When presidents deliver the State of the Union Address, there are customs associated with the annual ritual that include their names being announced as they enter, the presence of all but one cabinet member, and honorees from the citizenry. There was also a mustached congressman from the Bronx who made sure to arrive early to snag a prime seat by the aisle and shake the hand of the president as millions watched. Former Rep. Eliot Engel died last Friday at 79, from complications of Parkinson’s Disease.
“It makes me feel good to participate in the celebration of American democracy,” he said in an interview with PBS in 2016. “The president reports to the Congress. It is an honor. A kid from a working-class family could have never dreamed of being in Congress.” He added that it helped his visibility among constituents to see him on television shaking the hands of presidents, regardless of their party affiliation.
A former teacher and State Assembly member, Engel was elected to Congress in 1988 as a reformer, beating an incumbent. In his role on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, he was a staunch supporter of Israel during both intifadas and wars against Hamas. In the aftermath of the Cold War, he also spoke up for the self-determination of Bosnia and Kosovo against Serbian aggression and worked toward combating child labor in Africa.
“He served for more than three decades with unyielding dedication, fighting for his constituents and standing up for democracy around the world,” Rep. Ritchie Torres wrote. “He was a trailblazer for the Bronx in Washington, and a fierce advocate for Kosovo and the Albanian community at a time when few others were paying attention.” Torres represents the western Bronx portion of Engel’s former district, which includes the Jewish communities of Kingsbridge and Riverdale.
Gov. Kathy Hochul mourned Engel as “the son of Ukrainian-Jewish immigrants” who “brought the best of the Bronx to Congress.” He spoke of his roots in 2021 in an interview with The Jerusalem Post.
“They came here before World War I. If they hadn’t come here, they almost certainly would’ve perished in the Holocaust,” he said. “This country has been a refuge to people who are hurting for many, many years, and I’m grateful for it.”
His nephew, Yaakov Kaplan of Brooklyn, also noted Engel’s humility, even as he was visible at those presidential speeches. “You would have to look hard to find a better public servant,” he tweeted. “He tried his hardest to uplift the downtrodden, not just here in New York, where he supported numerous causes to better society, but across the globe as well.”
In 2020, Jamaal Bowman, a young and fresh insurgent who also had a background in education, unseated Engel in an upset mirroring Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s victory against Joe Crowley in Queens two years earlier. Both elections tossed out established Democrats with seniority in favor of socialists who vowed to vote against supporting Israel.
Although Mayor Zohran Mamdani campaigned for Bowman, he expressed condolences for Engel, citing his work experience and policies.
“From his early days as a teacher and guidance counselor to his 16 terms in Congress, Rep. Engel fought for single-payer healthcare, defended the environment, and cared for the communities he served,” Mamdani wrote.
Progressives also may remember Engel’s role in the 2019-2020 impeachment inquiry during President Trump’s first term, which centered on pressure placed on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Perhaps it was his busy schedule in Washington that kept Engel from spending enough time in his district. A “hot mic” moment in which Engel attended an event against police brutality in the Bronx contributed to the image of him as out of touch. “If I didn’t have a primary, I wouldn’t care,” he whispered to the Bronx Borough President.
Bowman ran and won with those words, shocking Jewish constituents from Riverdale to New Rochelle. He served for two terms, using the pulpit to rail against Israel as it fought against Hamas in Gaza. Redistricting eventually shifted most of the Bronx portion of the district to Torres, much to the relief of Jewish constituents in that area. In the Westchester portion, Jewish communities mobilized in 2024 to get out the vote in favor of George Latimer, who was supported by Engel.
“His legacy consists of hard work on issues and kindness to all,” Latimer wrote. “His work in helping bring peace to the Balkans in the 1990s was a major accomplishment, among many others.”
By Sergey Kadinsky
