In their letter to the editor of June 25, “It’s Not About Israel,” Jennifer Montag and Shana Dworken write that they support Dr. Arati Kreibich in her primary challenge to Josh Gottheimer and that their support for her has “nothing to do” with Josh Gottheimer’s support of Israel. Those of us who care about Israel and about Israel’s support in Congress know that Josh Gottheimer is one of the leading pro-Israel voices in the House of Representatives. It is especially vital that we support him now that Elliot Engel, the leading pro-Israel member of the House has gone down to defeat at the hands of an ally of AOC and the rest of the “Squad.” He is also a voice of reason and leadership in an increasingly stridently progressive Democratic party both in New Jersey and across the nation, to the detriment of both.

Their letter further implies that representative Gottheimer is somehow an ally of President Trump’s. In reality, Josh Gottheimer is a mainstream Democrat who voted to impeach the president. Dr. Kreibich has been endorsed by Bernie Sanders, which says a lot. They also speak of “anti-Semitic dog whistles” and then go on to say that Dr. Kreibich “believes that there is room for criticism of the policies instituted by the Israeli government.” To me this is a loud and clear anti-Israeli “dog whistle.”

I urge anyone who cares about Israel and Israel’s support in Congress to vote for Josh Gottheimer on July 7.