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US Rep. Jerry Nadler Faces Primary Challenge From Young Jewish New Yorker
US Rep. Jerry Nadler visits US immigration court in Manhattan, in New York City, US, June 18, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/David ‘Dee’ Delgado
Liam Elkind, a 26-year-old self-described “progressive” from New York City, has officially entered the Democratic primary race against US Rep. Jerry Nadler (NY), setting the stage for a showdown between a young upstart and a party elder with decades of experience.
Elkind, who is Jewish, released a video online Wednesday, drawing contrasts between himself and Nadler by touting his fresh ideas and young age. Nadler, his opponent, is 78 years old and running for his 18th term in the US House of Representatives.
With a self‑described platform of “fighting corruption, banning corporate PAC money, imposing term limits, [and] building more housing,” Elkind positioned himself as the antidote to what he called Democratic stagnation. In his video, Elkind paid tribute to Nadler’s decades‑long service, while also framing the congressman as emblematic of a party that has failed to deliver for its base. He argued that the Democratic Party has become increasingly ineffective, citing recent losses on health care and food‑stamp protections due to aging leadership.
“I appreciate [Nadler’s] 50 years in office. I grew up voting for him, but we need new leaders to meet this moment,” Elkind said.
Liam Elkind, a Democratic candidate in New York City, speaks into the camera as he launches his campaign. Photo: Screenshot
Elkind emphasized the need for new leadership to confront US President Donald Trump and restore faith in the Democratic Party. He has reportedly secured backing from high‑profile Democratic donors, including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, signaling serious fundraising capability.
Nadler’s team immediately fired back. Spokesperson Rob Gottheim underscored the congressman’s strong electoral track record, including a commanding victory in last year’s general election, and called Elkind politically inexperienced. “Unfortunately, with this individual, I don’t think there’s any record to speak of,” Gottheim told CNN this week.
The district Elkind seeks to represent includes the Upper West Side and Upper East Side of Manhattan and has a significant number of Jewish voters.
This contest is not an isolated phenomenon. Elkind joins more than a dozen Democrats aged 70+ now facing challengers from younger, energized Gen‑Z and millennial activists, spotlighting a generational tug‑of‑war within the party.
Nadler has represented Manhattan since 1992, including the Upper West Side, Upper East Side, and Midtown, earning a reputation as a progressive power within the House. Elkind, a native of Manhattan who currently resides in Chelsea, says he plans to relocate to the Upper West Side for the race.
Nadler also recently sparked backlash from many Jewish New Yorkers after he leaped to endorse controversial New York City Democratic primary winner Zohran Mamdani. Nadler has tasked his team with reaching out to the city’s Jewish leaders, encouraging them to support Mamdani in the general election.
Conversely, Elkind has not yet endorsed Mamdani. Citing his Jewish identity, Elkind expressed disappointment in Mamdani’s defense of the controversial slogan “globalize the intifada” during the mayoral primary.
Mamdani is an outspoken supporter of the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement, which seeks to isolate Israel from the international community as a step toward its eventual elimination. Mamdani has also repeatedly refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, falsely suggesting the country does not offer “equal rights” for all its citizens, and promised to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he visits New York.
Elkind’s challenge reflects a broader undercurrent of discontent simmering within the Democratic base. Across the country, progressive and younger voters have grown increasingly frustrated with what they describe as a stagnant, risk-averse party leadership that’s failed to deliver on promises.
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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.