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The Republican Jewish Coalition hosted a gala reception on the eve of President Donald Trump's swearing in. We celebrated the start of a new Republican administration, working with a Republican-majority Congress, to bring back security and prosperity for the American people.

We were delighted to welcome a host of GOP leaders and other VIPs who joined in the celebration. Politico reports:

— SPOTTED at the Republican Jewish Coalition's inaugural reception at the Hamilton Hotel on Sunday night: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp, Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Idaho Gov. Brad Little, Sens. Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Jim Banks (R-Ind.), Tim Sheehy (R-Mont.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Reps. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.), Jason Smith (R-Mo.), Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), Craig Goldman (R-Texas), Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), John James (R-Mich.), Don Bacon (R-Neb.), Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) and Mark Messmer (R-Ind.), Norm Coleman, Matt Brooks, Sam Markstein, Chris Sununu, UAE Ambassador Yousef Al Otaiba, US Ambassador to Israel-designate Mike Huckabee, Israeli Ambassador Michael Herzog, Danny Danon, RNC Chair Michael Whatley, Mark Levin, Kellyanne Conway, Mehmet Oz, Douglas Murray and Randy Fine.

We even made the "fashion news," with the Jewish Insider noting that the Israeli press reported on the dress worn that evening by Dr. Miriam Adelson:

…In Israel, Dr. Miriam Adelson's rose-gold and yellow-ribbon adorned dress at a Republican Jewish Coalition bash sent the fashionistas into overdrive.

A photo of the dress, covered in the yellow ribbons showing support for release of the hostages held in Hamas captivity, made waves in Israel after being circulated online after the event by influencer Lizzy Savetsky.

PR executive and reality-TV judge Rani Rahav posted that "the strongest woman in the world is wearing a dress with dozens of hostage symbols. An honor for Israel." Journalist Shira Hadas Nakar gave Adelson's dress a score of 12 — out of 10.

In an op-ed at the Jerusalem Post, RJC National Chairman Senator Norm Coleman and RJC CEO Matt Brooks write:

By nominating Rep. Elise Stefanik as US ambassador to the United Nations, President-elect Donald Trump has sent a clear message that we will stand by our cherished ally Israel and fight back against the vile antisemitism running rampant in Turtle Bay.

…Unlike the Biden administration, Rep. Stefanik has stood by our nation's ally and condemned the UN's "cesspool of antisemitism." She is clear-eyed about the antisemitism plaguing the UN and the need for American leadership. In her remarks before the Knesset, Rep. Stefanik declared "When the enemy is inside the gates of the United Nations, America must be the one to call it by its name and destroy it."

…The Biden administration eased sanctions on Iran and gave the regime access to billions of dollars, further enabling them to sow chaos and terror across the region. At the UN, Rep. Stefanik will be a strong voice for protecting American security once again and holding the Iranian regime accountable for its malign activities. She will continue to meet her words with action and deliver on President Trump's promise to restore American leadership on the world stage.

The Jewish Insider reports:

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), a hawkish supporter of Israel and a harsh critic of Iran and China, was confirmed on Monday evening by a unanimous bipartisan vote as the nation's 72nd secretary of state.
 

...All 99 senators present — including Rubio himself — voted in favor of his confirmation, a rare sight

Rubio was sworn in on January 21 by Vice President JD Vance. In remarks to State Department employees later that day, Secretary Rubio said:

In our republic, the voters decide the course of our nation, both domestically and abroad, and they have elected Donald J. Trump as our President when it comes to foreign policy on a very clear mission. And that mission is to ensure that our foreign policy is centered on one thing and that is the advancement of our national interest, which they have clearly defined through his campaign as anything that makes us stronger or safer or more prosperous, and that will be our mission. That will be our job across the world, is to ensure that we have a foreign policy that advances the national interest of the United States.

JNS: Jewish groups congratulate Trump, look forward to working with him

Several American Jewish groups congratulated US President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance on his inauguration on Monday and stated that they look forward to working with him on a variety of issues, including fighting Jew-hatred.

…The Republican Jewish Coalition wrote that "America's new Golden Age begins now. America is back."

JNS: US Jewish groups spent more, some exponentially so, lobbying in 2024 than prior year

The Republican Jewish Coalition's lobbying expenses grew 344% from 2023 to 2024, as the GOP group spent $400,000 last year after reporting expenses of $90,000 in 2023.

"In 2024, the RJC's work fighting for the policy priorities of the American Jewish community grew in scope and scale," Sam Markstein, the group's spokesman, told JNS.

"Whether it was supporting the successful effort to deliver critical military aid to Israel, sanctioning the Iranian regime or defunding terrorism-complicit organization UNRWA," the UN Relief and Works Agency, "the RJC was made for a moment like this," Markstein said.

JNS: Trump signs executive order calling for Houthis to be relisted as terror group

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Wednesday calling on the US secretary of state to designate the Houthis as a terror group within the next 30 days.

Trump designated the Iranian-backed group—which is also known as Ansar Allah—as a foreign terrorist organization in January 2021, during his first term.

"Within one month of taking office, the Biden administration reversed the Houthis' designation," per a White House fact sheet. "As a result of the Biden administration's weak policy, the Houthis have fired at US Navy warships dozens of times, launched numerous attacks on civilian infrastructure in partner nations and attacked commercial vessels transiting" between Yemen and the Horn of Africa "more than 100 times."

"Under President Trump, it is now the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate the Houthis' capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources and thereby end their attacks on US personnel and civilians, US partners and maritime shipping in the Red Sea," the White House stated.

…"Promises made, promises kept," stated the Republican Jewish Coalition. "Thank you, President Trump, for correcting the disastrously wrong-headed decision by the Biden administration to de-list the Houthis as a foreign terrorist organization."

Tenney launches congressional Friends of Judea and Samaria Caucus

Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY) launched the congressional Friends of Judea and Samaria caucus on Wednesday to support legislation rejecting the term "West Bank" and to foster ties between Israel and the United States… More than a dozen members of Congress, all Republicans, attended the event or were listed by Tenney as members of the new caucus.

Sen. Adam Schiff rehires staffer with ties to anti-Israel group

Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) rehired Maher Bitar, a former White House staffer who used to be a leader of Students for Justice in Palestine, a group that advocates for the destruction of Israel, the Breitbart news site reported on Saturday.

…Bitar, who had worked for Schiff in the past, left the staff of the former member of the US House of Representatives to serve in the Biden administration as the White House coordinator for intelligence and defense policy at the US National Security Council.

Bitar has also worked for UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which Israel last year said was deeply infiltrated by Hamas.