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Yesterday, the RJC endorsed Donald J. Trump for President with an endorsement video and announcement:

Now that the 2024 GOP primary has effectively concluded, the RJC is proud to endorse President Donald J. Trump. As the RJC has done in every election, we will work tirelessly to move even more Jewish voters in decisive battleground states to the GOP and defeat Joe Biden. We will build on the strong Jewish support President Trump received in 2020, which reached 30.5% nationally and close to 50% of the Jewish vote in the decisive battleground states of Florida (43%) and Georgia (49%).

Today, in the aftermath of the October 7th Hamas terrorist attack, support for the Jewish community and the State of Israel is more important than ever. Donald J. Trump is the trusted friend we need in these perilous times.

Donald J. Trump will be a President of prosperity, security, and peace through strength. We know this because of his lengthy and trailblazing record of foreign and domestic policy achievements.

…In these dangerous times for the Jewish state, Biden’s lousy record stands in stark contrast to President Trump’s historic policy accomplishments, which strengthened the US-Israel relationship, including: the Abraham Accords peace agreements, moving the US embassy to Jerusalem and recognizing Jerusalem as the eternal capital of the Jewish people, and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the strategic Golan Heights.

…The RJC stands with Donald J. Trump as he campaigns to rebuild our economy, unleash energy dominance, secure the border, stop crime and restore safety, stand strongly with Israel, and renew American leadership and strength on the world stage.

Read the full statement here.

The RJC announcement was noted by the New York Times, the Jerusalem Post, and other outlets. BNN News wrote:

The backing of the Republican Jewish Coalition for Donald Trump symbolizes more than just an endorsement; it's a testament to the enduring alliance between Trump, the Republican Party, and the pro-Israel community. As the world navigates through unprecedented challenges, the RJC's support underscores the critical importance of leadership that champions the principles of prosperity, security, and peace. With the 2024 presidential race heating up, this endorsement could play a pivotal role in shaping the political narrative and rallying support for Trump's campaign, ultimately influencing the direction of US and global politics in the years to come.

Members of the "progressive," anti-Israel Squad in Congress have made news lately for showing, unashamedly, exactly who they are and what they support:

Rep. Jamaal Bowman and Rep Rashida Tlaib chanting “free Palestine”

Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-NY) held his first joint fundraising event with Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-MI) on Saturday, with the lawmakers filming themselves leading a "free Palestine" chant at a New York restaurant that is not in Bowman's district.

The secret trip by Squad members Omar, Jayapal to communist Cuba

Two "Squad" Members – Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Pramila Jayapal (D-WA) – traveled to Communist Cuba last month to meet with regime officials. A representative of Congresswoman Barbara Lee (D-CA) also accompanied them.

How ‘Dear White Staffers’ turned into an anti-Israel, antisemitic account

"Dear White Staffers," the popular and closely watched Instagram page that captivated Washington by publicly sharing allegations of abusive behavior by and gossip about lawmakers and their staffers, has taken on a new tenor in the five months since Oct. 7, morphing into a prominent and vocal anti-Israel platform that some fellow Hill staffers describe as borderline or openly antisemitic.

…Jewish Insider has been able to link the Dear White Staffers account to a staffer working for Rep. Summer Lee (D-PA), an early opponent of Israel’s war against Hamas, who faced backlash last week for plans to appear at a gala alongside speakers who have made antisemitic and homophobic comments.

More here: Meet the Summer Lee staffer who turned 'Dear White Staffers' into an anti-Israel cesspool

Progressive Democrats embrace calls to cut off aid to Israel

Before the current war in Gaza, calls to place conditions on US military assistance to Israel were largely the purview of the far-left fringe. But amid Israel’s military campaign to root out Hamas, with a mounting civilian death toll and worsening humanitarian conditions in Gaza, the effort has become increasingly common among Democrats.

And as the rhetoric has shifted, the left wing’s position has also moved further.

After having successfully pressed the White House to implement new, global conditions on foreign arms sales, some on the left are calling for the US to threaten to or immediately suspend military aid to Israel entirely.

Andrew Tobin reports at the Washington Free Beacon:

As President Joe Biden pushes to empower the Palestinian Authority in the name of Middle East peace, the PA has committed tens of millions of dollars for terrorists who were killed or captured while carrying out Hamas’ Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel and the resulting war.

Since Oct. 7, the PA has doubled down on its longstanding "pay for slay" policy, which gives salaries and benefits to Palestinians imprisoned for involvement in violence against Israel and to the families of those killed in "the revolution" against the Jewish state. The policy does not distinguish between terrorists and civilians. But based on Israel Defense Forces estimates of enemy casualties and prisoners, the PA has put itself on the hook for more than $97 million in such payments for more than 13,000 Hamas terrorists in the year following Oct. 7.

House Subcommittee discusses DEI on campus

The House Higher Education and Workforce Development Subcommittee met this week to discuss DEI on campus. A panel of expert witnesses shared data and warnings about the effects of DEI on higher education - including medical schools. Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) spoke for many in the room when she said, "The offices of DEI on these college campuses are inherently antisemitic."

Wall Street Journal: Hamas’s American hostages

Unfortunately, the names of the six US hostages now languishing in some dank Gaza tunnel are largely unknown to their countrymen. How many of us could name even one? On Thursday Mr. Biden would do well to say their names aloud: Edan Alexander, 19. Itay Chen, 19. Omer Neutra, 22. Hersh Goldberg-Polin, 23. Sagui Dekel-Chen, 35. Keith Siegel, 64. All but Mr. Siegel are young men of military age. Hamas also holds the bodies of Judy Weinstein Haggai and Gadi Haggai.

US sanctions on Israelis: Who’s next?

Shoshana Bryen, writing at The Washington Times, examines different ways the Biden administration is putting pressure on Israel. She writes: "Unable to persuade Israel to subordinate its national security policy to the dictates of the US government and its allies in the European Union, Qatar and the UN Relief and Works Agency, the Biden administration has initiated sanctions and pressures of varying sorts against Israel and Israeli entities. Each has the potential for escalation, and each should be seen as an opening gambit."

Click through to see her full analysis. Also this week, nine Republican Senators wrote a letter to US President Joe Biden urging him to rescind his February 1 executive order and February 8 memo that are intended to undermine Israel.

Bill introduced to ban TikTok, other foreign adversary controlled applications

Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party, have introduced a bill to protect Americans from apps that are controlled by foreign adversaries of the US, such as TikTok. The bill has strong bipartisan support. Two similar bills in the House were unanimously passed out of committee today.

The RJC had this to say: "Many Jewish Americans awoke to the peril of TikTok after the October Hamas massacres, when the platform gained notoriety as a hotbed of pro-Hamas and antisemitic propaganda. Those messages reflected the agenda of the Communist Chinese regime with which TikTok is entangled.

"Allowing a company under the effective control of an adversarial government to have such access, as well as visibility into the private information of millions of Americans is an unacceptable threat to our national security. We appreciate the leadership of Chairman Gallagher and the members of both parties who are supporting the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act and urge the House and Senate to pass the bill as soon as possible."

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.