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Congratulations Are in Order...
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Congratulations to Speaker of the House Mike Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune and their respective leadership teams.
The RJC applauded Speaker Johnson:
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With Republicans continuing to lead the way in the House of Representatives, Jewish Americans can rest assured that Israel will be unapologetically supported, that antisemitism will be unequivocally condemned, and so-called university leaders will be held accountable.
As Speaker Johnson has said on many occasions: "As long as Republicans hold the gavel, the House of Representatives will stand with Israel."
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We are delighted that control of the Senate is again in GOP hands:
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With Senate Majority Leader Thune and Republican leadership, we will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies and confront our enemies, rebuild our economy, secure the border, promote school choice, and restore the American Dream.
In this election, the American people fired Chuck Schumer and the Democrats and flipped the US Senate back to Republican control.
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President Donald J. Trump has begun naming the people he intends to nominate to key government positions. His first choices indicate the strong pro-Israel intentions of the President and his focus on national security.
The RJC has good friends among the people named so far and we took great pleasure in congratulating them on their upcoming nominations.
Elise Stefanik - America’s Ambassador to the United Nations:
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We are confident that Chairwoman Stefanik will swiftly bring much-needed reforms at the United Nations, defend the US and our ally Israel in the international arena, and be a strong voice against dictatorships and terrorists.
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Senator Marco Rubio - Secretary of State.
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Presidents Trump’s choice of Senator Rubio for this critical role sends a message loudly and clearly: The days of weakness and appeasement are over.
We know that with Senator Rubio leading the State Department, America will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies and confront our enemies.
Importantly, in these extraordinarily dangerous times, Senator Rubio is an outspoken defender of Israel who has always had the Jewish state’s back.
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Governor Mike Huckabee - US Ambassador to Israel:
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As a man of deep faith, Governor Huckabee’s abounding love of Israel and its people is second to none.
As the Jewish state continues to fight an existential war for survival against Iran and its terrorist proxies, Governor Huckabee will represent America’s ironclad commitment to Israel’s security with distinction.
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Congressman Mike Waltz - National Security Advisor
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As a combat veteran, Bronze Star recipient, and the first Green Beret elected to Congress, Congressman Waltz is a patriot who we know will always put America’s security first.
We thank Congressman Waltz for his friendship and longtime support of the RJC and our efforts to strengthen the US-Israel relationship.
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Congressman Lee Zeldin - EPA Administrator.
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Congressman’s Zeldin’s background in the military, in law, in the New York State Senate, and on Capitol Hill has given him a wealth of experience in public service to lead the fight to restore US energy dominance.
A leader on the RJC’s National Board of Directors, Congressman Zeldin will continue to serve our country with distinction.
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RJC Volunteers Made It Happen!
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We are so proud of the RJC Victory Team members who worked so hard to get Jewish voters to the polls in our battle ground states. Their efforts in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania made a real difference!
As RJC National Chairman Norm Coleman and RJC CEO Matt Brooks put it, in a thank you message to our volunteers:
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We had thousands of volunteers who spent hours - over many months - making hundreds of thousands of targeted phone calls, door knocks, and texts. Those voter contacts were invaluable in helping us identify and target the persuadable Jewish voters in the most important battleground states in the country.
...Then, our intrepid volunteers on the ground ... knocked on more than 100,000 Jewish doors, connecting with potential voters and bringing them out to vote.
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...As you know, the national Jewish vote for President Trump rose to 32% - a 40-year high, and a 40-year low for the Democrats. While we're still digging into the numbers in particular states, we have solid evidence of a huge spike in the Jewish vote for President Trump in Arizona at 38%, in Nevada at 42%, in Pennsylvania at 41%, and even in New York at 46%!
Our efforts also made a difference for some of the most contested Senate and House races in the country, including Dave McCormick's big US Senate win in Pennsylvania, Rep. David Schweikert in AZ-01, Rep. John James in MI-10, and flipping CO-08 in a critical victory for Congressman-Elect Gabe Evans, helping to deliver a Republican Majority in both chambers of Congress.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for EVERYTHING you did to make this election season such a great success. Every single thing you did truly mattered.
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Jewish Canaries in Coal Mines Voted for Donald Trump. Why?
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In an op-ed for the Washington Reporter: RJC CEO Matt Brooks and former Deputy Administrator/COO of USAID Bonnie Glick examine what moved Jewish Americans to vote for President Donald Trump in such historic numbers:
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A lot of the Trump wave among Jews, of course, was related to October 7 and the pro-Hamas wing of the Democratic Party’s efforts to steer today’s progressives in an increasingly anti-Semitic direction. But there was something additional, something that convinced American Jews, even so-called progressive Jews, that there was something about the Republican special sauce that was on offer.
...Border safety and security issues were dominant issues for Jewish voters this cycle. Additionally significant was the mainstream media and its platforming of anti-Semitism as a feature, not a bug.
...Well, Jews chose. Preferring not to be referred to as perpetrators of genocide and Zionist scum, we voted for President Trump. Given the manner in which an incoming Trump administration will likely approach institutions of higher learning and the border moving forward, no doubt many more Jews will appreciate his team’s actions and vote Republican in the midterms and in 2028.
...Jews were the canaries in the coal mine this election. We voted for Trump because the air in the mine was toxic. And the walls to the mine were caving in. We will continue to vote for Republicans when they see that Trump and his Party deliver on promises...
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RJC in the News
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NY Times: Israeli Right, Pushing to Annex West Bank, Sees Allies in Trump’s Picks
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...The choice of Senator Marco Rubio of Florida as secretary of state, Representative Elise Stefanik of New York as ambassador to the United Nations, former Gov. Mike Huckabee of Arkansas as ambassador to Israel and Steven C. Witkoff, a real estate developer and golfing buddy of Mr. Trump’s, as special envoy to the Middle East has delighted the president-elect’s most hawkishly pro-Israel backers.
Matt Brooks, the longtime chief executive of the Republican Jewish Coalition, called the nominees "a true dream team for those who care about a strong, vibrant, unshakable US-Israel relationship."
...The new team can expect support among Jewish Republicans and the most stalwart defenders of Israel. Mr. Brooks noted that the Biden administration had, at times, tried to pressure Israel to curtail its attacks in Gaza by threatening to withhold arms and aid, and by "creating daylight between the US and Israel."
"Under the Trump team," he said, "there will be no daylight, and Israel will be fully supported to do what it needs to do to eliminate Hamas and Hezbollah and curtail Iran’s nuclear ambitions and support of terror proxies."
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Adam and Orit Kwasman with their four children in a 2023 photo.
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Scottsdale Elects First Orthodox Jewish City Councilmember
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Congratulations to RJC Arizona Chapter chair and long-time RJC Leader Adam Kwasman, who won a seat on the city council of his hometown, Scottsdale, Arizona. He was profiled in an article in the Jewish News:
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After the election, he discussed how his faith would be important to his civil service.
"I am such a proud Jew, and my Judaism guides every drop of my being, from how I eat and spend my time, to how I act as a husband and a father, to how I conduct my business."
...While Kwasman once had political ambitions beyond the state — he ran for a US Congressional seat in 2014 but lost in the Republican primary — he said he now believes local politics is the most important thing.
"The older I get and the more kids I have, the more I realize what happens in my neighborhood matters far more than anything else," he said.
Kwasman believes that "Jews need to stand up in leadership roles wherever they can and emphasizes that Scottsdale is a great city for its Jewish residents. In his new role, he hopes to "promote Scottsdale’s Jewish infrastructure." His goals include fostering Jewish life through Torah learning, kosher food options and fighting against antisemitism.
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Did you see the TRUMP KIPPAH that Matt held up during his GOP Convention speech?
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GET YOURS HERE!
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Recommended Viewing
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We have had the pleasure of welcoming many of the top Republican leaders of our country to address RJC audiences over the years. We are proud to share with you selected videos of some of those appearances:
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President Donald Trump addressing the RJC National Leadership Summit in 2024, in 2023, and in 2019.
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Congressman Lee Zeldin's remarks at the 2024 RJC National Leadership Summit.
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Congressman Lee Zeldin and Congressman Mike Waltz discuss national security in a fireside conversation with RJC National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman during the 2021 RJC National Leadership Summit.
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House Speaker Mike Johnson was in Europe for a parliamentary leaders meeting when the RJC held its leadership summit in Las Vegas last September, but that did not stop him from addressing the enthusiastic crowd.
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Senator Marco Rubio gave a strong foreign policy speech at the RJC Presidential Candidates Forum in 2015, when he was a GOP presidential primary candidate.
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Governor Mike Huckabee was a candidate for President in 2015 when he addressed the RJC Presidential Candidates Forum.
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House GOP Chairwoman Elise Stefanik shared her reflections on October 7 with the RJC in a special video message.
Please share these videos, add your comments on the videos and, as always, please support our work!
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Enthusiasm in Jerusalem as Trump national security team takes shape
Israeli officials were enthusiastic about President-elect Donald Trump’s expected incoming national security team, including Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) as secretary of state and Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Mike Waltz (R-FL) for ambassador to the U.N. and national security advisor, respectively.
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Tobin: The Amsterdam pogrom is what happens when the world tolerates antisemitism
Just as troubling was the way advocates for Islamist politics were able to ally themselves with European leftists. Though their cultural attitudes were the opposite of what secular Europeans believed in, they did have something very important in common: hatred for Israel and prejudice against Jews.
In this way, a bizarre red-green alliance of disparate groups that shared an anti-Zionist agenda became a staple of Western European politics.
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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.
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Republican Jewish Coalition 50 F Street, N.W., Suite 100 | Washington, DC 20001
202.638.6688 | [email protected]
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