Since Nancy Pelosi’s announcement Thursday that she would be retiring from Congress at the end of her term in 2027, Bay Area Jewish leaders have been singing her praises and, frankly, kvelling. They not only point to Pelosi’s historic achievements in Washington over the last 40 years, or her groundbreaking role as the first woman to serve as House Speaker, but also her profound kinship with the Jewish community.
Calling Pelosi, 85, a “friend” of the Jewish community does not do justice to the depth of the relationship, said Sam Lauter, a longtime public affairs professional in local, state and national politics who grew up on Pelosi’s block in San Francisco’s Presidio Heights.
“She is part of the community, more than she is a friend,” Lauter said. Indeed, though Pelosi is Roman Catholic, she has two Jewish grandchildren. “For her, it’s a thrill that they connect to their Judaism,” he said.
Pelosi’s relationship with the Jewish community is deep. Her father, Thomas D’Alesandro, who served in Congress from 1939 to 1947, famously called out FDR’s administration for not doing enough to intervene on behalf of the Jews during the Holocaust and vocalized support for the creation of the State of Israel.
Over the course of her nearly four-decade career in Congress, Pelosi has followed suit, honoring Holocaust survivors on Yom HaShoah, traveling to Israel numerous times and fostering close ties with AIPAC and the Jewish Community Relations Council Bay Area. As noted in Haaretz, Pelosi has shown a deft ability to voice criticism of particular policies enacted by the Israeli government while maintaining her steadfast support for Israel’s right to defend itself.
In 2024, when pro-Palestinian protesters in the UK interrupted her speech at Oxford, Pelosi remarked, “We would like to see some of that enthusiasm recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization that did a barbaric thing in Israel,” according to the BBC.
Lauter said that at the annual AIPAC policy conference in D.C., Pelosi would coach his team on how to lobby lawmakers and pass their policies through Congress.
“She was more strategic than just someone whose vote we were seeking,” Lauter said. “She was the person who explained to us how to land on our issues every year.”
Lauter was just 5 when Pelosi, her husband, Paul, and their four children moved in across the street in the 1970s. (They went on to have five children in all.)
“She made the best chocolate chip cookies in the neighborhood,” Lauter recalled.
Lauter said Nancy and Paul were regulars at his family’s Passover seder table, and the Lauters would spend Christmas Eve at the Pelosis’ home, decorating the Christmas tree.
At a memorial for his mother, Lauter recalled, Pelosi “said from the stage that my mom was her first friend in San Francisco.”
State Sen. Scott Wiener, who announced in October he would be running for Pelosi’s congressional seat, described what it was like to work closely with her in 2018 to pass SB 822, California’s net neutrality protection bill.
“She was like an Energizer Bunny,” Wiener said, calling him weekly to ensure they were staying on track. “It was impressive. And she helped us pass that bill.”
Wiener has known Pelosi for some 25 years and recalled how she offered words of encouragement when he ran for San Francisco supervisor. He praised her leadership during and after the AIDS epidemic, describing her as “an absolute hero” for LGBTQ people and those impacted by HIV.
“She basically birthed the National AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park,” he said.
Pelosi also helped transform the Presidio into a national park, San Francisco’s Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement shared Thursday. Lurie interned for Pelosi while he was in college.
“I was fortunate to benefit from her mentorship and guidance, especially now as mayor,” Lurie wrote.
Pelosi’s retirement, Lauter said, was not shocking. Still, it was taking time for him to process the news. “She’s arguably the greatest member of Congress that has ever graced this country,” he said.