February 7, 2025, New York, NY – Yesterday, Members of Congress announced the formal creation of a Congressional Jewish Caucus. This is an initiative that the American Jewish Congress proposed many years back and continued to strongly advocate for— long before it became popular. We applaud this development and look forward to its impact in strengthening advocacy for the Jewish community.
In 2019, we spearheaded the call for a Jewish Caucus in Congress, recognizing growing intraparty and interparty divisions on key issues affecting Jewish Americans, including the fight against antisemitism, civil rights, and foreign policy. At the time, we were alarmed by the rise of antisemitism infiltrating American society and political discourse. We believed a formal, bipartisan Jewish Caucus would enable Jewish legislators to speak with a unified voice, better defend the interests of Jewish Americans, and more effectively address these challenges.
Though the caucus was not established then, time has unfortunately proven our concerns valid. Since then, the situation has only worsened, particularly with the normalization and mainstreaming of antisemitism—on college campuses, in the media and social media, and throughout public discourse.
This week’s announcement underscores the urgent need for a collective Jewish voice within our political framework. We commend Representatives Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Jerry Nadler, and Brad Schneider for their leadership in making this initiative a reality.
The American Jewish Congress has high expectations for the positive impact of the Jewish Caucus on the U.S. Congress’ legislative process and political dynamics, and we look forward to working with its leadership and members.
