Rep. Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican who in his seven terms has won the respect of Northern Virginia’s Jewish community, announced his retirement last week.

In both Congress and his 14 years on the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, Davis frequently went to bat for Jewish organizations in the region, including 10 years ago, when he told local government leaders that rezoning a former YMCA building to house Chabad-Lubavitch of Northern Virginia was “the right thing to do,” the Washington Jewish Week reported on Wednesday.

“His support,” said Rabbi Sholom Deitsch, co-director of Chabad-Lubavitch of Northern Virginia, “meant a lot for us.” ...