Divides are emerging on aid to Israel among the Democratic candidates in the primary race in New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District as one candidate, businessman Brian Varela, picks up a series of endorsements from anti-Israel groups.

“If we’re going to provide aid to other countries, I don’t think it’s enough to just follow U.S. law and international law. I would actually support providing additional conditions to make sure that we can further American interests and to make sure that the countries that we are helping are living in alignment with our values,” Varela said in response to a question about conditioning aid to Israel at a debate in the district last week.

Varela previously told Jewish Insider in July 2025 that Israel has been a “strong ally for us, and I think it’s important to make sure that we are there for Israel, that we help Israel with their ability to defend themselves.”

His campaign clarified to JI this week that he was not calling for specific conditions on aid for Israel alone.

Emmett Shell, Varela’s campaign manager, told JI: “When Brian talks about conditioning aid, he is talking about every country that receives American taxpayer dollars, not Israel specifically. Conditioning aid is one of the most important tools of soft power we have. It is how we make sure American values and American interests are actually being advanced with American money abroad.”

Rebecca Bennett, a veteran who is seen as the favorite of national Democrats in the race, said at the debate she had, as a member of the military, “the opportunity to see how important Israel is as an ally to the United States,” but said that “I also think that what Netanyahu is doing is not in the best long-term interest of Israel.”

But she also emphasized that Israel should not be subject to a “higher standard or a lower standard” than any other ally. Pressed on whether she’d support new conditions on Israel, Bennett said, “I’m going to be focused on making sure that Israel is following U.S. law, and then we’ll go from there.”

Democrat Michael Roth, the former head of the Small Business Administration, who previously told JI he wanted to be a leader of a new generation of pro-Israel Democrats, said at the debate he supports “conditioning aid to Israel up to U.S. law, international law, humanitarian law.” 

He said that, as “a Jew who has deep ties to Israel,” he believes that “[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu has been horrible,” and emphasized the “shared humanity” of Israelis and Palestinians.

Roth said in an interview with JI last May that U.S. aid to Israel is “some of the best investment that you can make” and that he had strong confidence in the Israeli military and would not support conditions or restrictions on aid to Israel.

In a follow-up interview with JI on Wednesday, Roth emphasized his strong personal ties to Israel and the need to “be honest with our friends and hold them accountable if we want to lead the world as we have done over the last 100 years.”

He said that “we need to make sure that we are enforcing our laws evenly, and that nobody is getting special treatment, and that we actually have enforcement,” but declined to specify whether he would also support new conditions on aid that apply to Israel alone.

Asked whether he thinks current U.S. laws have not been enforced on Israel, Roth responded, “I think Trump has very clearly not enforced international law, has had no interest in doing so.”

He said that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza has “made my heart bleed” and that, while he “strongly believe[s] in Israel’s right to defend itself … those actions are different than what they have been in the last year and a half.”

Roth said his views have evolved as a result of conversations with both Jewish and Muslim communities in the district. And he argued that long-term support for Israel requires leaders who will listen to all perspectives and speak with those who disagree.

Tina Shah, a physician, said she did not support conditioning aid to Israel.

Though she condemned the humanitarian situation in Gaza and Netanyahu specifically, she said, “I don’t think that [we] should change our relationship with the country because of one prime minister, and that’s why I don’t support conditioning aid.”

Varela, who entered the race as a centrist but has subsequently been working to pick up progressive support, also recently earned endorsements from several progressive and anti-Israel groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, the founder of which expressed support for Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. The group’s New Jersey chapter justified the Oct. 7 attacks days after they occurred.

“As a leading Muslim American political advocacy organization, CAIR Action knows that I am committed to upholding the rights of all Americans, regardless of religion or race,” Varela said when he announced the endorsement. “They recognize that I have built a grassroots movement dedicated to protecting voting rights, lowering costs, and fixing our broken immigration system. They know I’m the fighter NJ-07 needs and the leader this district deserves.”

Asked about the endorsement, Shell, the Varela campaign spokesperson said Varela “has been clear and consistent in his opposition to Hamas from day one,” believes “there is no justification for the October 7 attack,” and “opposes violence in all of its forms, including the violence Palestinian civilians are facing in Gaza.”

“Brian was not aware of the specific referenced comments, and he does not share those views. He appreciates support from community organizations across NJ-07, including from Muslim American voters who want to see a representative who will fight for peace, but accepting an endorsement is not an endorsement of every statement an organization or its leaders have ever made,” the spokesperson continued.

Varela was also endorsed by A New Policy, a campaign and lobbying group that aims to shift U.S. policy toward Israel. The group’s advocacy arm has accused Israel of genocide, urges cutting off and conditioning U.S. aid to Israel and opposes the Antisemitism Awareness Act and the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s working definition of antisemitism, among a range of other policies.

“This organization understands that America’s politics need to serve the people, not the powerful, and that our elected officials need to actually fight for working people, take on corporate power, and ensure Congress is acting in America’s best interests,” Varela said, in announcing the endorsement. “That is the kind of Democrat I am running to be, and that is the kind of leadership I will bring to Congress.”

Asked about the endorsement and A New Policy’s stances, the Varela campaign spokesperson said, “Brian welcomes support from a broad coalition, but his positions are his own. Brian has been clear about the humanitarian catastrophe and the unacceptable civilian death toll, and he believes the United States should use its leverage to push for complete peace in the Middle East.”

Regarding the Antisemitism Awareness Act, the spokesperson said, “Brian believes antisemitism is a real and growing threat that has to be confronted seriously, and he stands with the Jewish community in NJ-07 in saying so. He has concerns about how codifying any single definition into federal law could affect protected political speech, but he wants Congress to act on antisemitism and is open to working on language that does both.”

The 7th District, rated by the Cook Political Report as a toss-up race, is one of the strongest pickup opportunities for Democrats this cycle, especially given Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s (R-NJ) monthslong absence from the House, which aides and family members have attributed to medical issues.

Recent internal polling by both Bennett and Shah’s campaigns have placed Bennett in the lead — but offer different pictures of the size of her lead in the race.

A Bennett poll showed her at 36%, far ahead of Shah at 15%, Varela at 13% and Roth at 12%. But a Shah poll showed a tight race between her and Bennett, at 26% and 23%, and Varela and Roth lagging farther behind at 10% and 7%, respectively.

A Nebraska-based group, Real Change PAC, has also recently begun spending close to $450,000 in the race, hitting Bennett as insufficiently progressive and boosting Shah and Varela. 

Reports indicate the group may be backed by Republicans, and linked to another shadowy GOP-linked super PAC, Lead Left PAC, which has gained attention this week for boosting Maureen Galindo, an openly antisemitic Democrat running in a Texas congressional race.

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.

A close Illinois primary race — marked by an unusual focus on policy towards Israel among Democrats and a Holocaust-denying Nazi on the Republican side — may end up being determined by something else altogether: a virus that has yet to be contained. 

The race for Illinois’s 3rd congressional district drew attention when Israel became a voting issue in a primary otherwise focused on health care, abortion rights and domestic social issues. Challengers to incumbent Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-IL) — including Marie Newman, who lost to Lipinski by a small margin in 2018, and Rush Darwish, who hopes to be the first Palestinian-American from Illinois in Congress — went after the eight-term congressman for his support of the Jewish state. 

However, the issues are being overshadowed by the growing threat of COVID-19. “The story that’s shaking up Illinois politics and U.S. politics is the coronavirus scare,” said Sean Tenner, a Chicago-based Democratic political consultant. “Nobody is quite sure how it will impact results on Election Day, but a few things are clear. Turnout is absolutely going to be lower than it would be if we were not in the middle of a pandemic.”

Tenner pointed out that it’s “no secret that Congressman Lipinski tends to do better with senior voters,” which could hurt his chances today. “Many senior voters are very concerned about the risk of exposure and there will be seniors who will not come out who certainly otherwise would vote for the congressman,” he said. 

On the flipside, he said, younger voters — who are more likely to vote for Lipinski’s challengers — tend to support Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), and will likely be less enthusiastic to go to the polls now that the risk of catching the virus is coupled with the decline of the Vermont senator’s chances in the presidential race.

When Israelis voted for a third time earlier this month, special arrangements were made for those deemed at risk, with some workers donning full hazmat gear. No provisions on that scale appear to be in place for Tuesday’s primary in Illinois.

“We completely had to tear up the tried-and-true playbook of ‘get out the vote,’ and between Saturday and Sunday instead of knocking on 25,000 doors we made 100,000 phone calls,” Ben Hardin, a spokesman for Newman, told JI. He said it was a tough decision to make, but it was an important measure to protect voters and staff. 

Marie Newman

In an email to JI, Rush Darwish said that the campaign “changed dramatically in the last couple of days due to the spread of COVID-19.” He said “vote efforts have become primarily remote and we have had to cancel our election night party.” Team members now “only bump elbows instead of shaking hands,” he said.  

John Mark Hansen, a professor of political science at the University of Chicago, pointed out that early voting and absentee ballots have been available for a while, and those concerned by the virus could have utilized those options. He said while the pandemic may have some impact, the decisive factor likely comes from within the party itself, as it throws its support behind incumbents over challengers.

“The conditions are a little more difficult for [Newman] this time around, in part because the national party, the DCCC, has basically gone all-in for its incumbents and so they have kind of frozen her out,” Hansen said. “She still has plenty of support, particularly from abortion rights groups. But my instinct is that her best shot was in 2018, and she didn’t get it done then, and it will be harder this time around.”

Darwish’s candidacy also poses a challenge for Newman. “Given that she came so close last time around, I think Newman was the main alternative and it’s another negative for her having him in the race,” Hansen said. “[Darwish] is not taking votes away from Lipinski.”

The battle is shaping up as a traditional Democrat facing a challenge to the old guard from modern progressives. Newman and Darwish contend that Lipinski, who assumed office in 2005 after replacing his father, is out of touch with the district, citing his voting record that is often out of step with the mainstream Democrat party, including his opposition to abortion. 

Lipinski, who brands himself as “the commonsense Democrat,” dismisses the allegations, pointing to voting trends in the area. 

But the pandemic has hammered home in a very tangible way the main issue at the heart of the election here: healthcare.

Hardin, Newman’s spokesman, chastised Lipinski for his handling of the crisis. “It is reprehensible that two days ago, both Democrats and Republicans came together in the House to pass the coronavirus relief bill, and Dan Lipinski was here in the district at a campaign potluck dinner — and didn’t feel the need to go back to DC to work with his colleagues to provide a relief for families here,” Hardin said. 

He drew a stark contrast to how he said Newman would deal with the situation. “She is an advocate for a system of healthcare that will cover everybody, that will refocus the way that we approach healthcare to patient care and not to profits,” Hardin said. “That’s a pretty winning message, particularly now [when] people are worried about being able to afford, or have access to, a vaccine or even testing.”

Rush Darwish

Lipinski’s camp repeatedly denied requests for an interview. However, things seem to be looking up for him as the general election heats up.

“Events nationally over the past couple of weeks have shown that the Democratic Party is in no mood to take a gamble,” Hansen explained. ”Part of that is ‘let’s go with the tried-and-true Joe Biden’ and part of that is ‘we’re not going to be very finicky about what peoples’ positions are, were going to support incumbents so that we maintain control of the House and try to get a bunch of Senate candidates nominated who will be competitive.’” In the debate between “ideological purity and anticipated electability, electability is winning out in a big way right now,” Hansen added. 

Tenner pointed out that many of the issues people have been discussing ahead of the election — including “abortion and Israeli-Palestinian issues” — have been eclipsed by concerns over the coronavirus.

The winner of Tuesday’s Democratic primary is expected to win the general election in November in this deeply blue district. In the past, the make-up of the district has left it largely ignored by the Republican Party.

It’s these mechanics that enabled Arthur Jones, a Holocaust denier and former leader of the American Nazi movement, to run unopposed as the Republican candidate in 2018 and win some 56,000 votes. Many of those votes, analysts say, came from Republicans who voted for the party’s nominee automatically without knowledge of Jones’ beliefs. 

Republicans were embarrassed by Jones’ 2018 primary victory and vowed to prevent it happening again. This year Mike Fricilone, the Republican minority leader of the Will County Board, is running against Jones, and has been endorsed by the party’s leadership. “The Republican Party has taken quite an active stand against [Jones], sending out advertisements making sure that people know that he is a Nazi,” Tenner said. “There is a sensible candidate running for the nomination now.”