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Jewish, Pro-Israel Organizations Mourn Long-Time US Congresswoman Nita Lowey
Then-US Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) speaking at a press conference in Washington, DC, July 29, 2020. Photo: Michael Brochstein/Sipa USA via Reuters Connect
Jewish and pro-Israel organizations mourned the passing of former US Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY), who died due to breast cancer at the age of 87 in her home on Saturday.
A statement from Lowey’s family noted that “she was guided by the Jewish core value of ‘Tikkun Olam,’ repairing the world.”
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) called Lowey “an irreplaceable champion of the Jewish people” and “a trusted friend, colleague, advisor, and standard-bearer for the Jewish community and the US-Israel relationship.”
Ted Deutch, the CEO of AJC and a former Democratic congressman, wrote in a statement that during “my time in Congress and after, [Lowey] was an incredible mentor, and I am so fortunate to have witnessed her at work on the House floor, at home, and around the world. She made history as the first woman to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee, and I was proud to work with her to found and co-chair the House Bipartisan Task Force to Combat Antisemitism.”
Deutch added, “Her legacy will live on not only through all the colleagues she mentored and legislation like the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, but also in all the people her work has helped and will continue to help here at home and around the world. Nita loved AJC and the Jewish people, and I hope through our collective efforts, we, too, can help honor her memory.”
Democrat Majority For Israel (DMFI) also sent its condolences. “All of us at DMFI are mourning the passing of Congresswoman Nita Lowey, a trailblazer, a devoted public servant and a champion of the US-Israel relationship,” said Mark Mellman, president & CEO of DMFI.
“She broke barriers as the first woman to chair the powerful House Appropriations Committee and used her leadership to advance causes she was passionate about including women’s rights, social welfare, and strengthening America’s allies, like Israel,” Mellman continued. “During her distinguished career, she sponsored more than 500 pieces of legislation with more than 400 becoming law, uplifting American families.”
DMFI also noted important legislation regarding Israel that Lowey, who was Jewish, spearheaded. “Near the end of her time in Congress, she shaped and led the passage of the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act (MEPPA). Named in her honor, the legislation provides unprecedented levels of funding for peacebuilding between Israelis and Palestinians by fostering economic cooperation. DMFI was a proud supporter of this critical legislation.”
Mellamn concluded with a personal note, writing that he “was proud to know Congresswoman Lowey as a client, a friend, a fierce advocate for Israel and for peace.”
In a statement to Jewish Insider, Stephanie Hausner, who was a former intern for Lower and a campaign staffer who is now the chief operating officer of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said, “[Lowey] is one of the strongest champions we’ve ever seen in Congress in terms of support for Israel, in terms of foreign aid and support for Israel.”
“She felt strongly in convictions in support of Israel and would hold firm and encourage others to also see Israel as a place of diversity,” Hausner added. “When she decided not to run again in 2020, I think we as a Jewish community lost a giant, and her shoes — I don’t know that they’ll ever fully be filled.”
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) also mourned Lowey, who the group called “a dear friend and stalwart ally of the pro-Israel community.”
“As Chair of the Appropriations Committee, she was an indefatigable advocate for the necessary resources for the Jewish state to defend itself,” AIPAC emphasized. The pro-Israel organization also pointed out that she “left a legacy for regional reconciliation” with her work on passing the Nita M. Lowey Middle East Partnership for Peace Act.
AIPAC concluded, “We extend our condolences to Rep. Lowey’s family, former colleagues, and many friends throughout the world.”
The post Jewish, Pro-Israel Organizations Mourn Long-Time US Congresswoman Nita Lowey first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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After False Dawns, Gazans Hope Trump Will Force End to Two-Year-Old War
Palestinians walk past a residential building destroyed in previous Israeli strikes, after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, in Nuseirat, central Gaza Strip October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Mahmoud Issa
Exhausted Palestinians in Gaza clung to hopes on Saturday that US President Donald Trump would keep up pressure on Israel to end a two-year-old war that has killed tens of thousands and displaced the entire population of more than two million.
Hamas’ declaration that it was ready to hand over hostages and accept some terms of Trump’s plan to end the conflict while calling for more talks on several key issues was greeted with relief in the enclave, where most homes are now in ruins.
“It’s happy news, it saves those who are still alive,” said 32-year-old Saoud Qarneyta, reacting to Hamas’ response and Trump’s intervention. “This is enough. Houses have been damaged, everything has been damaged, what is left? Nothing.”
GAZAN RESIDENT HOPES ‘WE WILL BE DONE WITH WARS’
Ismail Zayda, 40, a father of three, displaced from a suburb in northern Gaza City where Israel launched a full-scale ground operation last month, said: “We want President Trump to keep pushing for an end to the war, if this chance is lost, it means that Gaza City will be destroyed by Israel and we might not survive.
“Enough, two years of bombardment, death and starvation. Enough,” he told Reuters on a social media chat.
“God willing this will be the last war. We will hopefully be done with the wars,” said 59-year-old Ali Ahmad, speaking in one of the tented camps where most Palestinians now live.
“We urge all sides not to backtrack. Every day of delay costs lives in Gaza, it is not just time wasted, lives get wasted too,” said Tamer Al-Burai, a Gaza City businessman displaced with members of his family in central Gaza Strip.
After two previous ceasefires — one near the start of the war and another earlier this year — lasted only a few weeks, he said; “I am very optimistic this time, maybe Trump’s seeking to be remembered as a man of peace, will bring us real peace this time.”
RESIDENT WORRIES THAT NETANYAHU WILL ‘SABOTAGE’ DEAL
Some voiced hopes of returning to their homes, but the Israeli military issued a fresh warning to Gazans on Saturday to stay out of Gaza City, describing it as a “dangerous combat zone.”
Gazans have faced previous false dawns during the past two years, when Trump and others declared at several points during on-off negotiations between Hamas, Israel and Arab and US mediators that a deal was close, only for war to rage on.
“Will it happen? Can we trust Trump? Maybe we trust Trump, but will Netanyahu abide this time? He has always sabotaged everything and continued the war. I hope he ends it now,” said Aya, 31, who was displaced with her family to Deir Al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip.
She added: “Maybe there is a chance the war ends at October 7, two years after it began.”
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Mass Rally in Rome on Fourth Day of Italy’s Pro-Palestinian Protests
A Pro-Palestinian demonstrator waves a Palestinian flag during a national protest for Gaza in Rome, Italy, October 4, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Claudia Greco
Large crowds assembled in central Rome on Saturday for the fourth straight day of protests in Italy since Israel intercepted an international flotilla trying to deliver aid to Gaza, and detained its activists.
People holding banners and Palestinian flags, chanting “Free Palestine” and other slogans, filed past the Colosseum, taking part in a march that organizers hoped would attract at least 1 million people.
“I’m here with a lot of other friends because I think it is important for us all to mobilize individually,” Francesco Galtieri, a 65-year-old musician from Rome, said. “If we don’t all mobilize, then nothing will change.”
Since Israel started blocking the flotilla late on Wednesday, protests have sprung up across Europe and in other parts of the world, but in Italy they have been a daily occurrence, in multiple cities.
On Friday, unions called a general strike in support of the flotilla, with demonstrations across the country that attracted more than 2 million, according to organizers. The interior ministry estimated attendance at around 400,000.
Italy’s right-wing government has been critical of the protests, with Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suggesting that people would skip work for Gaza just as an excuse for a longer weekend break.
On Saturday, Meloni blamed protesters for insulting graffiti that appeared on a statue of the late Pope John Paul II outside Rome’s main train station, where Pro-Palestinian groups have been holding a protest picket.
“They say they are taking to the streets for peace, but then they insult the memory of a man who was a true defender and builder of peace. A shameful act committed by people blinded by ideology,” she said in a statement.
Israel launched its Gaza offensive after Hamas terrorists staged a cross border attack on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 people hostage.
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Hamas Says It Agrees to Release All Israeli Hostages Under Trump Gaza Plan
Smoke rises during an Israeli military operation in Gaza City, as seen from the central Gaza Strip, October 2, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Hamas said on Friday it had agreed to release all Israeli hostages, alive or dead, under the terms of US President Donald Trump’s Gaza proposal, and signaled readiness to immediately enter mediated negotiations to discuss the details.