Michael Gelman
Kamala Harris chose Tim Walz as her running mate for many reasons, not the least of which is that Walz and Harris see eye to eye on key issues, including Israel and antisemitism. During Walz’s 12 years in Congress, he compiled a perfect voting record on Israel. He’s a strong proponent of Holocaust education, having written a master’s thesis on Holocaust education, taught about the Holocaust as a social studies teacher and signed into law a bill requiring Holocaust education. He unequivocally condemned Hamas after Oct. 7 and ordered Minnesota’s flags to be flown at half-mast. Walz said on Oct. 10, 2023, “Here in the state of Minnesota, we stand firmly with the state of Israel and the righteousness of the cause.”
Harris had many strong vice presidential candidates to choose from. Unlike other options, Walz not only served in Congress, but he proved his appeal to conservatives by repeatedly winning in a GOP-leaning district. He compiled a long record of success as governor of Minnesota and was reelected because of those successes, which include nationally popular programs such as strengthening voting rights, cutting taxes for the middle class, lowering the cost of insulin, expanding paid leave for workers, protecting reproductive freedom by codifying abortion rights after Roe v. Wade was overturned (making Minnesota the first state to do so) and providing universal free school meals for students. Walz has a strong record as a legislator and governor, and both his record and his personality, not to mention his long service in the National Guard and experience as a school teacher, appeal to voters across the ideological spectrum, from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to Sen. Joe Manchin, both of whom enthusiastically applauded Harris’ decision to choose Walz.
Many factors went into Harris’ decision-making process, but true to form, without a shred of evidence to substantiate their claim, Republicans are falsely alleging that Harris — who is married to a man who wears his Judaism on his sleeve and has worked extensively on the National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism — chose Walz over Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro because of pressure from antisemitic elements. There is no question that there was a smear campaign against Shapiro from fringe elements of the left that was amplified by Donald Trump’s team. But while Harris had many reasons for choosing Walz over all the other possibilities, including intangibles such as personal chemistry, the fact that there was a smear campaign against Shapiro does not mean it had any impact on the process, and there is no evidence that it did.
Harris, Walz and Shapiro have views on Israel that match those of the Biden-Harris administration: Ironclad support for Israel’s safety and security, a commitment to ensuring that Iran never obtains nuclear weapons, understanding that only a two-state solution will bring lasting peace to the region and most immediately, the focus on bringing home the hostages held by Hamas in conjunction with a cease-fire and humanitarian aid for innocent Palestinians, all of which are complementary goals that the vast majority of Jewish Americans support.
All of us are entitled to our opinions on who Harris should have chosen but all of us agree that the goal is to defeat Donald Trump and that a Harris-Walz administration would be far better for our country than a Trump-Vance administration. Walz is an excellent pick for vice president and Jewish voters will enthusiastically support this ticket.
Michael Gelman is a board member of Jewish Democratic Council of America. He is a member of the Mid-Atlantic Media ownership group, publisher of Washington Jewish Week, Philadelphia Jewish Exponent and Baltimore Jewish Times.
