Jewish Dems sound alarm about antisemitism and 2028

A growing number of Jewish Democrats tell Axios they feel shunned — like unwelcome strangers in their own party. Why it matters: They warn that the constant and escalating hostilities over Israel's actions in Gaza have at times veered into hostility toward Jewish Americans that could hurt Democrats in 2028.

• A large majority of Jewish Americans vote Democratic. Any shifts among Jewish voters who feel alienated from the party could impact the 2028 election — particularly in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Michigan and Georgia, which have large Jewish populations.
• "For many Jewish Democrats, the Democratic Party is just the latest institution that welcomed us and is turning hostile," Howard Wolfson, a longtime Democratic strategist who worked for Hillary Clinton and Mike Bloomberg, told Axios.

State of play: The party's internal tension over Israel is rising at a time when Jewish Democratic leaders such as Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Michigan Sen. Elissa Slotkin are potential contenders for president in 2028.

• Polls show support for Israel's government — for decades a matter of bipartisan agreement in the U.S. — has fallen sharply among Democrats.
• As voters' opinions on Israel have shifted, the party's left wing has become more accepting of associating with people who have made conspiratorial or controversial comments about Jews and Israelis.

Several incidents over the past year have increased the alarm among Jewish Democrats. Among them:

• Graham Platner, the likely Democratic nominee for a Maine Senate seat and a fierce critic of Israel, sporting a Nazi-linked tattoo. (He said he didn't know what it meant and later covered it up, but a former girlfriend says he knew the image's history.)
• A social media account for Philadelphia Democratic congressional nominee Chris Rabb, who was endorsed by New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), previously reposting that the Bondi Beach massacre of Jews was likely a false-flag attack by "Zionists." His team blamed the December post on a former staffer and said he condemns antisemitism.
• And a Democratic House candidate in Texas, Maureen Galindo, calling for a "prison for American Zionists." She didn't win a primary runoff election but still got 36% of the vote despite being denounced by both parties.

What they're saying: "There are Jewish Democrats in key states who might be hard-pressed to support the nominee if the nominee is decidedly hostile to Israel — and it's a big problem for the party," Wolfson said.

• "Jews are starting to feel scared again," said Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), who's Jewish. He said Jewish voters are beginning to leave the Democratic Party but that it's not yet a "mass exodus."
• Moskowitz added that party leaders are "not taking it seriously. Words are irrelevant; condemnation statements are irrelevant."
• "Saying Jewish donors are somehow the same as 'pro-Israel lobby,' I got a problem with that — and not just as an elected official, as a Jew," Slotkin said at a recent town hall.
• Pritzker told Politico that "antisemitism has often been connected to people's views about Israel. That is: If you don't like what Israel and, in particular, [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu are doing, now it's OK to have slurs that you're spewing about Jews. It's not. It's never OK."

Rep. Tom Suozzi, who's not Jewish but represents a New York district with one of the largest number of Jewish constituents in the country, said both parties have a "problem" of anti-Jewish discrimination.

• "There's always been antisemitism, I just think it's really bad right now," he said.

Jewish staffers in some Democratic campaigns and offices say they've increasingly felt a chill from colleagues.

• One former Biden White House official told Axios: "No Jews in the Biden administration agreed with what Netanyahu was doing, but we all felt like we were having to answer for it by the party and our colleagues."

Some Jewish Democratic politicians privately express frustration that their views on Israel are more scrutinized by the media and voters simply because they're Jewish.

• They also argue that some left-wing activists object to Israel being a Jewish state but don't speak out against Islamic governments.

The other side: Many believe the worries about Jewish Democrats fleeing the party are overblown, noting that there has been a rise in hostility toward Jewish people and Zionists on the right.

• "I think the Democratic Party has an Israel issue, but I think the Republicans have a Jewish issue," Emanuel told Axios.

Others say Democrats' internal fight over Israel could be a good thing.

• Ned Price, a former spokesperson for the Biden State Department, said a debate within the party is "necessary, legitimate, and long overdue," while the rise of antisemitism "must be condemned unequivocally."

Andrew Solender contributed to this story.