In the primary race for governor of New Jersey, many candidates are jockeying to be heard. There are six Democrats and four Republicans, all vying for their respective party nominations. Some are canvassing, others are holding meet-and-greets and fundraisers, quite a few are sending text messages and push-polls; and one in particular is sending letters to the Jewish community, giving them—surprisingly— a very clear reason to find someone else to vote for.

Whether it is simply wildly out of touch with current communal views, or just a huge miscalculation, Mayor of Jersey City and Democratic candidate for governor Steven Fulop sent a letter last week to “Jewish voters,” reaching communities in Fort Lee to Clifton and beyond, describing his identity as an Jew. “I come from a family of Holocaust survivors. My father fought in the IDF during the Six-Day War as a Golani. I went to an Orthodox yeshiva for most of my childhood (Rabbi Pesach Raymond Yeshiva). I have a Jewish wife and three Jewish kids (ages 6, 4, and 1). I would never put any of them in harm’s way.”

However, in this same letter, in fact on the same page, he also stated unilaterally that he opposes the IHRA definition of antisemitism—a standard which is adopted by the U.S. government, 35 U.S. states and many other countries, organizations and municipalities—and stated he will not support its passage if he is elected governor. He did, however, say that if the legislation were to reach his desk when he is governor, he would not veto it, which is a departure from previous public statements in which he said that he would.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), founded in 1998 by former Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson, is an organization that has done a singular and exemplary service to today’s Jewish community. It has created a working definition of antisemitism adopted by the United States and scores of other countries by which individuals and organizations can recognize the differences between criticism of Israel and criticism of Jews themselves. One of the key portions of the definition is identifying problematic language when opposers subject Israel to a double standard while not requiring the same of other nations. For example, accusing Israel of “genocide” in Gaza, when in fact there are more people there than there were in 2023, except for Hamas terrorists, who have been targeted as enemy combatants. According to UNICEF in a solicitation for donations, 20,000 babies were born between Oct. 7, 2023 and January 2025, in Gaza, during the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas. This is a perfect example showing that screaming “genocide” is only so if the attacker is Israel. What about the actual genocidal massacre of Christians in Syria (going on since 2015) that no college students care about? Who has ever heard of a genocide featuring a baby boom?

The IHRA definition is the difference between prosecuting those stalking Jewish college students for antisemitic harassment, or letting them go free for expressing their anger at Israel by following Jewish students to their dorms and scream-asking 20-year-old American Jews how many babies they killed that day.

But I digress. Reactions about Fulop’s letter poured into The Jewish Link. “Mayor Fulop has clearly heard the Jewish community’s message: our top priority is safety,” said Jason Shames, CEO of the Jewish Federation of Northern New Jersey. “With antisemitism at record levels and continuing to rise, nearly all of New Jersey’s 600,000-plus Jews support the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of antisemitism as a critical tool for protection.

“Unfortunately, Mayor Fulop has stated that he would not support the adoption of the IHRA definition, undermining his credibility in the Jewish community. His recent letter appears to be a last-minute attempt to address those concerns,” Shames mused.

“The Jewish community needs leaders who actively combat antisemitism and support Israel—not just those who claim Jewish identity,” said Daniel Shlufman of the newly formed NJ Solidarity Network (https://njsolidaritynetwork.org). “Mayor Fulop’s ‘as a Jew’ credential isn’t enough. He has not shown the will to lead on issues that matter to us.

“On the IHRA definition of antisemitism, Fulop doesn’t support it—he merely says he won’t oppose it if it reaches his desk. But as governor, he would influence which bills advance, and we don’t believe IHRA would be one of them.”

Fulop also opposes school vouchers, a key issue for many observant Jews, said Shlufman.

Michaela Lehr, of Englewood, also shared her concerns. “If, as a community, we are not crisp on our message around antisemitism—what it is, how to define it, and afford it the same gravity as other forms of hate—then we are fighting an unwinnable war. We need a shared legal definition in order to grant substance to our fight.

“When I vote, I vote for candidates who will represent my family and fight for those principles, instead of observing from the sidelines at best, or working against at worst. I am very concerned about Steve Fulop in this gubernatorial race—he has already shown that when the moment came to stand up for our people, he actively stood against us. He has stated this is because he believes it will encourage more antisemitism, because it says that criticism of Israel should be no different than any other country.

“Other than kowtowing to progressive influence, I cannot imagine why Fulop would take this position. He has now backpedaled and stated that he won’t go as far as to veto the bill. If this is the low bar we hold for our elected officials, we are in very bad shape,” Lehr concluded.

Yet another comment came from Jessica Mirsky of Teaneck. “I found the letter from the Fulop campaign about antisemitism and IHRA very strange. I believe that adopting the IHRA definition of antisemitism in New Jersey is incredibly important. Without a clear definition, how can law enforcement effectively uphold the law and hold perpetrators of antisemitic acts accountable?

“Right here in Teaneck, we have been repeatedly targeted because of our love for Israel and our Zionism, while those doing the targeting often insist that they aren’t antisemitic, ‘just’ anti-Zionist. It should be clear to all that these are the same. The needs of the Jewish community must be championed, and we need a governor who will prioritize passing the IHRA bill—not someone who will be passive about it,” added Mirsky.

Jewish advocate Maury Litwack said that Fulop’s position is brazen. “He doubles down on his opposition to IHRA stating that he won’t support it as governor. He offers not one policy solution to combat anti-Jewish hate to one of the largest Jewish communities in the country.

“These are old pre-October 7 methods that may have worked in a different age but the stakes are so high now that I believe that community members can and will see through these approaches. Elected leadership is being sought that is honest but also driven by policies that will make life safer and address core problems through concrete policy, not promises,” said Litwack.