Colorado Jewish Leaders Express Alarm Over Melat Kiros’ Primary Win and Israel Criticism

DENVER (VINnews) – Jewish leaders across Colorado voiced deep concerns this week about Democratic socialist Melat Kiros’ victory in the state’s 1st Congressional District primary, citing her sharp criticism of Israel and the support she received from voters despite her positions.

Kiros, 29, a former attorney and current doctoral student, defeated longtime incumbent Rep. Diana DeGette in the June 30 Democratic primary. The upset victory has heightened fears in the local Jewish community about rising antisemitism and the mainstreaming of anti-Israel rhetoric.

“My fear is not that she won the election,” Rabbi Menachem Lehrfield, director of Denver’s Jewish Outreach Initiative, told Fox News Digital shortly after publishing an op-ed criticizing Kiros’ win. “What I’m most afraid of is the fact that so many of the people in my community, so many people in the district voted for her. They saw everything she stood for. They heard all the things she says.”

Lehrfield said the outcome has left many observant Jews feeling unsafe in everyday life. He described an incident in which a passerby yelled an antisemitic slur at him on a Denver street shortly after his op-ed appeared. Community leaders pointed to Kiros’ campaign statements, including her characterization of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks as an “inevitable consequence of apartheid,” her description of Israel’s actions in Gaza as genocide, her calls for a full U.S. arms embargo on Israel, and her initial reluctance to label a June 2025 firebombing attack on a pro-Israel gathering in Boulder as antisemitic.

That attack killed 82-year-old Karen Diamond and injured more than a dozen others. Prosecutors charged the perpetrator with murder and hate crimes after he shouted “Free Palestine” during the assault. Kiros later clarified that the violence was horrific but maintained that Israel’s policies were putting Jewish people “in great danger.”

Brandon Rattiner, senior director of the Jewish Community Relations Council, said he met with Kiros before the primary to discuss community concerns. He expressed frustration after she appeared on progressive platforms advancing positions he viewed as lacking nuance or empathy for Jewish experiences.

Susan Rona, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League’s Mountain States Region, linked such rhetoric to a surge in antisemitic incidents in Colorado. The ADL reported 167 incidents in 2025, the third-highest total on record for the state, with an increase in violent attacks.

Kiros has framed her positions as advocacy for Palestinian rights and self-determination while condemning antisemitism. She is a member of the Democratic Socialists of America and has emphasized progressive domestic policies including universal health care and housing reform. She is heavily favored to win the November general election in the solidly Democratic district.

Jewish leaders stressed that legitimate criticism of Israeli government policies is acceptable, but they drew a distinction between that and language they say demonizes the Jewish state or questions its right to exist.