The late congressman demonstrated how to be a passionate Zionist and an ardent liberal Democrat—something that is no longer possible.
Former Rep. Eliot Engel outlived the paradigm he once exemplified, but not by much. The former member of Congress, who died on April 17 at the age of 79, was one of the last of his kind. He was a die-hard political liberal who was an ardent supporter of a raft of causes dear to the hearts of left-wing Democrats like single-payer health insurance for all, abortion rights and gun control. But he was just as passionate in his support for Israel and utterly opposed to efforts to pressure it to make concessions to its foes that seek its destruction.
That combination of positions is rarely found in the current political environment. In fact, it’s something that no one who hopes to have a future in the Democratic Party could possibly adopt in 2026. That is why it was almost fitting that in the week following Engel’s passing, the Democrat who runs New York City once again made clear that his support for the war on the Jewish state was his priority.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s decision to veto a bill that would have created buffer zones around houses of worship and educational institutions in the city for protection against efforts to harass congregations and students sent an unmistakable signal to New Yorkers. The impetus for the bill was the siege by a pro-Hamas mob last fall against people entering a synagogue on the Upper East Side. It was also motivated by the appalling targeting of Jews on college campuses since the Hamas-led Palestinian-Arab terror attacks on Israeli communities on Oct. 7, 2023.
A safe space for antisemites
The mayor chose not to veto a similar bill that only affected houses of worship because it was passed with a veto-proof majority. But the reasoning for his choice was not so much a defense of the right to conduct antisemitic protests on campuses, even those that are violent and illegal, as it was a desire to show the left-wing Democrats responsible for his election last year that he was not abandoning his lifelong opposition to the existence of Israel. As such, it made it obvious once again that he was on the side of those trying to intimidate Jews wherever they happened to gather.