• The RJC spoke out strongly about the death of George Floyd and about the protests and riots that have taken place in American cities in recent days. Jewish News Syndicate reports:
In a statement to JNS, the Republican Jewish Coalition said, “Like all civilized people, we grieve for George Floyd and his family. His murder was outrageous, and rightfully brings an important conversation to the public forefront. We need to do more in this country to protect minority and other vulnerable groups including the Jewish community.
“The peaceful protests are an important piece in facilitating that conversation. The rioting and looting we have seen the past few nights only serves to hurt the process to bring about much needed change and will divide us further. Violence in the streets must be addressed swiftly and effectively and law and order must be restored so that citizens and business owners will no longer suffer and so that the memory of George Floyd can serve as a catalyst for change.”
• The RJC criticized Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell of California for comparing ex-US Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell to Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels. The Algemeiner reports:
In a social media exchange on Tuesday night with journalist Ryan Lizza, Swalwell — who unsuccessfully sought the Democratic presidential nomination last year — referred to Grenell as “Goebbels with a Twitter account.”
In a statement on Wednesday, the national chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, former Senator Norm Coleman, said, “Ric has been one of the most strident and effective defenders of the Jewish people and the State of Israel. While political rhetoric can get heated, there is no excuse for ugly comparisons to one of the worst monsters in human history. It demeans the important work that Ric has done — getting Germany to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, starving the terrorist regime in Iran of funds that would be used to finance terror against Israel and the Jewish people, and speaking out in defense of German Jews who were targets of antisemitic attacks.”
“Swalwell owes a genuine apology to Mr. Grenell, to his constituents whom he has embarrassed, and to the victims of Goebbels whose suffering he minimized by this comparison,” Coleman added.
• We took a victory lap this week after two of the RJC PAC’s top endorsees won their primary races. Randy Feenstra defeated Republican Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s 4th district and Lisa Scheller won the GOP primary in Pennsylvania’s 7th district.
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said: “Steve King does not represent the Republican Party, and it’s time for him to leave Congress. We are happy that Randy Feenstra, a strong conservative and a friend of Israel, will be our party’s candidate for Congress in Iowa’s 4th district seat this year.”
RJC’s unusual support for a primary challenger to a sitting Republican was widely noted in the press, including: The Algemeiner, The Forward, Haaretz, CBS News, and the New York Times.
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks had this to say about the primary win for Lisa Scheller in Pennsylvania:
We are delighted that Lisa Scheller won her primary and will face off against Democrat Susan Wild in the general election. Lisa earned the endorsement of the RJC PAC and the passionate support of RJC members because she is a principled fighter who will stand strong for the US-Israel alliance. We look forward to her victory in November, which will capture an important House seat, bring Nancy Pelosi one step closer to losing her Speaker’s gavel, and add another terrific Jewish Republican member to the US House of Representatives
Lisa Scheller will need our help to win in November. Click here to donate to her campaign.
• We were also pleased to note the primary defeat of Valerie Plame in New Mexico. The Washington Free Beacon reports:
Valerie Plame's congressional bid came to an end on Tuesday when the former CIA operative, who has battled accusations of anti-Semitism and carpet bagging, was defeated in a Democratic primary.
… A spokesman for the Republican Jewish Coalition, Neil Strauss, celebrated Plame's defeat but expressed concern that Democratic leadership "supported an anti-Semite."
"Valerie Plame has frequently trafficked in and promoted anti-Semitic messages. The fact that prominent Democrats and celebrities, Chuck Schumer chief among them, chose to support her in a crowded field shows that Democrats aren't committed to combating left wing anti-Semitism," Strauss told the Washington Free Beacon.
• The RJC worked for passage of the Never Again Education Act, which will expand Holocaust education programming for American schools. It passed in both the House and Senate by large majorities. Last Friday, President Donald Trump signed the bill into law. Our efforts were noted by the Jewish News Service.
