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Politico reported on the RJC's "Praise Israel" challenge to Democrats at their convention next week:

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The Republican Jewish Coalition is issuing a challenge to every speaker at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago next week to "Praise Israel" — an effort to troll Democrats on an issue that sharply divides the two wings of the party. The call to action: "If you speak from the main stage and ask the crowd to cheer if they support Israel, the RJC will donate to plant 1,800 trees in Israel in your name, to showcase your standing with the Jewish state. For those wondering 'why 1,800?' — it is 100 x 18, which stands for 'chai,' 'life' in Hebrew."

JNS: RJC says Harris campaign lied about Walz's ties to Hitler-supporting imam

US Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign lied when it sought to distance Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the vice presidential candidate, from an imam who promoted Adolf Hitler, the Republican Jewish Coalition claimed on Tuesday.

… "It is an outrage to the American Jewish community that Tim Walz would champion Hitler-promoting cleric Asad Zaman of the Muslim American Society of Minnesota," stated Matt Brooks, the CEO of the coalition. "On Oct. 7, 2023, as Israel was suffering the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, Mr. Zaman disgustingly asserted that he 'stands in solidarity with Palestinians against Israeli attacks.' Appallingly, under Tim Walz, Minnesota has awarded over $100,000 in funding to Zaman's Israel-hating organization."

… "At a time of spiking antisemitism here at home and as Israel faces an existential war for survival, it is essential for the American Jewish community to have confidence in our leaders—and it is clear that we cannot trust Kamala Harris and Tim Walz," Brooks stated. "Their priorities are not our priorities, and the American people will reject their radicalism and extremism in November."

Read more about Walz and Asad Zaman in the Washington Examiner.

News reports this week have focused on two men who are close advisors to Vice President Kamala Harris whose backgrounds and views can't help but make the Jewish and pro-Israel communities nervous.

Jay Solomon writes at The Free Press about Philip Gordon, Harris's chief foreign policy advisor:

Philip Gordon—who has served as Harris's foreign policy adviser since she ran for the White House in 2020 and has worked in every Democratic administration since Bill Clinton's—has become the focus of tremendous scrutiny in Washington over the past few weeks.

…Gordon's critics from the right say he's not just wrong on issues—he's skeptical of US military power and the efficacy of financial sanctions—but that he's also developed troubling contacts with institutions and individuals close to Iran. Republicans are already demanding Vice President Harris answer why Gordon wrote a string of 2020 opinion pieces with a Pentagon official, Ariane Tabatabai, who was tied last year to an Iranian government-backed influence operation, called the Iran Experts Initiative, tasked with selling the 2015 nuclear deal.

…No recent foreign policy issue has divided Democrats and Republicans more than the Iran nuclear deal—Obama's signature achievement. Architects of the deal, including Gordon, argue that it is a template for a new American foreign policy… Gordon was among the most vocal Democratic critics of former President Trump's 2018 decision to pull the US out of that landmark nuclear agreement.

Adam Kredo reports at the Washington Free Beacon on Ilan Goldenberg, the new Harris campaign liaison to the Jewish community:

Ilan Goldenberg… served as an adviser to [Kamala] Harris on the Middle East before transitioning to his new role… Goldenberg has longstanding ties to the anti-Israel group J Street and served as a foreign policy adviser to Elizabeth Warren's failed 2020 presidential bid. Throughout his professional career, both in and out of government, he has served as a public defender of the Democratic party's criticisms of Israel, a critic of the GOP's efforts to strengthen ties with the Jewish state, and a proponent of deepening diplomatic relations with Iran.

During his tenure as her Middle East adviser, Harris has offered pushback on Biden's public support for Israel and support for pro-Hamas protesters in the United States. She did not, for example, attend Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu's address to Congress late last month, and has extended sympathy to anti-Israel and anti-Semitic campus agitators, telling the Nation in July that "they are showing exactly what the human emotion should be, as a response to Gaza." She rebuked the Jewish state in March for sparking a "humanitarian catastrophe" in Gaza and called for an immediate Israeli ceasefire.

The Democrats meeting in Chicago next week for their national convention face many challenges. One is the quality of the presidential and vice presidential candidates they will formally nominate. Another is the RJC's challenge to Democrats to "praise Israel" from the main stage. One of their biggest challenges will be dealing with the radical pro-terrorism, anti-Israel protesters who plan to descend on the convention. The Jewish Insider reports:

[Members of the] Uncommitted National Movement, which urged Democrats to vote "uncommitted" rather than supporting President Joe Biden in state primaries earlier this year… have threatened to disrupt the convention if Harris does not agree to their demands before the convention — demands that include an arms embargo on Israel, which Harris' staff has reiterated she does not support, and a prominent convention speaking slot for a doctor who volunteered in Gaza. Uncommitted activists plan to hold daily afternoon vigils inside the United Center…

The war in Gaza is set to be the subject of several demonstrations outside the United Center, including a so-called "Hostage Square" exhibit set up by the Israeli-American Council and two major protests planned by dozens of anti-Israel organizations. As counterprogramming, the Arab American Institute is hosting a three-day "Progressives for Palestine" conference early next week. Zioness, Democratic Majority for Israel and the Jewish Democratic Council of America also plan to host major events in Chicago adjacent to the convention.

Some family members of the American hostages held in Gaza have reportedly been invited to speak at the main stage of the convention, The New York Times reported on Monday. Their address may take place in proximity to remarks from Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, who was a vocal critic of Israel when he previously served in Congress, which has raised concerns among some Jewish Democrats.

The Jewish Insider reports:

Nearly 10 months after Hamas' terror attack on Israel and amid a surging wave of antisemitism in the United States, the Senate left Washington for its August recess without having held any hearings on antisemitism in the US or passing or considering major antisemitism bills.

The Senate's post-Oct. 7 record on antisemitism stands in contrast with the House, which passed the Antisemitism Awareness Act and has launched investigations of antisemitism across a series of committees and subcommittees, with a focus on campus antisemitism…

"Unfortunately, Leader [Chuck] Schumer has dedicated this summer to holding political show votes instead of legislating, and I have no expectation that he will bring up legislation that will further expose the growing problem of antisemitism within the Democrat Party," Senate Minority Whip John Thune (R-SD) said.

"A Republican-controlled Senate will take this issue head-on. We will empower committees to advance legislation that addresses the threat of antisemitism, protects students on campus, and takes a hard look at the government's business model dealing with the elite universities that receive enormous amounts of taxpayer dollars while enabling this abhorrent behavior," Thune said.

Connecticut Republicans pick Michael Goldstein to challenge US Rep. Jim Himes in November

[RJC Leader] Dr. Michael Goldstein has won the Republican nomination in Connecticut's 4th Congressional District. Goldstein is an ophthalmologist and a lawyer from Greenwich who lost a primary in the same district two years ago. He defeated Bob MacGuffie, a leader in the state's tea party movement. Goldstein will now challenge Democratic US Rep. Jim Himes in November. Himes is seeking his ninth term.

Goldstein says he will use his background as a physician to help reduce medical costs. He has also pledged to better secure the border, restore energy independence, improve the economy, protect parental rights and fight antisemitism. [Support Dr. Goldstein through the RJC PAC Portal here. ]

Washington Free Beacon: The policy reversals for which Kamala Harris has offered no explanation

As a struggling presidential candidate in 2019, Kamala Harris embraced a slew of far-left policy positions on energy, immigration, health care, and guns. Now, as the Democratic Party's presidential nominee, Harris is tossing those positions aside through anonymous statements to the press.

…Harris has yet to lay out a detailed policy agenda or sit for an interview since she was crowned the Democratic presidential nominee, and her campaign website does not include a policy page. But her aides have made clear that her agenda will not be the same as her old one…

CPI: Inflation rises 2.9% year over year with prices up 20.3% since Biden-Harris took office

According to the latest CPI report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics released Wednesday, US inflation rose 2.9% in July year-over-year, with prices continuing to rise, having surged 20.3% since January 2021, when Joe Biden and Kamala Harris took office. Prices for essential goods and services have seen significant spikes in that time, including gas (+50.5%), electricity (+31.7%), and groceries (+21.6%).

Biden-Harris Admin quietly proposes cut to NatSec program—and boost to equity and 'environmental justice' initiatives

Adam Kredo reports: "The Biden-Harris administration is quietly floating a funding cut for a national security initiative that protects America's underwater infrastructure. At the same time, it's asking Congress for millions of dollars for equity and "environmental justice" initiatives… 'The Biden administration's decision to defund undersea cable security while increasing spending on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) undermines the strategic defense posture of the United States against our adversaries, like Russia and China, in favor of radically liberal and unpopular social policies,' [Senator Ted] Cruz wrote in an investigatory letter sent Thursday to the Department of Transportation…

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