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We at the Republican Jewish Coalition stand in solidarity with the government and people of Israel. Am Yisrael Chai – the Jewish people live!

We Remember Those Who Were Killed
We Pray For Those Held Hostage

We've already mentioned the important work of Friends of the IDF, United Hatzalah, Israel Emergency Support Fund, and Zaka, as well as the Soroka Medical Center, The Koby Mandell Foundation, and PizzaIDF. Here are some more ways you can directly help Israeli civilians and soldiers in this difficult time:

• For people in the south of Israel:
  Reut-Sderot works at strengthening community ties, imparting leadership skills, and offering support services that assist youth and families to overcome and manage trauma, deal with social and emotional hardships, and surmount academic challenges.

• For residents in the north of Israel:
  Galila supports communities near Israel's border with Lebanon and Syria. Right now they are purchasing and distributing a wide range of emergency medical equipment for civilian rescue teams, sending thousands of dry food and hygiene personal product baskets to soldiers on bases in the Galilee, and providing emergency funds for immediate and urgent assistance to individuals and families in need.

• For soldiers:
  Nahal Haredi supports haredi (religious) soldiers throughout their military service. With thousands of haredi young men now volunteering to join the IDF, their efforts are more important than ever.

The RJC Annual Leadership Summit begins tomorrow evening. Excitement is building for the kind of event only the RJC can provide: top Republican political leaders, inspiring thinkers, and Jewish Republicans from across the country, all in one place. See what The Epoch Times and The New York Times have to say about this weekend's event:

Epoch Times: As Israel–Hamas War Rages, Importance of US Republican Jewish Coalition Intensifies

Long considered a "can't-miss" annual event for GOP politicians, the national Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) leadership summit is occurring at a crucial time, shortly after the Israel–Hamas war erupted.

"The summit has taken on added significance and added weight, given what's going on in Israel," RJC spokesman Sam Markstein told The Epoch Times.

The gathering also comes at a time when more American Jews may be ready to shift their political affiliation from Democrat to Republican, given that Democrats' support for Israel has waned, he said.

...About 1,000 people and more than 50 media outlets, including international press and Israeli TV, are expected for the three-day event, which begins on Oct. 27.

New York Times: An Annual Gathering of Jewish Republicans Takes on New Urgency

For years, the annual meeting of the Republican Jewish Coalition has been a routine stop on the presidential primary trail, an opportunity for would-be presidents to demonstrate their foreign-policy credentials while plying donors with requisite one-liners.

But nothing is routine this time.

With an escalating conflict in Israel that threatens to spread across the region and a rise in tensions and antisemitism in the United States, the meeting will be like none of the others in the organization’s decades-long history. When Republican officials, lawmakers and candidates gather in Las Vegas this weekend, they will come together at a moment of unique peril for Israel and, many attendees believe, for American Jewry.

One of the many media outlets to cover the Annual Leadership Summit will be C-SPAN, which will stream the Plenary Session, when the presidential candidates are scheduled to speak, starting at 9am Pacific on Saturday morning. You can find their coverage online here (live and recorded for later viewing) or on C-SPAN-1

• White House fumbles antisemitism question in public briefing
  The top White House spokesperson was forced on Monday to walk back a bungled response to a question about a rise in antisemitism after suggesting that threats against Jews have not increased and quickly pivoting to point out that Islamophobia has increased.

• Hamas fighters trained by Iran
  Hundreds of Hamas terrorists received specialized combat training in Iran before attacking Israel, TheWall Street Journal reported on October 25. Intelligence sources said that officers from Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ (IRGC) Quds Force trained approximately 500 Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists from the Gaza Strip.

• Inside the network of Hamas tunnels under Gaza
  CNN's Anderson Cooper and US Army Col. Peter Mansoor (Ret.) discuss Hamas' sophisticated tunnel system, which Israelis call, "The Gaza Metro."

• 15,000 volunteers help victims of Hamas
  Around 15,000 Israelis who participated in movements against the government’s divisive judicial reform proposals are now part of a massive infrastructure to rescue and support fellow citizens in distress.

• War sparks unprecedented mobilization by ultra-Orthodox Israelis
  IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. [Daniel] Hagari said the IDF had received more than 2,000 requests from Haredim in recent days. They will begin to be drafted as volunteers, with an abbreviated basic training, to fill gaps: drivers, programmers, cooks. Haredi women and men are visiting families of injured or killed soldiers and terror victims. Haredi first responders and Zaka volunteers have been retrieving the remains of the dead for identification and burial.

• Know how to respond
  The Focus Project, an excellent resource for information on Israel, antisemitism, and related issues, has prepared a list of falsehoods that Hamas and the media are putting out about Israel and this war, along with brief, factual rebuttals for each. This is an important resource to share with family and friends.

• Many American Jews feel abandoned - by their friends on the left
  The atrocities committed by Hamas and the responses from the "progessive" left have been a huge wakeup call for liberal American Jews. For example: "But in the aftermath of Hamas’ gruesome raid on Israel this month, Jonah Goldman has never felt so isolated from people he long considered his allies. He was shocked by how quickly friends mobilized for the Palestinian cause while failing to condemn the attack. Good people he never considered antisemitic suddenly seemed 'supportive of Jewish genocide,' he said."

• How the Democrats betrayed the Jews
  David Mamet writes, in a powerful essay about Jews who give up their conscience for the protection of those who hate them: "Many good German Jews in the Thirties ignored their brothers and sisters to the East, and later died with them. My generation, born right after the Holocaust, wondered: 'Good God, didn’t you see what was happening around you? Are you literally willing to die rather than admit you were mistaken?' The answer, today, to many liberal American Jews, is 'Yes'.... Unprotected, we appealed to Power for decent consideration as Human Beings; and Power in America, the Democratic Party, was always happy to take our money and our votes, and ask us to wait in the Outer Office. As it does today."

Reps. David Kustoff (R-TN), Max Miller (R-OH), and Mike Lawler (R-NY) have introduced the Stop Taxpayer Funding of Hamas Act in the House of Representatives. This bill will ensure that no American taxpayer dollars will be authorized to Gaza until President Joe Biden ensures Congress these funds will not benefit terrorist organizations, such as Hamas.

"It is imperative that no American taxpayer dollars fall in the hands of terrorists, such as Hamas, who call for the destruction of the State of Israel," said Congressman Kustoff. "I urge President Biden to confirm with Congress that no aid going to Gaza will end up in the hands of Hamas."

Here are some other top stories from Congress this week.

Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) was elected the new Speaker of the House. The Jewish News Syndicate reports that Johnson made Israel his first priority as Speaker:

"Our nation’s greatest ally in the Middle East is under attack. The first bill that I’m going to bring to this floor in just a little while will be in support of our dear friend Israel," Johnson said. "We’re overdue in getting that done."

...Norm Coleman, national chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, said that under Johnson’s speakership, the House "can put forward the necessary legislation to get our government and our country back on the right track."

"We stand in a difficult moment: Our ally Israel is at war with brutal terrorists, Iran is menacing the Middle East, and China and Russia are watching for an opening to achieve their aspirations against American interests," he added. "Working Americans are struggling with higher prices for food, fuel and housing, while millions of illegal aliens are flooding across our southern border."

Speaker Johnson did in fact bring a resolution supporting Israel, first introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX), to the floor as his first action. Guess who voted against it? The Washington Examiner has the answer:

Despite the aforementioned broad bipartisan support coming to fruition on the House floor, [Rep. Rashida] Tlaib [D-MI] and eight other Democrats still voted against the support resolution. The other Democratic Representatives who voted against the resolution were Jamaal Bowman (NY), Cori Bush (MO), Andre Carson (IN), Al Green (TX), Summer Lee (PA), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY), Ilhan Omar (MN), and Delia Ramirez (IL).

The resolution was called "Standing with Israel as it defends itself against the barbaric war launched by Hamas and other terrorists." It garnered overwhelming support in the House, with 412 yes votes, 10 no votes, six present, and five not voting. All no votes were Democrats, with the exception of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY).

In other news, Republican Senators introduced a bill to resupply Israel’s Iron Dome, as The Hill reports:

The Emergency Resupply for Iron Dome Act of 2023 would require the executive branch to redirect US foreign assistance from Gaza, the Palestinian territory controlled by Hamas, to resupply Israel’s Iron Dome.

In addition, two Senators introduced a new bipartisan resolution condemning antisemitism on college campuses, according to the Jewish Insider. Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) are taking the lead on this measure:

The Blackburn/Rosen resolution states that the rise in antisemitic incidents on campus has created “an atmosphere of fear for Jewish students and faculty” and that "acts of hate, discrimination, and violence based on religion or ethnicity have no place at institutions that exist to further education and understanding between diverse student bodies."

The resolution "strongly condemns" such incidents, calls on school leaders and administrators to "publicly condemn speech that incites or celebrates violence against any people based on religious beliefs, national origin, or ancestry" and urges schools to engage with Jewish communities on campus.

Fox/Varney & Co.: Jewish voters' trend lines 'are moving towards the Republican Party'

Republican Jewish Coalition spokesperson Sam Markstein explains how the Israel-Hamas conflict will play a 'crucial' role in the 2024 election. See the video here.

Fox News: Jewish Americans could show 'significant change' in voting, support Republican candidates in 2024

Sam Markstein, national political director for the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), said the Jewish vote "will be, once again, absolutely critical in the 2024 presidential election, making the decisive difference in key battleground states like Pennsylvania, Georgia, Arizona and Nevada – which were all decided by less than 2.5% in 2020."

"Years ago, candidates for elected offices – Republicans and Democrats – could stand up and say, ‘I stand with Israel,’ and it was an automatic applause line; now, unfortunately, you’d be booed off the stage as a Democrat," Markstein said.

"The current situation in Israel has cemented that the Republican Party stands unequivocally with Israel, and RJC is tremendously proud of the unified Republican response in support of the Jewish state; meanwhile, major cracks have been exposed and deepened in the Democratic Party between the mainstream and radical left, which has parroted Hamas terrorist talking points, spread dangerous misinformation about the hospital explosion in Gaza, and attempted to tie the hands of Israel as it defends itself and fights barbarism on its doorstep."

"RJC is confident that Jewish voters will remember where each party stood during these dark days," Markstein added.

Washington Times: Sen. Bob Casey is no friend of Israel (Op-ed by RJC CEO Matt Brooks)

Now, Israel is at war. American Jews are grieving and distressed. Many of us know people who were killed or kidnapped, or we have family or friends whom the Israel Defense Forces have called up to defend their country. American Jews want to know that their elected officials have the moral clarity to support Israel‘s fight against terrorism.

Sadly, Pennsylvanians looking to Sen. Bob Casey for that moral clarity are not finding it. His past positions are troubling, especially considering what has happened in Israel. His voting record shows that when he has had the opportunity to help starve Hamas and other terrorist groups of funding and training for their evil, murderous activities, Mr. Casey failed to take action.

President Biden's scheme to provide Iran with a $6 billion windfall in exchange for the release of American hostages was always a terrible, dangerous deal. But after Iran's Hamas proxies murdered more than 1,400 Israelis and 30 Americans, after the kidnappings and the rapes and the maimings, enough is enough.

Fortunately, Senator Tom Cotton and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell have introduced a bill, S. 3041, to prohibit the Biden administration from completing the transfer and giving the $6 billion to the Iranian regime.

Please take a moment to contact your Senators and ask them to cosponsor the Cotton-McConnell bill.

Contact information for our offices can be found on our website. Please visit us online for the latest RJC news, to see details of upcoming events, and to donate to the RJC. Read past editions of this newsletter here.