Congressman Ritchie Torres loves Israel. The Bronx Democrat, whom Politico described as Israel’s “loudest supporter” in the House of Representatives, has visited the country regularly since 2015. He says pro-Israel advocacy is a major part of his life.

Torres’s vocal backing of Israel long predates Hamas’s October 7 attack. “Congressman Torres has been a pro-Israel stalwart for nearly a decade,” his office said in a statement to The New Republic. The progressive magazine Jewish Currents dubbed him “the future of pro-Israel politics” back in 2021; a year later, the British outlet Jewish Chronicle introduced him as “the woke Democrat who is an outspoken supporter of Israel.” In 2020, he and Mondaire Jones became the first openly gay Black men elected to Congress. 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.

Although Torres is not Jewish, his vocal support for Israel makes sense in some ways. New York City has the largest Jewish population outside of Israel; he’s built strong ties with the Jewish community since entering local elected office a decade ago; and, like many politicians in both parties, he counts pro-Israel organizations as major donors.

But Torres’s support stands out. At 36, he is one of the youngest representatives in Congress and is vocally pro-Israel at a period when many young people are questioning America’s staunch support for the country. Torres has found himself sparring with American Jews who are critical of Israel’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza, which has claimed tens of thousands of civilian lives.

Torres assumes a posture of authority—not only on Israel, but on what it means to Jews—that is surprising to encounter in someone who isn’t Jewish.

Torres frequently invokes what Israel means to Jews, and he has repeatedly engaged in arguments about religious identity, Zionism, and who gets to credibly speak to both. In these exchanges, Torres assumes a posture of authority—not only on Israel, but on what it means to Jews—that is surprising to encounter in someone who isn’t Jewish.

All of this goes over just fine with many of the most prominent American Jews—a number of whom have embraced him in recent months. But it has left others confused and frustrated. For Jews, it can be irksome, after all, to be told by someone who is not Jewish how to feel about Israel. Torres’s posture raises the question of who gets to speak to the relationship between Israel and American Jews—and what the answer means for American Jewish politics in the wake of October 7.

Torres’s combative approach toward Israel’s critics is most often seen on social media. In October, Abby Chava Stein, the author of Becoming........

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