The announcement of the retirement of longtime pro-Israel Maryland Congressman Steny Hoyer is the latest in a seismic shift that the US-Israel relationship is deteriorating rapidly, and it’s incredibly alarming.
However, this year, there is an unusually high number of congresspeople retiring – 46 House members and eight Senators . This ushers in a new era of leadership in Washington, right as campaign season for the 2026 Midterms is heating up.
But here’s a catch: a lot of congressional leaders are also running for statewide offices, including Democratic Texas congresswoman Jasmine Crockett. Crockett, who is also a member of “the squad” and critical of Israel, has announced a bid to run for the Senate in Texas, while South Carolina congresswoman Nancy Mace has announced a bid for governor in the Palmetto State.
Another closely watched race is New York’s 12th district. A predominantly Jewish district, longtime congressman Jerrold (Jerry) Nadler, who is Jewish himself, announced his retirement after serving for over 30 years in the House of Representatives. While having a historically strong support for Israel, he became more critical of Israel after the attacks of October 7, 2023, and this had many constituents in his district feeling betrayed. While Nadler claims his views aim to draw the line between criticism of certain Israeli government policies and antisemitism, he opposed the Antisemitism Awareness Act, claiming it risked conflating legitimate criticism of Israeli policy with antisemitism, arguing that bill’s language could relax free speech.
While some pro‑Israel advocates have criticized Nadler for supporting more progressive figures, including New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, or positions that appear sympathetic to critics of Israeli policy, others see his shift as reflecting broader tension among Democrats trying to balance support for Israel with concerns about civilian suffering in Gaza and changes in Israeli politics.
Out of a highly crowded arena for his seat, the most prominent candidate to watch for is one whose name you are likely already familiar with: Jack Schlossberg, the grandson of former US President John F. Kennedy (JFK). Schlossberg has a surprisingly nuanced stance on the Israel-Gaza conflict. While he has been critical of some of Israel’s military actions, he avoids the use of the term “genocide,” indicating a critical and clear standpoint. Raised with Jewish influence from his father, Edwin Schlossberg, he has acknowledged the Jewish community’s fear and frustration regarding antisemitism. Even though Schlossberg endorsed Zohran Mamdani on his successful election campaign for New York City Mayor, he has disagreed with calls to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a move Mamdani has vowed to make, signaling a boundary and middle ground.
Out of all 50 states, 36 have gubernatorial elections. In Georgia, Ruwa Romman, who is the state’s only Palestinian legislator, is being closely monitored. Born into a Palestinian family in Jordan, she immigrated to the US at age seven. In 2024, she became a prominent voice in the “Uncommitted” movement, which protested the Biden administration’s support for Israel. After being denied a speaking slot at the 2024 Democratic National Convention (DNC), she eventually organized a sit in protest where she read her speech intended for the convention. She also opposed state legislation that codified the IHRA definition of antisemitism into state law, which ensures protections for Jews all across the state, arguing that it could stifle legitimate criticism of the Israeli government.
Georgia senator Jon Ossoff, who is Jewish, is up for re-election. While he maintains a strong support for Israel’s security, he has become a vocal advocate for restraint and humanitarian aid flow into Gaza. He has urged Israel to listen to US concerns and has voted to block some weapons shipments to align with American values, highlighting complexity between supporting an ally in uncharted territory while advocating for innocent lives, including actively leading and supporting efforts to secure the releases of the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. He famously “adopted” the case of Evyatar David, and met with his brother, Ilay.
Ultimately, this moment is not just about retirements, elections, or shifting political alignments—it is also about a moral crossroads. The rapid turnover in Congress and the rise of a new generation of leaders are reshaping how the US-Israel relationship is discussed, defended, and sometimes misunderstood. Longstanding bipartisan instincts that once treated Israel’s security as a foundational American interest are giving way to a more fragmented, ideologically driven debate, one that too often collapses complexity into slogans. That erosion should alarm anyone who understands how fragile alliances become when history, context, and moral clarity are replaced by political expediency.
Judaism teaches that strength and compassion are not opposites. To mourn Israeli victims, demand the return of hostages, and insist on Israel’s right to defend itself does not preclude empathy for innocent Palestinian civilians suffering in war. On the contrary, Jewish ethics demand the capacity to hold both truths at once—to protect life while grieving loss, to pursue justice without surrendering conscience. The discomfort many Jewish voters feel today is not rooted in an aversion to criticism, but in watching legitimate moral debate slide into selective outrage, historical amnesia, or language that edges dangerously close to antisemitism.
As new leaders step forward and old guard figures step aside, the question is not whether American politics will change—it already has. The question is whether the US-Israel relationship will be guided by seriousness, historical responsibility, and moral depth, or reduced to a proxy battleground for domestic ideological struggles. In this turbulent transition, Jewish values offer a necessary compass: courage without cruelty, empathy without naïveté, and an unwavering insistence that moral clarity matters most when it is hardest to maintain.
Perri Schwartz is an activist and writer with a focus on the Jewish world and Israel, along with accessibility. She has been politically active for nearly 10 years. She is an alumnus of the Young Judaea Year Course gap year. Currently, she writes for the Israel Daily News, where she interned on Year Course, and is a Michael Kay Service Ambassador with Repair the World. She is also on the autism spectrum and is super committed about making the world a better place. You can follow her on Instagram, @perrispeaks_ and you can support her and her work here: PayPal.me/PerriSchwartz609