In late spring of 2022, Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) reached out to a local Jewish leader in Westchester County to ask for an unusual favor as he prepared to defend his seat in an August primary against two Democratic challengers who were each gaining support from the district’s sizable Jewish community.

“Do you have pics of us?” Bowman texted the Jewish leader, with whom he had previously maintained a cordial if uneasy relationship, according to a screenshot of the message shared with Jewish Insider. “So I can show the world I’m friends with Jewish People.”...

He didn’t share a photo — and Bowman, who defeated his challengers later that summer, never asked for one again, the Jewish leader told JI in a recent interview. “I was like, ‘I don’t want to be his court Jew,’” he explained of his thinking at the time of the exchange. “That wasn’t what I signed up for.”