A Torah response to El-Sayed, Hamawy and Mamdani

This week, in our Torah reading, Parshat Re’eh, the people of Israel are once again standing on the plains of Moab, overlooking the Land of Israel. They are still waiting to enter the Land. Day by day, Torah reading by Torah reading, the generation that forsook G-d in the wilderness is slowly dying off. Our Torah reading is, in a sense, a continuation of last week’s reading. Moses is delivering the discourse that began in last week’s Torah reading, Parshat Eikev. Last week, Moses went to great lengths to chastise the Israelites who had forsaken G-d in the wilderness through idolatry and for being a “stiff-necked people” who resisted change and resisted obeying G-d.

However, this week Moses’s discourse takes on a more focused approach. This week, our Torah portion is about laying down the law—the mitzvot. Moses begins our reading with a blessing and a curse for the Israelites. Deuteronomy 11:27–28 says that the Israelites will be blessed for obeying the laws but cursed if they fall short. Afterwards, Moses describes a series of laws that the Israelites must abide by upon entering the Land of Israel. The laws described at length in this week’s Torah portion are specific to running a nation or country. They include statutes and directions concerning ritual and moral laws, as well as civil, criminal, and societal laws.

The laws described in this week’s reading are narrowly specific. Among the moral laws are legislative aims of social justice, requirements for tithes, and the prevention of poverty. Among the civil, criminal, and societal laws are specific instructions regarding court systems and judges. Yet the vast majority of this week’s Torah portion focuses on moral laws.

Of course, this week’s Torah portion also discusses the various mitzvot associated with traditional Jewish living. Kashrut, the laws of sacrifices, and the consequences of false prophets are all discussed. Yet it is the mitzvah of charity—a key moral law obligating a Jew to aid a needy fellow—that usually captures our imagination in this week’s Torah portion. Our societal obligation to those in need is emphasized in this week’s text.

This brings me to the current events of this week. Often, when we think of clothing the needy and aiding the poor, we think of organizations that protect the poor, the indentured, and those who remain in abject poverty. Of course, we bear a societal obligation to these causes. Yet I want to focus on some of the more recent political developments of these past few weeks and months to draw attention to this calling.

Over the past few months and weeks, as many of you are aware, our political system has increasingly and alarmingly turned against many of the values we stand for. On the heels of what many describe as a disappointing mayoral election in New York City, which elected Zohran Mamdani, an openly anti-Israel candidate, into office, we have quietly observed a new guard forming in politics—one that threatens to undermine American-Israel relations.

Right here in my district of New Jersey, District 12, Adam Hamawy was elected in the Democratic primary for what is considered a shoo-in congressional seat in June of this year.[1]  More recently, and just this week, we are reeling from the election results in Michigan, where another extreme candidate, Abdul El-Sayed, who has candidly called for the destruction of the Jewish state, won a Democratic primary.[2]

At face value, these candidates promise their constituents a fulfillment of our obligation to aid the needy fellow that we read about in this week’s Torah portion. The effectiveness of their policy implementations in helping the poor will be potentially tested over time. However, what should concern us is what the rhetoric being used means for American-Israel relations and for American Jews.

Let’s start with some basic knowledge and statistics. There are about six million Jews in America.[3] We represent about 2.4 % of the American population.[4] Yet despite this minuscule number, Jews account for a disproportionate share of hate-crime victims in New York City alone – 56%.[5]  That percentage has rapidly grown under Mayor Mamdani’s tenure[6], along with his defined approach of spreading hate and misinformation, including his most recent hoax genocidal claims made against Israel and its government.[7]  In the days after the Mayor’s video circulated, there were stabbings and violent attacks not only in New York City[8] but across the country[9]; investigators believe many of these crimes were directly related to the circulation of the mayor’s videos and calls for public unrest.[10]

At the same time, the statistics concerning the American-Jewish community do not stand alone. These elections not only affect the American-Jewish community; they also affect Israelis and American-Israelis alike. As many as 800,000 American-Israelis reside in the United States[11] and close to 200,000 American-Israelis live in Israel.[12]

We are directly affected by the growing hostility of public officials because their anti-Zionist movement threatens the existence of the only Jewish state, the State of Israel. For 800,000 of us—American-Israelis— residing in America, and the 200,000 who reside in Israel, let alone the 10 million additional Israelis who call Israel home, this means threatening our homes in Israel, our lives, our families, and so on.

Make no mistake: the dangerous rhetoric used by El-Sayed, Mamdani, and Hamawy alike follows a similar pattern, with calls to the end of the Jewish state [13], a halt to defensive and offensive military aid,[14] [15] [16] repeated false claims of “genocide,”[17] [18] references to the Israeli government as “evil,”[19] references to Israel as a “rogue state”[20] and campaigning with Hasan Piker.[21] This, compounded by their unequivocal lack of condemnation of October 7^th as not merely a “war crime” but an act of “genocide”,[22] is part of the alarming direction in which politics has headed.

Where does this leave us today? What can we do? As a Jewish community, Jewish voters have a responsibility here. Although our Torah portion teaches that we have a responsibility to the poor, this does not eclipse our obligation to the Land of Israel or to its people. On the contrary, our Torah portion is quite clear about the consequences of false prophets and idol worship once we enter the Land. Take note, too, that our obligations to the poor come only after we are able to secure the Land.

Our priorities as Jewish voters need to be reevaluated, and we need to bring those priorities to the voting booth. Israel can no longer afford to be pushed aside by the new wave of politicians knocking on our doors who seek the State of Israel’s destruction. Compromising our values and our connection to the State of Israel risks a destruction far worse than October 7^th for world Jewry. The time is now to stand up for our values and put a halt to the hateful ideology that has spread into our political system.

I am reminded of the words of Hillel when I read this week’s Torah portion: “If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?” The day is now; we must stand up for our interests once again.

[1] https://newjerseymonitor.com/2026/06/02/adam-hamawy-democratic-primary/

[2] http:/jewishinsider.com/2026/05/abdul-el-sayed-struggles-israel-right-to-exist-jewish-state/

[3] https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2021/05/11/the-size-of-the-u-s-jewish-population/

[4] Ibid.

[5] https://www.i24news.tv/en/news/international/americas/artc-new-york-antisemitic-incidents-surge-under-mayor-mamdani

[6] Ibid.

[7] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip_zLWJLbxk

[8] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/24/nyregion/antisemitism-nyc-stabbing-jewish.html

[9] https://nypost.com/2026/08/08/us-news/mamdani-video-motivated-florida-man-charged-in-antisemitic-hate-crime-cops/

[10] https://nypost.com/2026/08/08/us-news/mamdani-video-motivated-florida-man-charged-in-antisemitic-hate-crime-cops/

[11] https://forward.com/news/200472/how-many-israelis-live-in-america/

[12] https://aaro.org/living-abroad/how-many-americans-live-abroad

[13] https://jewishinsider.com/2026/05/abdul-el-sayed-struggles-israel-right-to-exist-jewish-state/

[14] https://www.reddit.com/r/JewsOfConscience/comments/1sr9zod/dr_adam_hamawy_supports_medicare_for_all_banning/

[15] https://forward.com/news/844100/el-sayed-israel-aid-jewish-voters/

[16] Ibid.

[17] https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/8/5/abdul-el-sayed-wins-michigan-democratic-primary-for-senate-in-blow-to-aipac

[18] https://www.nytimes.com/video/podcasts/100000011035814/zohran-mamdani-there-is-no-respite-from-a-genocide.html

[19] https://jewishinsider.com/2026/04/abdul-el-sayed-says-israeli-government-is-as-evil-as-hamas/

[20] https://jewishinsider.com/2026/07/abdul-el-sayed-calls-israel-a-rogue-state/

[21] https://www.reddit.com/r/JewsOfConscience/comments/1sr9zod/dr_adam_hamawy_supports_medicare_for_all_banning/

[22] https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/mamdani-declines-to-call-oct-7-a-genocide-say-when-he-knew-he-couldnt-arrest-netanyahu/