WASHINGTON – As the country’s official Jewish Democratic organization rolled out a roster of officials, activists and rabbis to boost Kamala Harris in a virtual event Friday, some of them went on the defensive, saying they were there to reassure voters that Harris was a strong supporter of Israel.
But the dominant tone of the Zoom session, which ran well over an hour and drew thousands of sign-ups, was emblematic of the mood of Democrats since Harris replaced President Joe Biden on the ticket less than two weeks ago: energized, optimistic — and on the attack.
“Democrats align with the vast majority of Jewish voters on every key issue and Republicans under Trump represent the antithesis of our values,” Halie Soifer, the CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, said near the top of the call. “It’s even more true today than ever before but we can’t take anything for granted.”
Speakers ranged from Maryland Sen. Ben Cardin to Colorado Gov. Jared Polis to comedian Alex Edelman. Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum, who recently retired from Congregation Beit Simchat Torah, a New York City LGBTQ synagogue, and her wife Randi Weingarten, the president of the American Federation of Teachers, each spoke separately.
The event featured denunciations of extremism, assurances that Harris’ criticism of Palestinian suffering did not indicate hostility to Israel, and citations of polling data to stress that most American Jews agree with her positions.
Most of all, speakers tried to emphasize that Harris and her Jewish husband, Doug Emhoff, have a personal connection to the Jewish community. Rabbi Lauren Holtzblatt of Adas Israel Congregation, a large D.C. Conservative synagogue, described having a long conversation with the couple at a Passover seder in the vice presidential residence.
“There were no cameras, there was no press. This is who she is and I’ve seen it again and again,” Holtzblatt said. “She understands the Jewish American experience in its multifaceted nuances. … She seeks to build a world with both a secure Israel and a future for the Palestinian people. She knows both are possible. Judaism is a strong part of her life and quite frankly, she gets us.”
That same message is at the center of a $200,000 ad campaign produced by the JDCA that will target Jews in swing states. The ad begins with a photo of Harris lighting Hanukkah candles with her Jewish husband, Doug Emhoff, and comes a week after the Republican Jewish Coalition launched its own ad.
Soifer told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that the Jewish Democrats ad will feature on digital platforms as well as on platforms that reach TVs hooked up to streaming providers. Swing states with substantial Jewish populations are the target, among them Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
“Jewish Americans stand with Kamala Harris because she stands with us,” a narrator says in the ad. “On Israel she’s clear.”
It cuts to a recent press conference in which Harris expresses her “unwavering commitment” to Israel.
Notably Harris, at the press conference featured in the ad, after a meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, went on to emphasize Israel’s responsibility for hindering assistance to Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. That spurred Netanyahu to hit back, saying that Hamas would exploit any perceived gap between the United States and Israel.
The spending on the JDCA ad showcases a notable reversal: The RJC, which usually spends much greater sums, has dedicated just five figures to its own ad, which paints Harris as an ally of anti-Israel activists and an unreliable friend of Israel.
That ad is one of several indicators that Republicans, as they have in past election cycles, will center their pitch to Jewish voters on the party’s support for Israel, particularly amid the Israel-Hamas war. Trump recently claimed Harris “doesn’t like Israel” and that “she doesn’t like Jewish people” — even though her husband is Jewish and helmed a White House strategy to combat antisemitism. Trump has also disparaged her for having two identities, Black and of Indian heritage.
The JDCA’s actions underscore the new broader determination among Democrats to win an election that appeared to be slipping out of their grasp. Now, with polls showing Harris competitive with Trump, Soifer feels like things are looking up.
“People are excited and we see the numbers as well in terms of her support, it’s growing,” she said in an interview. “She can win this election. So she has just changed things very quickly.”
