21 Jan “AT BEST, IT’S A TRAGIC NECESSITY” EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH CONGRESSMAN, RITCHIE TORRES
FAST FACTS
Name:
Ritchie John Torres
Born:
March 12, 1988 (age 36) in the Bronx, NY.
Nationality:
Puerto Rican. Father is Puerto Rican and
mother was born in the Bronx to Puerto
Rican parents.
Political party:
Democratic
Education:
New York University
Current Title:
Member of the U.S. House of
Representatives from New York’s 15th
district
Assumed office:
January 3, 2021
Preceded by:
José E. Serrano
Previous Job:
Member of the New York City Council
from the 15th district January 1, 2014 –
December 31, 2020
First trip to Israel:
In 2015 with the Jewish Community Council
Congressman Ritchie Torres loves Israel. The Bronx Democrat is one of the biggest supporters of Israel in the House of Representatives and has visited the country regularly since 2015. He says pro-Israel advocacy is a major part of his life.
Since October 7, progressive & pro-Israel Congressman Ritchie Torres has faced both online and in-person hostility as he defends Israel’s right to security. He has publicly spoken to Jewish audiences to express his solidarity, even braving protests organized by pro-Hamas groups targeting him personally. Since October 7, he has argued with his fellow Democrats who have called for a cease-fire; he even left the Congressional Progressive Caucus, a move some speculated was over its criticism of Israel.
Torres acknowledges he is being attacked by members of his party for his views, saying that supporting Israel is “not for the faint-hearted,” but he is determined to show that loving Israel is not a partisan issue.
This past Friday, I spoke with Congressman Ritchie Torres at his Bronx office about his opinion on the Israel/Hamas ceasefire deal, anti-Semitism in New York and whether he plans on running for governor of New York.
It is truly an honor to conduct this interview. Thank you for being a champion for the Jewish people, for Israel, and for everything you do for New York and America. Thank you for fighting
passionately against antisemitism. Thank you for being the voice of sanity.
I’m someone who loves quotes, and I really enjoy yours. You’re a quote machine! We feature your quotes in The Jewish Vues all the time. One of your famous quotes that you often share—and I believe you learned it in the Bronx—is, “If you allow yourself to be bullied, you will continue to be bullied.” Do you think President Biden and President-elect Trump have forced Israel into a bad deal? Is Bibi being bullied? What are your thoughts on what’s happening right now in Israel?
Well, there seems to be widespread agreement that it’s a bad deal. The question is, is it necessary? And I would leave that for Israel to decide. It’s not my place to second-guess Israel’s judgment about what’s best for its own security.
I’m overwhelmingly relieved that we’re finally going to see the release of hostages who have been languishing in terror tunnels and captivity for over 400 days—more than 15 months. But it’s not lost on me that this comes at a painful cost: Keeping Hamas in power. It’s a heavy price Israel is bearing, not to mention the cost of releasing terrorists who are intent on repeating what happened on October 7th.
Hamas has made it clear from day one that October 7th was not a one-off event. There’s going to be a second, a third, a fourth… and Hamas is intent on murdering every Jew and turning the Jewish state into an island. This is not speculation; it’s their mission statement as a genocidal terrorist organization. I’m hopeful that Israel will no longer take its eye off the ball, as it did in the lead-up to October 7th. The moment Hamas comes even remotely close to breaking the ceasefire, they’ll be held accountable. So, I continue to believe Hamas’ days as a terrorist organization are numbered.
In 2011, Israel exchanged Gilad Shalit for 1,027 Israeli-held security prisoners. 280 of those serve life sentences for planning and perpetuating various terror attacks against Israeli targets. One of those prisoners was Yahya Sinwar. Do you believe Israel should be giving thousands of terrorists away in exchange for these hostages?
I would leave that decision to Israel. If Israel concludes that the highest priority is the release of the hostages, I would respect that judgment. But Hamas has put Israel in an impossible position. They’ve taken innocent Israelis hostage to manipulate Israel and the Western world into releasing terrorists. Those terrorists could plant the seeds for a future October 7th attack.
No one should romanticize this deal. You might view it as tragically necessary, but no one should frame it as a “good deal.” At best, it’s a tragic necessity.
On the international stage, the single greatest challenge to the United States is China. We no longer live in a world where the U.S. is the sole superpower. We live in a world where the U.S. and China are competing superpowers. Strategic competition between the U.S. and China is going to be the greatest challenge we face in the decades ahead.
We also need to ensure that we’re well-positioned to counter the rise of an axis of anti-Americanism: China, Russia, North Korea, and Iran. These forces are coalescing to destabilize the American-led international order. In that world, our alliances become even more important, not less. The U.S.-Israel relationship is more crucial than ever. Without Israel, Iran would be the dominant force in the Middle East. It would be a regional hegemon.
Domestically, two of the most important issues are the economy and the cost of living. We have to address the two dominant issues from the presidential election: inflation and border security. The American people expect the government to deliver an affordable cost of living, safe streets, and secure borders. So, those are the highest priorities for me: cost of living and public safety.
Should a Jewish man be afraid to wear a yarmulke while walking down the street in New York?
If Jewish New Yorkers are too afraid to wear a yarmulke or display a Star of David or be visibly Jewish, then the city and the state of New York are fundamentally failing them. The role of government is not only to ensure your safety but to ensure that you feel safe. There’s nothing more foundational than your freedom to be who you are. We need to do everything we can to ensure New York remains a sanctuary for the Jewish people.
It’s an outrage that anti-Semitic hate crimes are at historic highs. Jews are the target of more hate crimes than “AT BEST, IT’S A TRAGIC NECESSITY” all other groups combined. I find it deeply troubling that Governor Kathy Hochul did not once mention antisemitism in her hour-long State of the State speech. In a 140-page document relating to the State of the State, the word “anti- Semitism” isn’t even mentioned. For me, the greatest scandal is not just that New York is failing to combat anti-Semitism, but that we’re not even trying.
One thing we could do is reinstate the mask bans with religious and medical exceptions. There are agitators who wear masks for the purpose of intimidation, harassment, and violence. We’ve lost historical perspective. Anti- mask laws date back to early 20th-century movements to unmask the KKK, who used masks to terrorize African Americans. Now we see agitators using masks to intimidate and harass Jewish New Yorkers. The governor and the mayor should advocate for the reinstatement of a mask ban in New York. It was the law for 175 years.
When did it end?
The mask ban ended with COVID. There should be a public health exception and a medical exception, but the use of masks to intimidate or harass should be strictly prohibited by law, as it was for 175 years.
You just mentioned Governor Hochul. Where do you plan on being on Tuesday, November 3rd, 2026? Are you planning on running for governor of New York?
Where will I be? Well, I’ll still be a congressman, so I’ll definitely be a congressman on November 3rd. But you’re asking if I’ll run for governor— and if I’ll win? I’ll make a final
decision about a gubernatorial run in mid-2025. I plan to spend the next six to seven months traveling throughout the state and speaking to New Yorkers, and then I’ll make a final determination.
FUN QUESTIONS WITH CONGRESSMAN RITCHIE TORRES
We at The Jewish Vues love your quotes. We put them in the paper all the time. What would you say is your favorite quote?
I have quite a few favorite quotes, but there’s one that’s particularly meaningful to me. It’s a complex quote from a Greek tragedy called Agamemnon, written by Aeschylus, who was the founder and pioneer of tragedy as a genre. The quote reads: “Drop by drop upon the heart, sorrow falls, memories pain, and to us, against our will, even in our own despair comes wisdom. Through the awful grace of G-d.” I think that’s one of the most beautiful quotes I’ve ever heard or read.
If you could be a fly on the wall in any moment of history, when would that be?
I’m an admirer of the classical world. The classical era of ancient Greece, from about 480 BC to 323 BCE, was a time when the foundations of Western civilization were laid—medicine, philosophy, logic, literature, drama, tragedy, and mathematics all had their beginnings. So much intellectual achievement happened in Athens, Greece, over the span of just 150 years. We owe a huge debt to the ancient Greeks and their achievements, so that would have been an exciting period to experience.
Name someone alive that you’ve never met before and would like to meet before your time expires.
I’ve met Bill Clinton, but I would love to have a longer conversation with him. I feel that the Democratic Party has to go through the same transformation he led in the 1990s. There needs to be a reorientation back to a rational center in order to win elections, and no one knows how to pull that off better than Bill Clinton. I would love to seek his advice on how to move forward in the wake of the 2024 election, which, to me, was a rude awakening.
I know that you’re very close to your mother. What’s the best advice she ever gave you?
Never forget where you came from.
What’s your favorite Jewish holiday?
I love Hanukkah because I admire the story of the Maccabees. For me, those who fight for Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state are the modern-day Maccabees.
Favorite Jewish person?
I don’t have a single favorite. If you make one friend, you make a thousand enemies. But the simple answer is Abraham, right? He’s probably the most influential figure in human history because he’s the founder of the three Abrahamic religions. A wise person once told me, “When in doubt, quote [Rabbi] Jonathan Sacks.” So, Jonathan Sacks would certainly be up there. Hannah Arendt is another brilliant Jewish thinker. Her observations after the Holocaust are profound. As for my favorite rabbi, I’ll keep that one to myself—I don’t want to get into any trouble! There are many thinkers I look to for intellectual inspiration on issues of Israel and Zionism.
Can you share one or two of those thinkers?
Haviv Rettig Gur is an exceptional mind. Yossi Klein Halevi is another. Einat Wilf is also a brilliant thinker. I think Dan Senor’s podcast is outstanding. In fact, I believe the most informative podcast about Israel in the post-October 7th world is Dan Senor’s Call Me Back.
Favorite mitzvah?
I think the most meaningful mitzvah right now is doing the right thing in the wake of October 7th.
Favorite kosher food?
I once spoke at a Modern Orthodox yeshiva in New Jersey, Frisch. The pizza there was really good.
Name someone alive today that you would call a leader.
I have enormous respect for Josh Shapiro in Pennsylvania. He has shown tremendous moral leadership in the wake of October 7th.
Most optimistic person you have ever met?
I’d say my mother. She believed in me more than I believed in myself.
Favorite U.S. president of all time?
The greatest president was Abraham Lincoln.
If you weren’t doing what you’re doing now, what would you be doing?
I would either be a teacher, a lawyer, or maybe a rabbi.
If you could have three dinner guests from any time in history, who would they be?
I’m just picking these out of thin air, but maybe Aristotle, Isaac Newton, and Albert Einstein.
Top three things you like about visiting Israel.
The Old City, Yad Vashem & Masada.
For me, the Old City is a mosaic of religious pluralism. And Israel has been a great guardian of the holy land of the three Abrahamic religions. The first time I ever went to a Holocaust Museum was Yad Vashem. So, Yad Vashem had a profound impact on me. It not only taught me about the depth of human depravity, but also the height of human heroism. The righteous of the nations. There are exhibits about the righteousness of the nations during the Holocaust. Masada was also great.