BRIEFING ROOM

Thank You for Helping Make the 2026 Power of Women Luncheon Such a Success!

TOP TEN TAKEAWAYS FROM REPRESENTATIVE RITCHIE TORRES:

1. Before you rush to judge, actually go to Israel, speak to both Israelis and Palestinians, speak to Israeli Jews and

Israeli Arabs. Go see the facts on the ground with your own eyes. You'll come to realize that the reality is infinitely more complicated than the caricature percolating on social media.

2. We need a commitment to candidate recruitment. It's not enough to support the lesser of two evils in a particular primary or an election. You want to recruit candidates who are compelling, charismatic messengers, because the messenger means as much as message.

3. I think sometimes people look at it as only a Jewish issue. My view is that any society that embraces antisemitism will ultimately rot from within.

​

4. We have to just live out the principle that all living creations are made in the image of G-d, and you have to speak out against racism, antisemitism, islamophobia-against all forms of hate.

​

5. They often ask me, "Why do you speak out so forcefully in defense of the Jewish state and the Jewish people?" And I simply reply, the question is NOT why have I chosen to speak out? The question is, why have others chosen to be silent.

​

6. I'd argue that October 7th did not change the state of antisemitism in America, it simply revealed a trend that had been unfolding for a long time. There had long been a process of demonizing Jewish people and the Jewish state-on college campuses, on social media platforms--but it has taken on a new intensity since October 7th.

​

7. It's not enough for us to simply stand against Donald Trump. We have to stand for something.

​

8. If we seize control of the House, and hopefully the Senate, that will change the game. We will finally be in a position to hold Trump accountable in the fight for good government. Like Theodor Herzl said, "If you will it, it is no dream." That should be our mindset.

​

9. The Supreme Court has given a green light to state legislatures to redistrict Black and Brown seats out of existence--a tragedy for our democracy. I see the Voting Rights Act as the most important legislative landmark in American history. And I would not be where l am today without it.

​

10. If there's any community that knows about holding on to hope, it's the Jewish community. For me too, hope, Hatikvah is the anthem of the Jewish people. The birth of Israel and how far the Jewish community has come is a story of just overcoming improbable odds, the story of hope, prevailing over despair. So, I think we have no choice but to fight because we love the Democratic Party. We love American democracy. I am as motivated as I've ever been to keep fighting, and to never lose hope.