President Joe Biden said he was quitting the race for president in a letter posted to social media on Sunday, and then tweeted a hearty endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris for president. The announcement followed a chorus of calls for Biden to be replaced after he appeared frail during a debate against former President Donald Trump last month.
Biden’s decision set in motion a competition for the vice presidential nomination. On many experts’ shortlist are two Jewish governors: Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, a swing state, and J.B. Pritzker of Illinois. Here is how prominent Jews responded to the news.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-New York
Israeli President Isaac Herzog
“I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to Joe Biden for his friendship and steadfast support for the Israeli people over his decades long career,” Herzog wrote on X. As the first U.S. president to visit Israel in wartime, as a recipient of the Israeli Presidential Medal of Honor, and as a true ally of the Jewish people, he is a symbol of the unbreakable bond between our two peoples.”
Barbra Streisand
Former Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett
“President Biden is a true friend of Israel who stood by us in our most difficult moments. During my tenure as Prime Minister, I witnessed his unwavering support of the State of Israel. Thank you for everything.”
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont
Josh Stein, North Carolina Democratic gubernatorial nominee
Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-New York
Rabbi Jonah Pesner, director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism
Nathan Diament, executive director of the Orthodox Union
Jill Stein, Green Party presidential candidate
Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich
This story was originally published on the Forward.
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