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janeese lewis george
DC’s Elections Were Divisive—But Embracing Partnership is the Path to Jewish Safety
History has taught us that Jews are safest in societies and political systems that pursue true safety for everyone who faces marginalization and hate.
Jun 28, 2026
During an election season, it’s natural to take sides—that’s what elections are for. But taking sides doesn’t have to mean dividing the Jewish community, or isolating Jews from the broader community around us.
As the Executive Director of Jews United for Justice and the JUFJ Campaign Fund in Washington, DC and Maryland, I lead a group that has worked for more than a quarter century to ensure that everyone in our region—no matter our religion, where we come from, how much money we have, or what we look like—can live with freedom, safety, and belonging. Unfortunately, in DC, we just witnessed primary elections that saw national political polarization impacting us locally. Disagreements and concerns within the Jewish community are intersecting with local electoral politics—in ways that I fear could leave us more divided and less safe. But there is another path forward.
The JUFJ Campaign Fund endorses candidates who we believe will use their voices and their offices to build a more just region for all of us, including Jews. In this month’s DC Primary election, all seven of the progressive candidates that we endorsed won. That includes Janeese Lewis George, the winner of the Democratic Primary for Mayor, and soon-to-be Councilmember Aparna Raj, both of whom have also been endorsed by local chapters of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA).
Given DSA’s anti-Zionist positions, for some Jews, DSA’s backing is enough to warrant labeling these politicians as a threat to our community. Yet for myself and our organization, our personal experiences of these candidates could not be more contrary to that image.
When we feel alone and misunderstood, every disagreement can seem like a threat. Yet I know, from these past 20 years, that the way through this anxiety is relationships.
All of our endorsees, including Lewis George, Raj, and others endorsed by DSA, have shown up for my colleagues and me individually, our organizations, and their own Jewish constituents. They’ve cited our community’s needs and concerns as important to them, and recognized our community as part of their winning coalitions on election night. Even—and especially—when we have had disagreements, we have remained in relationships that allow us to recognize each other’s humanity and to build a strong Jewish presence in our shared political work.
At JUFJ’s community seders this spring, we hosted a dozen candidates for local and statewide office in DC, Montgomery County, and Baltimore. These candidates were Jewish and non-Jewish, ones who had received our endorsements and ones who hadn’t, DSA members and not, of many races and ethnicities—and they all came together to retell the Passover story and connect it to the struggles we face here in our region. I’ve seen these candidates build relationships and create space for conversation with our Jewish community over many years, and throughout this campaign season. And these relationships bear fruit during hard times.
After the terrorist attack against Temple Israel in Michigan this March, a non-Jewish, DSA-endorsed candidate wrote to one of my colleagues: “I saw the news coming out of Detroit and just wanted to say I’m thinking of you. It means a lot to be able to organize alongside you and others in the Jewish community to create a vision for a multiracial democracy where we’re all safe together. Hope you're doing ok.” Another non-Jewish DSA-endorsed elected official called all the senior rabbis in their jurisdiction on October 8, 2023, and has since worked to arrange additional security for Jewish institutions after antisemitic violence. In DC and Montgomery County, our endorsed candidates in elected office have voted time and time again to support funding for Jewish nonprofits and providing security grants for places of worship.
When I started at JUFJ in 2008, I didn’t see antisemitism as one of the pivotal challenges to address in our region. Today, that has changed. We’ve made dismantling antisemitism a key piece of our ongoing work, including working with candidates and elected officials to help them gain a better understanding of antisemitism, how it affects us, and what they can do. Unfortunately, we are living through a time when some politicians and community leaders attempt to build their own power by fueling antisemitism and exploiting divisions within our communities. They want Jews to feel isolated and alone. But isolation is not a path to safety. Anger and resentment is not a strategy.
When we feel alone and misunderstood, every disagreement can seem like a threat. Yet I know, from these past 20 years, that the way through this anxiety is relationships. Building and maintaining relationships with people who are different from me means that I have people to reach out to for a better understanding of our differences. As the great Black activist and musician Bernice Johnson Reagon put it, “Coalition work is not work done in your home.” To build coalitions with people who are different from us, we must resist the urge to isolate—despite fears and disagreements.
As DC’s next mayor and other progressive and democratic socialist candidates across the country take office, we in the Jewish community have a choice ahead of us. We can treat them as potential threats—even as they say they are working to build a city where everyone can thrive. Or, we can consider them to be potential partners and allies, despite any differences—and engage openly and honestly with them on that basis.
History has taught us that Jews are safest in societies and political systems that pursue true safety for everyone who faces marginalization and hate. That is why our movement here in the DMV has endorsed candidates who are committed to tackling antisemitism, and who are also looking out for my Black, brown, immigrant, and low-income neighbors. When we look out for and talk to each other, only then can our society be a place where all of us can live with respect and dignity.
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Janeese Lewis George, Next DC Mayor, Says Working People 'Don't Want to Hear What Government Can't Do'
"This is not a liberal, moderate, or socialist thing," said the democratic socialist after winning the Democratic Party primary in the nation's capital. "We all want to be able to achieve the American Dream."
Jun 19, 2026
Janeese Lewis George, a Washington, DC City Councilmember, won the Democratic primary to become the city's next mayor on Thursday, a triumph celebrated by progressives in the nation's capital and beyond as a further sign that the democratic socialism she represents is resonating deeply with voters within the party.
“From native Washingtonians to people that have found and called this place home, to restaurant workers, to teachers, to retirees, so many people—whether you’re new to the team or have been a part of this since day one, I want to be clear that I plan to be a mayor for everyone who calls this city home,” Lewis George said at a press conference after the primary was called in her favor.
In the deeply blue city, winner of the Democratic primary means Lewis George is almost certain to be the next mayor, the latest in a string of self-identified democratic socialists to win elections in major US cities this cycle, including Mayor Zohran Mamdani in New York City and Seattle Mayor Katie Wilson.
As the Washington Post notes in its coverage of Lewis George's win,
Faith in capitalism is slipping, and socialism does not carry the same toxic brand among young voters that it does with older Americans who grew up during the Cold War. An August 2025 Gallup poll found that 49 percent of Americans ages 18 to 34 had positive views of socialism, compared with 30 percent of Americans 55 and older. The survey found that Americans on balance prefer capitalism to socialism, but the favorability of capitalism dropped from 60 percent in 2021 to 54 percent.
During remarks to the press on Thursday, Lewis George downplayed the usefulness of political or ideological labels, but said what voters are craving is elected officials willing to address their material needs and to fight to make the day-to-day lives of working people more affordable.
NOW - Lewis George: "People don't want to hear about what government can't do" pic.twitter.com/6pnWtbc0a6
— Joey Barke (@joey_barke) June 18, 2026
"This is not a liberal, moderate, or socialist thing," she said. "We all want to be able to achieve the American Dream. We all want to be able to provide for our families and ourselves. And that's what leaders should be focused on—delivering results for residents in this city and in this country."
"People are not interested in hearing what government can't do," Lewis George continued. "When they're struggling every day, working two jobs, and still can't make it—they don't want to hear what government can't do."
Ashik Siddique, co-chair of the city's chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), suggested to the Post that Lewis George, who DSA backed in the primary, represents more of what voters are craving after decades of Democrats tracking further to the right and capitulating to corporate interests—even in the face of President Donald Trump.
“People are feeling like they have to work way harder to get by, and meanwhile they’re seeing Elon Musk become the first trillionaire in the world,” said Siddique. “The Trump administration is just administering policies that make people’s lives worse, and many people feel like the Democratic Party establishment is not really putting up a fight.”
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