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Jesse Gabriel is a California State Assemblymember representing the 46th district and serves as the Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. His documented activities and affiliations indicate a relationship with the Israel lobby and pro-Israel advocacy.
Gabriel’s involvement in pro-Israel advocacy extends to his past and present roles. While serving as a student body president at UC Berkeley, Gabriel stated that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) taught him how to organize. Prior to his election to the State Assembly, he served as a board member of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.
As a legislator, Gabriel has received direct contributions from groups identified with the Israel lobby. He has accumulated $82,650 in “Israel lobby direct contributions” from entities such as the California Jewish PAC and the California Jewish Legislative Caucus Leadership PAC. The California Jewish PAC is characterized as a “primary vehicle for pro-Israel and Zionist advocacy and political influence within California state government,” while the California Jewish Legislative Caucus Leadership PAC is described as the “political financing arm of a legislative caucus dedicated to promoting pro-Israel legislation, strengthening California-Israel ties, and countering anti-Zionism.”
Gabriel is also noted as a “prominent donor to Zionist and pro-Israel organizations and institutions,” including the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Birthright Israel, and the Koret Foundation. He is further described as a “prominent advocate for Zionist causes” who, as a UC Regent, “actively used their position…to oppose anti-Zionist activities and maintain ties with pro-Israel organizations.”
In 2024, a delegation of seven Democratic lawmakers, including Assemblymember Gabriel, traveled to Israel on a trip paid for by the Jewish Community Relations Council and the Jewish Federation of Los Angeles. The stated purpose of this trip was to foster connections between California and Israel.
As Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, Gabriel has publicly supported pro-Israel stances within the Democratic Party. In 2022, he stated that the California Democratic Party platform upholding “pro-Israel language” demonstrated “a lot of support for Israel” among California Democrats. He also acknowledged the “grassroots work” of groups like Democratic Majority for Israel and Democrats for Israel in securing this outcome. Gabriel’s official website states that he “has led statewide efforts to combat antisemitism, strengthen hate crimes laws, and unite diverse communities in the fight against hate and bigotry of all forms” as Co-Chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus. He also commented on the approval of the Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum, characterizing it as a “win for everyone who fought to remove bigoted and discriminatory content about Jews and Israel.”
Additionally, Gabriel introduced House Resolution 99 in 2022 to officially recognize the contributions of Israeli-Americans during Jewish American Heritage Month, a initiative he spearheaded with the Israeli-American Civic Action Network (ICAN) in California.
The Legislative Jewish Caucus, co-chaired by Gabriel, has faced criticism for its stance on the conflict in Gaza. One source notes the caucus “refuses to support a ceasefire” and “centers the debate on the protesters’ lack of civility,” often “conflating criticism of Israel with anti-Semitism.” This same source claims the caucus introduced legislation aimed at “indoctrinating six million California public school children and stem[ming] the rising tide of college resistance to Israel’s genocide in Gaza.” Before his time in the State Assembly, Gabriel also worked in the U.S. Senate, where he contributed to bipartisan Iran sanctions legislation that was enacted in 2010.
| Candidate | Years | Direct Contributions | Behested Payments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sabrina Cervantes | 2019 | $9,400 | $0 |
| Matt Haney | 2021 | $2,500 | $0 |