Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) expressed concerns about Chris Rabb’s Democratic congressional primary victory in Philadelphia this week, which is likely to send the Pennsylvania state legislator to Washington next year in a deep-blue district.

They expressed particular concern about a post shared on Rabb’s Instagram account that described the Bondi Beach Hanukkah terror attack in Sydney as a false flag operation, which Rabb’s campaign has attributed to an unnamed former staffer and disavowed. 

In a new statement to Jewish Insider, Rabb pushed back, emphasizing his connections to the Jewish community and explaining that the post was shared by a former contractor with whom the campaign had cut ties, without his approval.

Moskowitz noted that mass shootings are a particularly personal topic for him given that he graduated from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, the site of one of the largest school shootings in U.S. history.

“I had a shooting at my high school, 14 kids were killed, three adults. [Former Rep.] Marjorie Taylor Greene called that a false flag event. To see someone on my side of the aisle see a mass shooting and call it a false flag is obviously tremendously disappointing,” Moskowitz told JI on Thursday.

He said that such rhetoric also feeds into a cycle of escalation that leads to comments like those from antisemitic Texas Democratic congressional candidate Maureen Galindo, who called for imprisoning and castrating Zionists.

“How did we get here?” Moskowitz asked. “It’s because of statements like [Rabb] said, and statements that many other people say, and the stuff that goes online. It’s the constant escalatory behavior.” 

Gottheimer said he was “deeply concerned about the things [Rabb] has said and shared” as well as “who he campaigned with,” naming Hasan Piker, the far-left streamer who has repeatedly espoused antisemitic sentiments and support for terrorism in particular.

“Whether that was some sort of campaign gimmick or his deeply felt beliefs — we’ll see,” Gottheimer said.

Rabb pushed back hard in a lengthy statement to JI, again denying any knowledge of the Bondi Beach post.

“The Bondi Beach Instagram story was reposted to my account without my knowledge or consent by a vendor with whom my campaign has severed ties. Accusations to the contrary are extraordinarily troubling because they misrepresent my deep and enduring commitment to combatting antisemitism and standing with the Jewish community here in Philadelphia and around the world. There is no place for such destructive and shameful hate,” Rabb said. “I have never and would never support any such heinous conspiracy theories.”

Rabb also emphasized longtime connections to the Jewish community — growing up in a Black and Jewish neighborhood and working with Jewish communities during his time in office to fight white Christian nationalism and bigotry, and noted the longtime alliance between the Black and Jewish communities to fight racism.

“These accusations ignore my life-long connection to the Jewish community amid multi-generationial ties to Jewish friends and neighbors borne of shared struggle and resistance to systems of harm,” Rabb continued. “I am proud that Philadelphia’s Jewish community was at the heart of my campaign – including many volunteers and staff, all the way up to our campaign manager. In Congress, I will do everything in my power to prevent violence against Jewish folks — or any other people — because I firmly believe in protecting and supporting the safety and equality of all.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), who endorsed Rabb, defended him.

“I was concerned about [the Bondi Beach post], but they said it was someone on the staff and he disowned it immediately. He disavowed it,” Raskin said. “I spent some time with him, and he’s a very smart and thoughtful and decent guy.”

Speaking at a House Education & Workforce subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, a doctor accused his union of engaging in systemic discrimination against Jewish and Israeli health providers, supporting terrorist sympathizers and making “its obsession with a single geopolitical conflict a defining future of its identity” — all while he’ll be forced by federal law to fund it.

Dr. Jacob Agronin, a cardiology fellow at a major medical institution in Philadelphia, testified alongside several other experts on antisemitism at a hearing focused on anti-Jewish hate in the medical field — which both Jewish medical providers and patients report as a growing problem since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel.

The hearing focused in particular on the role of healthcare worker unions, such as the Committee of Interns and Residents, of which Agronin is set to be a member, in spreading antisemitism and their failures to stand up for Jewish union members.

CIR has adopted a series of resolutions condemning Israel for genocide and calling for divestment from Israel, including “human capital.” The organization has also offered its institutional support for a physician who expressed support for Hezbollah and for anti-Israel Columbia University activist Mahmoud Khalil.

“CIR has formally recommended that hospitals exclude my Israeli colleagues from employment, and then compels dues from those same colleagues to fund that position,” Agronin said. “If any employer in this country adopted that policy, we would call it what it is: discrimination.”

He said that members of the union feel afraid to speak out. Agronin also emphasized that his salary, which will help fund the union, comes in part from Medicare graduate medical education funding. 

Eveline Shekhman, the CEO of the American Jewish Medical Association, said that her organization is encountering a new era in which “Jew hatred hides behind the guise of anti-Zionism.”

“We are seeing calls to fire Jewish doctors, the praising of terrorist groups in and outside of clinical settings, the refusal to treat patients because of their faith, national origin or Zionist identity, and the demand that Jewish colleagues renounce Israel as a condition of workplace acceptance,” Shekhman said. “This is antisemitism, this is discrimination, and it is a distraction. It has no place in medicine.”

Any disruption to the clinical environment can impact patient care, she said.

She added that employees should be able to rely on their unions to support them when their employers fail to do so in such an environment, but that many unions themselves “have created an environment where Jewish professionals no longer feel welcome” and where they are forced to fund such activities with which they disagree.

In addition to CIR, Shekhman said the National Nurses Union has also been advancing anti-Israel activity, including providing a guide for members to bring anti-Zionism into the clinical setting, where Shekhman argued such activity is irrelevant and has no place.

Deena Margolies, an attorney for the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, said that efforts like these from healthcare unions place Jewish and Israeli professionals “in an impossible position: The union that is supposed to represent them is also helping to create the hostile work environment they must endure.”

“Antisemitism can be dressed as labor solidarity or political language, but the effect is the same. Jewish and Israeli healthcare professionals and patients are treated as morally suspect and unable to participate fully yet equally in clinical settings,” she continued.

Agronin told Jewish Insider after the hearing that there is a “fairly silent majority” that opposes the actions the union is taking but is afraid of backlash if they speak out.

Shekhman told JI that she appreciated that all of the lawmakers expressed concern about the trend of antisemitism in healthcare, and said that that is a promising sign of possibilities for progress going forward. 

She said that lawmakers’ support can be helpful when working with institutions to address these issues, and said that the hearing can be the first of “a lot more conversations that need to be had.”

Agronin emphasized that “it’s not just a Jewish issue. This is really an issue that affects all Americans.”

“This is discrimination, as it would be for any other group of people by race, sexual orientation, national origin, anything,” he said. “None of us want to be forced to pay even a single dollar to this organization, especially when it … certainly doesn’t serve our interests — actually quite the opposite. So, I’d hope that there’s some solution to have an option for those that want nothing to do with unions.”

Throughout the hearing, Democrats questioned the motivation of the inquiry, accusing Republicans of weaponizing antisemitism as a cudgel against union organizing generally.

“It is irresponsible and unproductive to take the words and actions of a few and broadly categorize labor unions as fostering discrimination,” Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), the ranking member of the subcommittee, said.

Jamie Beran, the CEO of the progressive Jewish group Bend the Arc, testified that antisemitism in the healthcare setting is “heartbreaking” and “leaves many Jews feeling isolated and unsure who to trust.” But she also attacked the Trump administration and descriptions of labor unions as institutionally antisemitic.

“The Trump administration is using Jewish safety as a pretext for policies that endanger our neighbors and our democracy, and as a Jewish leader, that angers me,” she continued. “Unions and professional organizations are engaged in the same debates happening across America. These disagreements are not inherently illegal antisemitism or harassment. … [T]o smear the institutions themselves as antisemitic because of what some members say is politically motivated. It’s gross governmental overreach to constitutionally protected speech among adults.”

Beran also condemned the administration for cutting funding for the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Civil Rights, and for restricting abortion access.

Shekhman and Agronin insisted to JI after the hearing that the issue should be a nonpartisan one, and that they’re not targeting unions broadly. Shekhman emphasized that it’s a “patient care crisis issue” that impacts all Americans, regardless of their background. And Agronin said he did not believe that similar behavior would be tolerated if other groups were being targeted.

Shekhman said she did not have the opportunity during the hearing to emphasize the “true impact of BDS on healthcare overall” — including a loss of access to research, technology and collaboration across a range of different areas, as well as losing the support of Israeli physicians.

She said that lawmakers and the public may not understand the scope and volume of the problem: in the past two weeks AJMA received 26 incidents of various natures, from a car being vandalized with a swastika in a hospital parking lot to a kippah being knocked off. And, she continued, most of the victims are afraid to discuss the issue publicly.

Agronin said that CIR’s protestations that it is anti-Zionist rather than antisemitic are a ruse, and that “anti-Zionism is 1940s Jew hatred that’s rebranded for the 21st century.”

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) is set to attend a rally with Pennsylvania state Sen. Sharif Street on Monday, a last-minute boost for Street’s campaign ahead of his Tuesday congressional primary in Philadelphia where his challenger, far-left state Sen. Chris Rabb, is favored to win.

Local analysts say that the appearance by Booker — a well-known face to local voters across the Delaware River from his home state — should help Street’s campaign, but were skeptical that it would be enough to help him beat Rabb.

One local Democratic strategist said that they don’t expect Street to win, but he remains a viable candidate, with support from many local Democrats including Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker.

Booker, the strategist said, is known locally because of the shared media market, and could provide a boost with older Black voters, though the strategist said that bringing in Booker is “not some coup like a robocall from Obama.”

The strategist said that winning over Black voters will be pivotal to a Street victory, but was skeptical of Booker’s appeal among the younger Black population.

Larry Ceisler, a public affairs executive in the district, said he was doubtful of the extent to which Booker’s appearance would move the needle, though he also acknowledged that Booker is a well-known moderate locally.

Booker’s appearance could send a signal to some moderate voters who had been backing physician Ala Stanford — until recently seen as the leading candidate in the race, prior to a series of high profile stumbles — to switch their allegiance to Street, Ceisler added.

Ahead of Tuesday’s primary in Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District in the heart of Philadelphia, Chris Rabb seems to be surging, local political analysts said, in spite of recent controversies surrounding the far-left state lawmaker.

Rabb is facing off against state Sen. Sharif Street, a former state Democratic Party chair, and Ala Stanford, a physician and activist. Rabb has most recently come under scrutiny for sharing an Instagram post blaming “Zionists” for the massacre at a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach, a post Rabb’s campaign claimed came from an unidentified former staffer.

Rabb closed last quarter as the top fundraiser in the race, bringing in nearly double what either of his rivals raised. 314 Action, a Democratic pro-science group that was a major outside backer of Stanford, pulled its ads off television last week following polling showing her support had “declined precipitously in recent weeks,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

A previous 314 Action poll last month had found Stanford, seen as the favorite for much of the race, with a strong lead. But she and her campaign have suffered a series of high-profile and largely self-inflicted stumbles in recent weeks — including recent scrutiny of her finances, a fumbled interview about immigration enforcement and her withdrawal from a televised debate.

“A month ago, it looked like Dr. Stanford was surging, from someone who had never run for office to being a first time candidate and winning a congressional seat,” J.J. Balaban, a Pennsylvania Democratic strategist, told Jewish Insider. “And then you’ve seen, kind of remarkably, a series of self-inflicted errors that some think have made it a lot less likely that she’s going to win.”

Balaban said that Rabb has benefited from the fact that both Stanford and Street have “seemed to accumulate a significant amount of baggage.” 

“I think Rabb has been able to take advantage of opposition that … was surprisingly weak, and present himself as new and different and a break from the local Democratic machine which had largely coalesced around Sharif Street,” Balaban said.

He said Rabb had also been “very fortunate that he has, for the most part, escaped serious scrutiny because it was thought that Dr. Stanford was on a path to win,” allowing him to gain steam and seize the opening when her campaign struggled. Rabb has not faced significant attacks in the race, according to Balaban — including over the Bondi Beach controversy.

“He’s probably peaking at the right time,” Balaban said.

Larry Ceisler, a public affairs executive who lives in the district, said that the state of the race is hard to judge, but agreed that with national backing from a host of prominent left-wing leaders and the progressive lane to himself, Rabb seems to have the momentum in the lead-up to Tuesday’s election. Ceisler is a former Rabb supporter, and said he had donated to both Street and Stanford in this race.

Street has the strongest organizational support from local Democratic officials and union groups, but has at times had strained relations with other members of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party, making it unlikely, in Ceisler’s view, that other Democratic leaders in the state will intervene in the race on his behalf.

Balaban noted that Street has faced a significant amount of criticism for working with Republicans in the 2021 redistricting cycle on a map that would have given Street a strong chance to win a seat, while potentially hurting other Democrats. That episode set him at odds with Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA), who represents a neighboring district.

Balaban said that Street’s time as state Democratic Party chair is also not well-regarded.

Reflecting Rabb’s increasing chances of victory, Gov. Josh Shapiro quietly urged a local trade union backing Street not to run negative ads against Stanford, for fear of elevating Rabb, according to an Axios report.

Rabb and Shapiro have long clashed at the state level over immigration and other issues, and Rabb has also made anti-Israel activism a centerpiece of his campaign and faced accusations of antisemitism.

Both Ceisler and Balaban were skeptical of the extent of Shapiro’s involvement or that it would have any significant impact on the race, and did not expect Shapiro to get involved publicly.

Rabb’s campaign has focused heavily on his opposition to Israel and AIPAC in its messaging. In addition to the Bondi Beach post, Rabb also rallied with far-left streamer Hasan Piker, who has come under fire from a range of Democrats for antisemitism and support for terrorism.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is set to visit Philadelphia on Friday for a rally with Rabb.

Rabb and outside backers asserted, with shaky evidence, that AIPAC was funding 314 Action’s pro-Stanford independent expenditure effort. But AIPAC on Tuesday took the rare step of openly denying any involvement in the primary.

“Millions of Americans want to help tough, principled Democrats defeat extremist candidates. Despite conspiracy theories, not every dollar spent in that effort comes via AIPAC,” the group said on X.

314 Action, which critics have claimed is operating as an AIPAC cutout, also publicly denied taking any funding from AIPAC.

“[Rabb] spent his entire campaign running on a lie — and voters should not believe a word he says. We have not taken a dime from AIPAC in two years. Period,” 314 Action Executive Director Erik Polyak said on X.

Ceisler, who is Jewish, called the focus on Israel and AIPAC in the race upsetting and distressing, and said rhetoric has at times “crossed the line into antisemitism and dual loyalties.”

“This is a relatively poor district, lower-middle income district on the whole, and the fact that Israel and AIPAC is talked about so much in this race, when, if you probably did a poll, it might not hit the first 15-20 issues, is really disconcerting to me, and and I think that there’s been just a lot of untruths that have been that have been thrown around,” he told JI.

Balaban said that the environment has made it “easier for a loudly anti-Israel candidate like Chris Rabb to get traction,” but said that it was “surprising and disappointing that more attention wasn’t given to his very ugly accusation that the Bondi Beach massacre was a false flag operation.”

Pennsylvania state Rep. Chris Rabb — a Democrat seeking the Philadelphia House seat of retiring Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA) — shared an Instagram post blaming the massacre of Jewish Australians at a Hanukkah celebration at Sydney’s Bondi Beach on “Zionists,” the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

In the aftermath of the attack, in which 14 were killed and 40 injured, Rabb’s account shared disinformation insinuating the slaughter was a false flag perpetrated by Israeli interests. 

“We all know the gunmen were likely Zionists themselves,” read the post, which used an emoji in the place of the word “gun.”

Shortly after the attack, the alleged assailants were identified as a father and son whom authorities linked to an offshoot of the Islamic State. Rabb’s post further lamented that Ahmed al-Ahmed, a Muslim Syrian immigrant who intervened, had not received broader acknowledgment for his “hero” role of disarming one of the attackers.

A Rabb campaign spokesperson asserted to the Inquirer that the candidate not only did not share the post himself, but that he had “no knowledge” of it, and blamed a former staffer for posting it. The campaign declined to share the staffer’s name and the details of their dismissal with Jewish Insider, but stated that “Rabb  has and does condemn [the post] in the strongest terms.”

Rabb is locked in a tight race with state Sen. Sharif Street and Dr. Ala Stanford. In recent weeks, Rabb was endorsed by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) and Reps. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and Maxwell Frost (D-FL), and received the backing of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He’s also gotten the backing of far-left streamer Hasan Piker and the Democratic Socialists of America.

Sharif Street is walking a unique political path.

The Pennsylvania state senator running for a House seat in the heart of deep-blue Philadelphia is Black and Muslim, and has staked out positions largely supportive of Israel.

He traveled to Israel with the American Jewish Committee in 2017 “to gain some understanding” of the complexities facing Israelis and Palestinians.

He has indicated that he would not support conditions on U.S. aid to Israel, saying that the two allies need an “open dialogue,” yet he refers to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal.

Street’s nuances on Israel — he backs a strong U.S.-Israel relationship, while also urging a compassionate approach to the Palestinians — offer a sharp contrast with his most prominent rival in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District, who is a strident antagonist of Israel.

Street’s friends and allies in the Jewish community insist his stances aren’t a matter of political convenience or calibrated to win him a congressional seat, but rather are borne of years of study on the issue, personal conviction and decades-long ties to members of the Jewish community.

The nuances Street evinces on Israel extend to his reading of the Muslim community, too. While political analyses over the past two years have seen the Jewish and Muslim communities as generally at odds over the war in Gaza — including the three current Muslim members of Congress who regularly stake out anti-Israel stances — Street argued in an interview with Jewish Insider that doesn’t tell the full story of his community.

“The Muslim community is much more diverse than I think the American press tends to think,” Street told JI in a recent interview. “I’m an African American. We have had, historically, pretty good relationships with the Jewish community. … There are over 2 billion Muslims in the world, a third of the world population. And American Muslims are from South Asia, they’re from Europe, they’re from Africa, they are from the Middle East.”

“I think the perspective of the press is always just Middle Eastern Muslims who come to this country with a very long, recent history of … concerns about Israel in the Middle East. That’s not all Muslims,” he said.

Muslims from other parts of the world “have various perspectives and their issues are diverse.” And he said the African American Muslim community of which he is a part “does not have [that] kind of entrenched negative history.”

Many African American Muslims, he said, are converts, and grew up in Christian communities, with different perspectives on Israel and the Jewish community. Of the nearly 500,000 Muslims in the Philadelphia area, 80% are African American, according to Street.

“Every time they want to talk about Muslim-Jewish relations, they just focus on a very small sector — probably less than 10% of the Muslim community, which happen to be Arab American,” Street said. “And their perspective is important, but it doesn’t represent all Muslims.”

Speaking to JI, Street cast himself as a supporter of the U.S.-Israel relationship, while also urging a compassionate approach to the Palestinians and a concerted effort to aid in the reconstruction of Gaza.

“Israel is one of the United States’ most important allies in the world and certainly in the region, and we need to make sure that we keep that relationship strong,” Street said. “We also need to understand that we have to rebuild Gaza for Palestinians.”

He argued that a failure to properly rebuild Gaza and provide it with the necessary resources will only fuel radicalization and help Hamas and other extremist groups grow. “That makes both Palestinians and Israelis less safe,” he said. 

He said the U.S. should invest in rebuilding and use its influence to bring along Israel and a multinational coalition, including Arab states, to assist the reconstruction and ensure the security of Gaza and the region, which would improve trust and the chances of success.

“By investing in those communities, we increase the safety and security for Israelis and Palestinians,” he reiterated. “At the same time, we have to recognize their immediate challenges, and the United States has to continue to make sure Israel can deal with the immediate challenges, while we increase the long term safety and security for both Israeli and Palestinians as well.”

He also indicated that he wouldn’t support conditions on U.S. aid to Israel, saying that the two allies need an “open dialogue.” He said that the U.S. should “encourage peace and prosperity in the region,” something best done through a “partnership” rather than by “dictating to Israel.”

He emphasized that all sides suffered in the war, and said he believes both Israelis and Palestinians want change.

Street takes a more critical stance toward Netanyahu. 

He was quoted by the Philadelphia Inquirer as saying, “Guess what? Benjamin Netanyahu is not the only leader of a major country in the world that’s committed war crimes, because Donald Trump has done the same thing. But none of us would talk about getting rid of the United States of America as a country.” He said at a recent candidate forum that Netanyahu should be prosecuted for war crimes.

Asked about the comments quoted by the Inquirer, he told JI that it is “possible” that Netanyahu was responsible for war crimes “and I certainly think that that needs to be investigated.” He highlighted that many Israelis are also concerned with and dissatisfied with Netanyahu’s leadership throughout the war, and want to see him out of office.

“Ultimately — and I think the Israeli people will do the right thing — but I think that the Israeli courts have to have a chance to really hear that and oversee those issues, and that’s not likely to happen while we’re still in an armed conflict,” he said.

About his trip with AJC to Israel alongside other Muslim leaders in 2017, Street said, “So often we oversimplify what’s going on in the Middle East,” Street said. “I don’t think Americans fully understand the depth and complexity of the issues. So I wanted to gain some understanding.”

David Hyman, a longtime attorney in Philadelphia who was an ally of Street’s father, former Philadelphia Mayor John Street, watched him grow up since he was a teenager. He said he remembers having a conversation with Street along similar lines following that trip.

“He said that what he really came away with on the trip [was] that slogans and simple answers are not what will help matters,” Hyman recounted.

Kevin Greenberg, an attorney who said he’s been friends with Street for 30 years, said he’s seen Street’s views on the Middle East grow and evolve over time, and the two had — prior to Street’s AJC trip — discussed visiting Israel together.

“I’ve seen a lot of politicians decide to be pro-Israel, pro-Jewish for contributions, and I’ve seen a lot of people be anti-Israel, pro-BDS … because you think there are votes there. That just doesn’t enter into his calculus on this issue,” Greenberg said. “It’s a core belief of who Sharif is. And he stands for the little guy in any situation.”

Hyman, a board member of AJC’s Philadelphia chapter, offered similar praise.

“He’ll speak about his support for Israel in a setting, in a context where there’s no political upside,” Hyman said. “For me, that’s the litmus test, because there’s so little political courage these days to say anything other than what’s politically expedient. He’s very upfront.”

Hyman said that, while Street may disagree with some of the Israeli government’s decisions, “in terms of standing behind the basic tenets of Zionism and the right for Israel to exist and defend itself, he distinguishes himself at a time where [other supporters are] peeling off.”

And he emphasized that Street will be accessible to groups across the Jewish community, who already have existing relationships with him. “When issues come up, it’ll be natural for us to talk to him and take his temperature.”

Robin Schatz, the director of government relations for the Jewish Federation of Greater Philadelphia, also said that Street has “always been a friend” well before his run for Congress, and that he has always been accessible to her and the Jewish community.

At the beginning of their friendship decades ago, Greenberg said Street did not know much about the Middle East but wanted to learn more, growing up in a household more focused on the needs of Philadelphia residents. “Sharif has evolved from a curious, but unknowing person, to somebody who has a deep understanding, and respect for Jews qua Jews.”

Greenberg also said that Street has always maintained a diverse group of friends, and that both his social and professional circles have included many Jewish people, and that he was a prominent participant in both of Greenberg’s daughters’ bat mitzvahs.

Hyman noted that Street worked for a time at a historically Jewish law firm, and said that he has been active in a local AJC initiative bringing together Jews and Muslims.

Street condemned those in the United States who have turned their grievances over the war in Gaza into violent action against Jewish Americans.

“I think one of the things that happens is silent complicity. When people don’t speak out against the antisemitism that exists, that fuels it,” Street said. “We also can’t allow people who are having concerns to then turn into calling for violence in the U.S. … I will use my voice, as I have done as a state senator, as a congressperson to speak out against this and use the platform to do it.”

He additionally emphasized the importance of hate crimes legislation and pointed to his support for legislation in Pennsylvania to provide funding to protect houses of worship, which he noted helps Jewish, Muslim and other communities. He said he would support similar efforts at the federal level.

Schatz said that having a devout Muslim lawmaker like Street with strong ties to the Jewish community in Congress could be good for the Jewish community, especially given tensions that have appeared between the two communities.

“I think it’s good for the Jewish community to hear that somebody from a different faith group, especially from Islam, where people have been somewhat leery because of terrorism and Israel, to see that we do have true allies,” she said. “He’s consistently there for the [Jewish] community.”

Street’s friends and allies praised him for consistently being among the first leaders to speak out against antisemitic incidents, with more than one highlighting that he was the first elected official to condemn a recent pro-Hamas rally in Philadelphia’s Rittenhouse Square last month.

“In 2024, when some of the far left were making antisemitic attacks on Josh Shapiro, when he was up to be nominated for vice president, Sharif basically went on a virtual tour of Black Muslims all over the country, saying, do not do that,” Greenberg recounted. “Josh is a perfectly good candidate. He doesn’t hate us. He’s great with us. He’s a great leader for us, and do not let people attack him because he’s Jewish. You don’t like him? You don’t like him. Say that.”

Street, at the time, was the chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party. Greenberg said that Shapiro had backed another candidate for the post, but said Street maintained no ill will towards him and was insistent that attacks on Shapiro for his religion were unacceptable.

Speaking to JI before the U.S. went to war with Iran, Street said that Iran shouldn’t be allowed to obtain nuclear weapons, and that the U.S. needs to work with all of its allies and partners to prevent that from happening, “but ultimately we want to [get there] in a way that avoids war, if possible.”

After the war began, in a statement shared on Facebook, Street condemned the Iranian regime and Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli strike, but said that the “chaotic situation in Iran is perilous for the Iranian people and the world” and that Trump lacks the capacity to “successfully manage this situation.”

He also emphasized that the Constitution gives Congress the authority to declare war, not the president. “I am calling on Congress to immediately return to vote on a more narrowly tailored measure that will allow the US to defend its interests while exercising its oversight over this President to stop him from unilaterally starting wars all over the world,” Street said.

He told JI was similarly concerned that the administration failed to brief Congress, particularly Democrats, about the strikes it carried out on Iran last summer. He said he couldn’t judge whether those strikes were the right decision because of the administration’s failure to explain and provide intelligence about them to Congress or the public.

“Democrats and Republicans have worked in a bipartisan way under Democratic and Republican administrations to deal with the threat of Iran,” Street said. “President Obama was very strong on this issue. I would be strong on this issue, but the president can’t act unilaterally without congressional oversight. That’s the problem. It shouldn’t be partisan. … The leaders in Congress have to have the right intelligence to make those decisions.”

Street’s main competitor in the primary race is far-left state Rep. Chris Rabb. A Rabb win would likely cause significant concern among the district’s sizable Jewish community, given his record of anti-Israel activism and accusations of genocide against Israel.

At a recent candidate forum, several major candidates offered criticism of Israel and AIPAC. “F— AIPAC. They are a racist organization and I will not meet with them,” Rabb said, accusing the group of “destroying candidates’ lives.” At another forum, Rabb said he would vote to block further U.S. aid to Israel, while other candidates avoided weighing in specifically on the legislation.

Another candidate, Ala Stanford, a physician and activist, said that she supports a two-state solution but that the U.S. should not support wars “that harm and kill children and families.” State Rep. Morgan Cephas indicated she would meet with AIPAC but suggested she disagrees with the group’s positions. David Oxman, a physician, called Netanyahu the worst Jewish leader in millennia and accused AIPAC of conflating criticism of Israel with antisemitism.

Schatz, the Federation official, said that Cephas is also “very good with the community,” Stanford is “learning about the community” and would likely be an ally and Oxman is Jewish himself. Rabb, she said, has been at odds with the Jewish community..

Street led the field in fundraising as of the end of 2025, with $701,000 raised and $527,000 on hand. He was followed by Oxman who has raised $498,000 and had $357,000 on hand; Stanford, who has raised $467,000 and had $392,000 on hand; and Rabb, who has raised $384,000 and had $99,000 on hand.

A Street campaign poll conducted by Lake Research Partners in mid-November found Street in the lead with 22%, followed by Rabb at 17%, Stanford at 11%, Cephas at 7% and Oxman at 2%, with 36% of voters undecided.

Street, a former chair of the state Democratic Party and the son of a former Philadelphia mayor, is seen as the establishment favorite, with an endorsement from former Gov. Ed Rendell, as well as endorsements from numerous labor unions and local elected officials.

Rep. Dwight Evans (D-PA), the retiring incumbent, endorsed Stanford.

As Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro walked onstage Thursday night at the opening ceremony for BBYO’s International Convention, the annual global gathering of the world’s largest Jewish youth group, he was beaming — a result, perhaps, of being introduced by his niece, or his excitement at welcoming 3,400 Jewish teens to Philadelphia. 

“It is so good to see you,” Shapiro said to the crowd, before delivering an upbeat speech urging the teens in attendance to be proud of their Judaism and to strive to live out Jewish values as they defend American democracy 250 years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, “right down the street,” Shapiro noted. 

“What we’ve seen over the last 250 years is ordinary Americans rising up, demanding more, seeking justice, and people like you ushering in change. And now the reason why I’m so proud to be here with all of you tonight is that the theme of this BBYO conference is ‘We the future,’” said Shapiro. “250 years later, I wanted to come here tonight and look you in the eye and say, You are the future and you have the power to shape it.”

Shapiro, who grew up in a suburb of Philadelphia and attended the same Jewish day schools as many of the locals in the room, earned applause and cheers throughout his remarks. 

“I know we’re facing some challenges out there, and this is a moment, I want you to know, where I lean on my faith, and I am proud of my faith, just like all of you,” Shapiro said. “I need you right now to harness the teaching of our ancestors that show that we’re a people that can overcome adversity. I want you to harness the power in this room and in your hands and find your activism.”

Throughout his career in politics, Shapiro has publicly and frequently invoked religious themes in his speeches. Often, though, he uses generic phrases like “my faith teaches” when mentioning a quote from the Hebrew Bible. At the BBYO conference, though, he kept his Jewish identity front and center.

“I want you to wear your Stars of David with pride. That will give strength to others,” said Shapiro. “I want you to confront the bullies that you find in your communities, but I want you to confront them with a sympathetic heart and an effort to understand and change minds because understand those bullies, they are coming at that from a sense of weakness and ignorance, and you are the ones who can bring strength and light.”

Shapiro’s message to the teens was not political. He did not tell them to get involved in any particular cause — only to find something they care about.

“I want you to go home and organize in your communities, because hear me on this: Tikkun olam knows no religious boundaries. It is our responsibility to repair the world, to do this work, and I for one am optimistic it will get done because of all of you. Your presence here tonight, well, it unlocks two extraordinary forces in humanity: hope and optimism,” said Shapiro. “I know this is a moment sometimes that can feel dark. Understand you are not victims. You are the ones with the power to make a change in your community.”

The wide-open primary race for the most Democratic district in the country is highlighting stark divisions in Israel policy among the leading candidates.

The candidates for Pennsylvania’s 3rd Congressional District — which includes western Philadelphia, Center City and parts of north Philadelphia — include a host of prominent local officials, as well as some outsider candidates, including state Sen. Sharif Street, who recently resigned as state Democratic Party chair, progressive state Rep. Chris Rabb, state Rep. Morgan Cephas and physician Dr. David Oxman.

Dr. Ala Stanford, a local surgeon and activist who gained prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, is also seen as a likely candidate, and former City Councilman Derek Green may also join the race.

A Rabb victory would be cause for significant concern for pro-Israel voters in the district — which includes some heavily Jewish areas of Philadelphia — and national pro-Israel groups. The state senator has an extensive history, particularly since Oct. 7, of anti-Israel activism, and has accused Israel of genocide.

He posted on social media in Sept. 2024 in support of a Philadelphia teacher who was suspended following a complaint from Jewish parents about threatening social media posts directed toward them.

“I’m here in solidarity with the educators and students who have shown the discernment to understand that discomfort is not the same as danger, animus or even harm. Quite the contrary, without discomfort, we cannot truly learn, grow or heal,” Rabb said on Instagram. “I do not believe that being critical of any political ideology — be it neo-liberalism or Zionism — is being against an entire people or ethnic group. … We must not allow students and educators to be attacked for discussing critical global issues or other international struggles … And there should be no instance when a mere reference to any sovereign nation is reflexively viewed as a proxy for hate or bias.”

Rabb was the only elected official to attend a recent anti-Israel “People’s Tribunal” hosted by a range of far-left groups, which aimed to present a case that U.S. officials including Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) are guilty of complicity with genocide and war crimes by Israel.

Rabb described the event as a generational moment that would reverberate far into the future.

He called on his state to divest from and cease any investments in Israel until the end of the war in Gaza, and said that advancing a proposed anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions bill would “cause a s*** show of epic proportions that no Democrat wants to see — especially in an election year where the policy choices we make are being scrutinized by a highly skeptical, but vigilant and well organized subset of the electorate.”

Rabb also spoke at a February 2024 protest led by anti-Israel group Jewish Voice for Peace at which he indicated support for protests blocking traffic and opposed arrests of demonstrators at the Pennsylvania Statehouse, comparing anti-Israel protests to the Civil Rights Movement. “This is a radical expression of one’s First Amendment rights,” he said.

He visited and praised anti-Israel encampments at multiple colleges in Pennsylvania and indicated support for BDS efforts targeting the colleges, participated in events with the local Council on American-Islamic Relations chapter and spoke out against detentions and attempted deportations of student activists.

He also condemned school leaders out-of-state, in Maryland, for suspending teachers for anti-Israel, antisemitic or pro-Palestinian comments, one of whom he said was a personal friend.

“I’m irate about how these pro-#censorship folx have maliciously targeted these teachers,” Rabb said. “Being pro-#Palestine is neither a crime, nor anti-Jewish.”

Rabb on Oct. 18, 2023, 11 days after the Hamas attacks, called for a ceasefire as well as the release of “the more than 200 civilian hostages taken back into Gaza and Palestinian political prisoners.”

“I grieve the loss of lives in Israel and Palestine. I condemn Hamas’s brutal attack on October 7th … I also grieve the thousands of Palestinians in Gaza, including hundreds of children, who have been killed by Israeli bombs since then. It is never acceptable to cause the deaths of civilians. All human life is sacred,” Rabb said. “I join my colleagues in Congress who have called for immediate de-escalation, ceasefire, adherence to International Humanitarian Law and humanitarian aid to Palestine commensurate with the devastation wrought upon Gaza.”

Rabb was one of several Democratic state lawmakers who signed onto a Nov. 21, 2023, letter to Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation which delivered a similar message. The chief of staff for the state senator who led that letter had reposted several X posts on Oct. 7 indicating support for the Hamas attacks on Israel.

Street, who is Muslim, has long-standing ties to members of the state’s Jewish community and has spoken out in support of Israel’s right to exist and against antisemitism. He traveled to Israel in 2017 on a trip for Muslim legislators organized by the American Jewish Committee’s Project Interchange, a source familiar with the campaign told Jewish Insider.

“As a Black man and a Muslim, I’ve spent my entire political career fighting for the inherent worth and dignity of every person. That’s why I have stood strong against the growing tide of anti-Semitism in this country,” Street said in a statement to JI. “In Congress, I will work hard for peace in the Middle East based on mutual trust and grounded in Israel’s right to exist and the right of the Palestinian people to live without fear.”

In a November 2023 statement responding to the Hamas attack and ensuing war in Gaza, Street emphasized the right of both Israelis and Palestinians to peace and freedom, and mourned civilian deaths on both sides, while emphasizing the importance of U.S. support for Israel.

“We must affirm the right of Israel to exist. We must affirm the right of the Jewish people to have a sovereign state and we must also affirm the right of the Palestinian people to live in a place where their children are safe and their families are secure,” Street said. “A place where their hospitals and schools are not compromised by Hamas commingling military facilities with hospitals and schools.”

He said that the U.S. “must not abandon its calling to protect the children of the Holocaust” and “must remember why the modern state of Israel was created in the aftermath of World War II. We must remain vigilant in our support of Israel and its right to defend itself.”

Street added that “does not disavow us from having an obligation to the Palestinian people as well,” and ensuring that “food flows plentifully into the land of Palestinian people,” that hospitals and schools are rebuilt and that both Israeli and Palestinian children can live in peace.

He went on to condemn hate crimes in the United States targeting both the Palestinian and Jewish communities, as well as Christians.

Street also offered his condemnation and condolences following the shooting earlier this year of two Israeli Embassy staffers outside the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington.

“As the highest-ranking Muslim elected official in Pennsylvania, I am heartbroken by the senseless act of violence that took the lives of two Israeli embassy staff in Washington, D.C.,” Street said. “I extend my deepest condolences to the families of Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, and to all who are grieving this horrific tragedy. No one should fear for their lives simply because of who they are or where they work.”

“I unequivocally condemn this shooting—and all acts of gun violence, antisemitism, and hatred. We must all stand against violence, wherever it occurs and whoever it targets,” Street continued. “I support the right of Israel to exist in peace and security, just as I support the rights of Palestinians to live with dignity and freedom. A just and lasting peace in the region will never be built on bloodshed. We must do better—here at home and abroad.”

As the Pennsylvania Democratic chair, Street spoke out against the Uncommitted movement that urged voters to oppose President Joe Biden in the 2024 presidential primary over his position on the war in Gaza. “As a Muslim American, I know that President Biden has my back and will fight for our community,” Street said. He also emphasized the need for Democrats to appeal to both Jewish and Muslim voters.

Street did not vote last year on an anti-Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions bill when it passed either the Pennsylvania Senate Appropriations Committee or the full Senate.

Cephas does not appear to have much of a public record of speaking out about the conflict in the Middle East, though in the days after the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, she was an advocate for increased state-level funding for nonprofit security funding.

Larry Ceisler, a public affairs executive in Philadelphia, told JI that the race is likely to be highly competitive — a rare opportunity for a Philadelphia elected official to potentially secure a long tenure in higher office.

He described the race as essentially a toss-up and said he could see a scenario for each of Street, Cephas and Rabb to win. Ceisler said that the race could break down, to some extent, along geographic lines.

Street, Ceisler said, has strong name recognition as the son of a former Philadelphia mayor, and represents north Philadelphia. Cephas represents west Philadelphia, and Rabb represents northwest Philadelphia, an area that is very politically active, leans left and usually has high voter turnout in primaries.

Ceisler predicted Rabb will present himself as the furthest-left candidate in the field and noted that he previously beat a candidate backed by the local party apparatus, while Street is likely to lean on more traditional support bases including local party and ward leaders and some organized labor groups.

He said Cephas’ youth, gender and leadership in the Statehouse could also make her an attractive candidate for some voters. And he said that Stanford enjoys high name recognition and goodwill from the COVID-19 era, though she is untested and unscrutinized as a political candidate.

Ceisler noted that he is a Rabb constituent and former supporter who wrote to Rabb to express his disappointment early in the Israel-Hamas war about his post-Oct. 7 positions, saying he felt Rabb was “uninformed” and had accepted false and misleading information, though he said that Rabb should not be “vilified.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misidentified the name of public affairs executive Larry Ceisler.