do as leaders is speak out clearly that any form of hate or discrimination, including antisemitism, are absolutely unacceptable,” Walkinshaw said. He said that he would work in Congress to speak out against antisemitism “wherever it might take root” and to “ensure that in our schools, we’re educating students about antisemitism and ways to speak out against it and be involved in the very important efforts to end antisemitism.”

Walkinshaw added that he’s “proud of the strong relationship I’ve built with the Jewish community here in Fairfax” and that he would plan, as a member of Congress, to continue to stand with the community, in both times of celebration and mourning.

Eileen Filler-Corn, the former Virginia House speaker and outspoken supporter of Israel, endorsed Walkinshaw. She agreed that the nominee has longstanding connections with the Jewish community.

“He’s been very, very active with our community and very supportive of our community and engaged,” Filler-Corn told JI, as he consistently attends community events and vigils. “He’s not a new face to the Jewish community. He’s somebody we know very well. And he doesn’t just say the right things. He actually walks the walk.”

She added that he has reached out and shown up consistently, even when “things change and things become hard.”

“He is somebody that does his research and listens and learns, and I do believe he has been extremely supportive of our community amid the rise in antisemitism,” she continued, adding that he has a record of action and public comments as supervisor to back that up.

Filler-Corn said she’s had the opportunity to speak with Walkinshaw many times both before and after Oct. 7, 2023, about Israel policy, and emphasized that he’s always available to listen and talk about issues with her. She said she believes he understands the issues at play, and that he’s also willing to research and learn about them.

“I have been very, very pleased with what he has shared,” she continued, noting that he had highlighted the need to free the hostages during a candidate forum in the Democratic primary.

Walkinshaw told JI he ultimately decided to run for Congress because he feels that his community is “under attack from the Trump administration” and that the administration is threatening American democracy. 

“I think by and large, if voters in the 11th District liked what they got from Gerry Connolly in terms of his philosophy and in terms of his approach to fighting for the people he represented, then they’re going to like what they get from me if I’m successful on Sept. 9,” Walkinshaw told JI.

Given his experience, he argued, he’s well-placed to advocate for the community, and has a deep understanding of the centrality of constituent services issues to the role and of how to deliver results in the House.

He said he’s aiming to follow in Connolly’s footsteps and gain a seat on the House Oversight Committee, of which Connolly was briefly the ranking member prior to his death, highlighting the high proportion of government contractors and federal employees in his district impacted by the Trump administration’s mass cuts to the federal government. Walkinshaw also named affordability as a top priority, which he said should be a focus for every Democratic candidate.

“I think by and large, if voters in the 11th District liked what they got from Gerry Connolly in terms of his philosophy and in terms of his approach to fighting for the people he represented, then they’re going to like what they get from me if I’m successful on Sept. 9,” Walkinshaw told JI.