I grew up believing the Democratic Party was the natural home for Jews like me. It was the party of civil rights, compassion and standing up for the vulnerable. For decades, Jews overwhelmingly supported Democrats; nearly 78% voted for Kamala Harris in 2024, but I was not one of them. By then, I had already quietly stepped away.
I had seen too much. I had watched as antisemitism was excused as “anti-Zionism,” as progressive spaces turned openly hostile to anyone who dared to love Israel unapologetically. I saw Jewish students shouted down and shamed for supporting the world’s only Jewish state. I stayed quiet about it for too long, mainly because of the stigma attached to leaving the Democratic Party. Among many Jews, simply voting Republican can feel like wearing a scarlet letter. That stigma kept me silent.
October 7 changed my silence. On that day, Jewish families were slaughtered in their homes, children kidnapped and entire communities terrorized simply for being Jewish. That day, the deadliest for Jews since the Holocaust, should have been a moment when leaders across the political spectrum stood with Israel and the Jewish people without hesitation. Instead, too often, there was silence or worse, excuses. Some leaders blamed Israel or treated Hamas’ barbarity as just another “complicated conflict.” On college campuses, Jewish students were harassed, threatened and assaulted while too many progressive leaders looked away.
Meanwhile, Republicans, many of whom I never imagined I would politically align with years ago, spoke with clarity and conviction. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said it simply: “America will always stand with Israel. Hamas is a terrorist organization, and the United States will ensure Israel has the weapons it needs to defend itself and its people.” That is what leadership sounds like.
Then came one of the clearest signals yet, just days ago. Maryland’s own U.S. Sen. Angela Alsobrooks voted to block U.S. arms sales to Israel at the very moment Israel is fighting for its survival. Her justification? “There are moments in history where our silence will not only be remembered — it will be judged … I remain committed to the U.S.-Israel relationship … In this moment, we must all do everything in our power as a global community to get desperately needed aid to the people of Gaza.”
This is a complete distortion of reality. There is no commitment to Israel when you cut off the weapons it needs to defend its citizens from terrorists sworn to its destruction. Claiming loyalty while voting to cripple Israel’s defenses is not moral courage; it is political theater.
And this is not an isolated incident. Democratic Representatives Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib have repeatedly labeled Israel an “apartheid state,” called for conditioning or ending U.S. aid, and even refused to vote for resolutions condemning Hamas terrorism. When antisemitism hides behind progressive slogans, far too many Democrats shrug or, worse, applaud.
Alsobrooks talked about “desperately needed aid.” Israel has allowed food, water, medicine and fuel into Gaza every single day, even during war. Yet according to the United Nations itself, Hamas and other armed groups hijacked 87% of the 2,010 aid trucks sent between May 19 and July 29, 2025, stealing supplies meant for civilians and using them to fuel terror. What Alsobrooks and others call “humanitarian aid” too often becomes Hamas’s war chest, while Israelis are left fighting for their lives with shrinking international support.
In my role as executive director of a pro-Israel nonprofit, I see firsthand how rhetoric in politics impacts Jewish students, families and safety on the ground. Words matter, and silence is dangerous.
The truth is, Oct. 7 did not change my politics; it changed my willingness to stay quiet. I had already stopped voting Democrat because I could see where the party was headed, but I was reluctant to say it out loud because of the stigma attached to leaving. Now I do not care about the stigma.
I am an Israeli-American, a proud Zionist and a Jewish mother raising my children to love their people and their homeland without shame. My values have not changed; I still believe in equality, compassion and justice, but the Democratic Party no longer represents them when it comes to my safety and my identity.
I did not leave the Democratic Party as a Jew. They left me. And I will never trade my children’s safety, my people’s dignity or Israel’s survival for political convenience again.
Caren Leven is an Israeli-American and the executive director of the nonprofit Baltimore Zionist District.