The shift in momentum surrounding Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign is tangible for organizers within the Jewish community.
Speaking with The Jerusalem Post on Wednesday, Ann Lewis, a longtime Democratic strategist and Jewish organizer, joked that she would keep repeating herself because she has never seen anything like this.Lewis led a group of women who organized for the 2020 campaign as Jewish Women for Joe, which evolved into Jewish Democratic Women for Action (JDWA) after the 2022 midterms.
Their support was once again behind President Joe Biden's campaign until the moment he announced he was no longer running.Lewis said that supporting Harris was natural, adding that many JDWA members got to know Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff through his work with the Jewish community.
“It was not a subject for debate,” she said. “It was, well, here we are. We are now Jewish Women for Kamala, and we are going to keep going.”Jewish Women for Kamala, along with the Jewish Democratic Council of America and organizers from a Facebook group called Jewish Women for Kamala Harris, are hosting a webinar Thursday night featuring Barbara Streisand.Also on the call will be Reps. Kathy Manning and Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Sen. Jacky Rosen, and actresses Sussie Essman and Shaina Taub, among others. Activist and influencer Mandana Dayani and actress Emmy Rossum will moderate the call.
A major registration number
On Wednesday, a spokesperson for JDCA said 16k people had registered.Lewis called the response from celebrities and speakers outstanding and heartwarming.Since Harris became the nominee, Lewis has noticed a unique interest from Jewish women across the country. Women who are grandmothers and others just a few years out of college are joining organizing calls – “women who want to step forward and say, ‘Yes, as a Jewish woman, I want to show my support for Kamala Harris,’” she said. “I’m a Jewish woman, and I know how high the stakes are. I know how important this election is.”
Jewish women who support Kamala
Talia Benamy, a New York organizer who leads a subset of Jewish women in their 20s and 30s for Kamala, told The Post that while there was excitement behind Biden as a candidate, more people are now eager to become engaged.
“There’s been an incredible outpouring and a lot of new people reaching out saying, ‘What can I do? How can I help?’” Benamy said. “And that’s everything from ‘What doors can I knock on?’ to ‘What efforts can I lead?’ People are stepping up and saying, ‘I want to lead something, not just do something.’”
Lewis noted that the group’s organizational efforts have been happening against the background of a Biden-Harris administration that has been strong and consistent in its support for Israel.
Harris has been an incredible friend to Israel and an incredible friend to the American Jewish community, Benamy echoed.
“She has stood by Israel since October 7,” Benamy said. “We have no doubt that she is, has been, will be as good a friend to us as Joe Biden has been, which is to say, an incredibly solid partner for us in the White House.”