The 2026 Texas Democratic Convention was held in Corpus Christi last Thursday through Saturday. Delegates considered nearly 20 resolutions targeting Israel amid its ongoing war against Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that in 2007 took control of the almost entirely Muslim Gaza Strip.

This was the second Texas Democratic convention in a row in which resolutions against Israel, which is predominantly Jewish, were filed.

Arthur Pronin — president of the Meyerland-area Democrats, and an activist from Houston's largest Jewish neighborhood — credited past party chair Gilberto Hinojosa with blocking what he characterized as the more inflammatory such resolutions from passing during the 2024 convention in El Paso.

"I think it’s incumbent upon the party chair to exercise leadership and make sure, just like our prior chair did ... that we have balanced sensible statements coming out on the Palestinian and the Israeli peoples, and that we’re not getting into conspiracy theories about dual loyalties amongst our own Jewish delegates coming to the convention," Pronin said before the convention, noting that he has been openly accused of disloyalty to the United States because of his support for Israel.

Kendall Scudder, the current chair of the Texas Democratic Party, did not respond to multiple requests for interviews by Houston Public Media.

The development comes amid rising anti-Israel sentiment, and in some cases anti-Jewish sentiment, among activists and candidates in both the Democratic and Republican parties. That's leaving some Jewish voters feeling politically homeless. Pronin noted that, even with Hinojosa's intervention, the El Paso convention was an uncomfortable one for many Jewish attendees.

He feared the Corpus Christi one would be even more so.

"Many of my Jewish friends who’ve gone to every convention have told me this time they’re just not going to go because it was so unpleasant last time," Pronin said.

...

Antizionism on the left

Zionists believe Jewish people have a right to a national homeland.

Most Jewish Americans, whether they identify as Zionist or not, believe Israel has a right to exist — that's according to a survey by the Jewish Federations of North America –- though younger Jewish Americans report feeling less of a connection with Israel than older ones.

There's ample evidence, however, that Jewish Americans as a whole are paying a price, whether they support Israel or not. Since Oct. 7, 2023, both the FBI and Anti-Defamation League have reported anti-Jewish hate crimes spiking to record or near-record levels. Such crimes have ranged from graffiti and harassment to physical assaults and attempted arson against synagogues.

The issue came into sharp focus during the recent Democratic primary in Texas' 35th Congressional District, centered on San Antonio. Maureen Galindo, a sex therapist and progressive activist, emerged as the leading candidate during the first round of voting in March. Shortly before the May primary runoff, however, Galindo posted on Instagram that she wanted to turn a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility into a prison for "American Zionists," claiming most Zionists are pedophiles who should be castrated.

The backlash was swift, and Galindo tried to walk back her statement.

"I want billionaire Zionists in prison," Galindo said in a video reel posted to Instagram. "That does not mean I want Jews in internment camps."

U.S. Rep. Lizzie Fletcher, D-Houston, was one of many Democratic officials who condemned Galindo's statements as "abhorrent."

"You had members of Congress saying, ‘If she is the nominee and if she is elected, we’re going to move to expel her, because she doesn’t represent our values,'" Fletcher said. "And we need to be clear in saying, ‘Those statements don’t represent our values. They’re not who we are, and we need to do the work we can to make sure that they’re not the folks who are elected.'"

Galindo, who did not respond to a request for comment, went on to lose her runoff election by a significant margin. But Pronin said there's little to celebrate for the Jewish community.

"She lost, but she got [nearly] 40% of the vote, with it on every broadcast in America. And still some people said, ‘I’m still not worried about this,'" Pronin said. "So, it's chilling."

Other Democratic candidates critical of Israel have fared better. Possibly the best-known example nationwide is New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a Muslim who has accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza. He vetoed a bill that would have permitted security perimeters around schools, including Jewish schools, citing concerns about the free speech rights of protesters, including pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Mamdani allowed a similar bill to take effect that allows for security perimeters around places of worship.

Other candidates who have made names for themselves more recently include Maine's Democratic nominee for the U.S. Senate, Graham Platner, a vocal critic of Israel who had a tattoo on his chest derived from a Nazi symbol. Platner had the tattoo covered up last year with another image.

Then there's Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from Michigan, who stated openly that he likes Jews and Judaism but that both are being ruined by the state of Israel.

"I sat there and said, ‘Wait a second. On what planet do minority groups have their identity narrated to them by others?'" Kurtzer said in response to El-Sayed’s remarks. "For many American Jews who care about Israel, Israel is not a political commitment. It’s actually a feature of our identity."

Norri Leder, the founder of Houston Jewish Women Vote, said what makes this especially concerning is not the candidates themselves but the fact that so many Democrats openly support them.

"I find it shocking to watch so many Democrats tolerate anti-Jewish sentiment — and particularly Democratic leadership — whether it's blatant antisemitism by some candidates or activists, use of coded language or messaging, or disproportionate bashing of Israel or even delegitimizing Israel's existence, when they know that spills over into hatred or even violence against Jewish people," Leder said.

...

View this article in Houston Public Media.