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‘Squad’ Dem Says Calling For Israel-Hamas War Ceasefire Is ‘Uplifting’ What It ‘Actually Means To Be Jewish’

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Corey Walker Reporter
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Democratic New York Rep. Jamaal Bowman said that call for ceasefire are aligned with the true meaning of Judaism on Tuesday night.

Bowman, along with other left-wing Democratic lawmakers, attended the “Rabbis for Ceasefire” event to demand a deescalation of the violence between Israel and Hamas. Bowman claimed that other rabbis from his district published a letter condemning his calls for ceasefire, and have banned him from visiting their synagogues. (RELATED: Anti-Israel Demonstrators Harass Jewish Students In Library Of Cooper Union College)

“In my district, 26 rabbis wrote a letter against me calling for a ceasefire and I haven’t been able to stand with them or visit any synagogues,” Bowman said.

Bowman added that requests for Israel to lay down their arms

“By me calling for a ceasefire with my colleagues and centering humanity, I am uplifting deeply what it actually means to be Jewish,” Bowman added.

Democratic Minnesota  Rep. Ilhan Omar attended the event and questioned religious leaders who did not want a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas.

“Something fascinating and bizarre in the fact that there are people who seem to be upset that there are rabbis and other people of faith out here asking for ceasefire. And, it’s bizarre, because you would assume that if you are a religious leader, if you are a father leader, that you’re number one priority would be to look into your faith, into the teachings of your faith, and to say ‘I oppose violence,'” Omar said.

Democratic Massachusetts Rep. Ayanna Pressley called out the supposed “collective punishment” of Palestinians in Gaza, saying that a ceasefire is necessary to prevent more bloodshed.

“There is no justification for the collective punishment of the Palestinian people from their elders to their babies,” she continued. “As people of faith, we believe that we are all God’s children — Palestinian, Israeli, American alike. Regardless of our religion, or nation of birth, we are one human family and we have a moral obligation to be our brothers’ and our sisters’ keeper — a collective righteous mandate to save lives, and the mandate is clear — ceasefire now.”

Democratic Missouri Rep. Cori Bush bemoaned the “smear” that critics of Israel are “antisemitic.” The congresswoman vowed to continue to tell the “truth” about the Jewish state. She claimed to be “bound” by her faith to call for a ceasefire.

“They label us anti-Israel. They label us antisemitic, and they label us terrorists. They lie about us and they smear us, but we know the truth and the truth stands,” Bush said.

Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez reflected on the time she spent around the Jewish community during her youth and argued that a ceasefire would be in accordance with Jewish values. She argued that the Jewish community taught her the importance of the importance of “centering” and uplifting “human dignity.” She also took issue with the usage of the term “collateral damage” to describe the deaths of children in Gaza.

Activists have flooded the streets to hold demonstrations against Israel in the month following Hamas’ attack against the Jewish state. College students across the country have held campus protests condemning Israel, actions which have roiled relations with wealthy university donors.