Sherrill says as governor she would want to make New Jersey a “role model” for combating anti-Semitism

Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-NJ), who is running for governor of New Jersey against two high-profile Jewish challengers: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) and Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop, said Jewish Insider that if elected, she would work to make New Jersey a national model for combating anti-Semitism.

“Since entering Congress, I have worked tirelessly to combat anti-Semitism,” Sherrill said in a statement to JI. “This issue is deeply personal and important to me, and I remain in close contact with rabbis and leaders across New Jersey to ensure I understand and respond to the needs of the community. As governor, I will continue to call out and combat anti-Semitism and work toward a day when our state is considered a role model nationwide.”

Gotthiemier has made fighting anti-Semitism — as well as his strong support for Israel — a focus during his time in Congress and praised his work on these issues during his campaign announcement in November. Fulop, who like Gottheimer is Jewish, has also highlighted his Jewish background and been vocal against anti-Semitism.

While she touted her work against anti-Semitism in her statement to JI, Sherrill did not appear to highlight the issue on the campaign trail since announcing her candidacy on Nov. 18. She voted for a resolution on November 21 praising the State Department’s anti-Semitism policies.

The Anti-Defamation League found that anti-Semitic incidents more than doubled in 2023 and New Jersey has one of the largest Jewish populations in the country. An anti-Israel camp was also set up at Rutgers University in the state this year, and those responsible came under fire for making a deal with protesters to end the camp.

Sherrill emphasized in her statement to JI that during her tenure, she has held conversations with students and community members about anti-Semitism, helped New Jersey Jewish institutions receive security grants, and advocated against anti-Semitic attacks inside and outside the state.

She also noted that she wrote individually to college and university presidents in New Jersey in December to urge them to take action to protect Jewish students, following statements from the presidents of Harvard University, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Pennsylvania to seize what Sherrill condemned.

“Nothing has shocked me more than the disturbing rise in anti-Semitism we have seen following the October 7 terrorist attack,” she continued. “This is particularly concerning among teenagers, on our college campuses and online. It is unacceptable. Every elected official has a responsibility to act to end this terrible trend.”

Sherrill has also supported efforts to secure additional funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and implement the administration’s national anti-Semitism strategy.

The New Jersey Democrat voted for the Gottheimer-led Antisemitism Awareness Act, which codified the Education Department’s Trump-era regulations on anti-Semitism on campus, as well as a resolution condemning the presidents of Harvard and MIT for campus anti-Semitism were asked to resign, but voted “present” in favor of a resolution describing anti-Zionism as anti-Semitic and against a resolution in which Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) is censured for comments that many see as anti-Semitic.

Before Oct. 7, Sherrill had joined a letter with other lawmakers calling on the Education Department to address a significant backlog of anti-Semitism cases — a problem that has worsened significantly since Oct. 7, in addition to other calls on efforts to combat anti-Semitism. In 2019, she condemned Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) for anti-Semitic comments.

Sherrill, a former Navy helicopter pilot, has also been critical of Israel’s military strategy in Gaza and remained seated and unresponsive during much of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech to Congress earlier this year.