Short answer: Yes, with nuance. Senator Adam Schiff, who is Jewish and speaks openly about that identity, has a long record of backing Israel's security and its right to defend itself. But by 2026 that support is not automatic: in April he broke from his own earlier vote and joined a large bloc of Senate Democrats supporting resolutions to block specific U.S. arms sales to Israel, citing concern over West Bank settlement violence and a wider war with Iran. As of August 2026, he remains supportive of Israel's security overall while being willing to publicly break with the Netanyahu government on specific policies.
What Adam Schiff has actually said and done
December 9, 2024: Schiff was sworn in as U.S. Senator from California, taking the oath on a rare 1490 Maimonides Mishneh Torah held by the Library of Congress. He said Jewish ethics guide him and that he celebrates Jewish holidays, though he does not belong to a synagogue as an adult, according to The Forward.
January 15, 2025: Schiff issued a statement on the Israel-Hamas ceasefire and hostage-release framework announced that month, according to the Office of Sen. Adam Schiff.
April 3, 2025: Schiff announced he would vote no on Senate joint resolutions of disapproval seeking to block a U.S. arms sale to Israel, opposing efforts to halt that sale, per his own office's statement, the Office of Sen. Adam Schiff.
June 13, 2025: After Israel struck Iranian nuclear and missile facilities, Schiff affirmed Israel's defensive rights, warned Iran would be making "a serious mistake" to retaliate against U.S. forces, and urged steps to prevent a wider regional war, according to the Office of Sen. Adam Schiff.
July 9, 2025: Schiff was among a bipartisan group of more than a dozen senators who met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to discuss hostages held in Gaza and building on regional diplomacy. The advocacy group CAIR-CA publicly criticized the meeting, per CAIR-CA.
October 7, 2025: On the two-year anniversary of the October 7 Hamas attack, Schiff called it "a horrific and unprovoked mass terrorist attack on Israel, killing nearly 1,200 civilians," said Hamas must be held accountable and never again be able to threaten Israel, and called for continued U.S.-led diplomacy toward a negotiated two-state solution, according to the Office of Sen. Adam Schiff.
October 21, 2025: Schiff led 45 Senate Democrats in a letter urging President Trump to reinforce U.S. opposition to Israeli annexation of West Bank territory while the Gaza ceasefire was being implemented, per the Office of Sen. Adam Schiff.
April 15, 2026: Schiff reversed his 2025 position, voting with roughly 40 Senate Democrats for resolutions of disapproval blocking specific U.S. arms sales to Israel. He said he could not support supplemental war funding while also backing sales tied to the same conflict. In a joint statement with fellow California senator Alex Padilla, he said friendship with Israel does not require agreeing with every decision of the Netanyahu government; separately, he and Senator Mark Kelly of Arizona said they would evaluate future arms sales case by case, according to Jewish Insider and confirmed by Padilla's Senate office.
The fuller picture
Schiff represented California's 30th (later 28th) congressional district in the U.S. House for over two decades before winning California's open Senate seat in November 2024; he was sworn in on December 9, 2024. He is Jewish, and was raised in a Reform congregation. His choice of the rare Maimonides text for his Senate swearing-in was a nod to that identity, though he has said he does not belong to a synagogue as an adult.
Across his House and Senate career, Schiff has consistently voted for emergency military assistance to Israel and issued numerous statements backing Israel's right to exist and defend itself, including after the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack and on its 2025 anniversary. He has also consistently paired that support with calls for humanitarian aid to Gaza, a negotiated two-state solution, and opposition to West Bank annexation.
The clearest break from a simple always-aligned-with-the-Israeli-government narrative came in April 2026, when Schiff joined a large bloc of Senate Democrats, led by Bernie Sanders, in voting for resolutions of disapproval to block specific arms sales to Israel, reversing his own no vote on similar measures a year earlier. He framed the shift as consistent with, not contrary to, support for Israel's long-term security, arguing that some weapons transfers risked fueling settlement violence or a wider war with Iran. Pro-Palestinian advocacy groups such as CAIR-CA have criticized him from the opposite direction for continuing to meet with Israeli officials, including Netanyahu in July 2025, and for his overall record supporting military aid to Israel.
The bottom line
Adam Schiff supports Israel's right to exist and defend itself, and his voting and statement record over two decades backs that up, reinforced by his own Jewish identity. But "unwavering" overstates where things stand in 2026: he broke publicly with a prior vote to help block specific U.S. arms sales to Israel that April, drawing a clear line between backing Israel's security broadly and endorsing every decision of the Netanyahu government.
Wear your own answer
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Last updated August 2026. We update these profiles as the record changes.
