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The Jewish Insider reports on strongly-worded letters from Republicans in the House and Senate to President Donald Trump, insisting that any US deal with Iran must cut off Iran's nuclear enrichment capabilities permanently:

Nearly all Senate Republicans sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Wednesday urging him only to agree to a nuclear deal with Iran that requires the full dismantlement of Tehran's nuclear program. Eighty percent of House Republicans — 177 lawmakers — signed onto a nearly identical letter.

The Senate letter, led by Sens. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) and Ted Cruz (R-TX) and co-signed by every Republican senator except Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), calls on the Trump administration to follow through on its "explicit warnings" that Tehran "must permanently give up any capacity for enrichment." The House version of the letter was led by Rep. August Pfluger (R-TX), the chairman of the Republican Study Committee, the largest conservative caucus in the House.

President Donald Trump has called on Congress to push forward major elements of his policy agenda in one "big, beautiful bill." This week, the House of Representatives made significant progress. With all the relevant committees having completed their portions of the legislative work, the goal of having the full House pass the bill and send it to the Senate before Memorial Day is within reach.

Some highlights of the emerging legislation:

• Extend parts of the 2017 tax cuts that are set to expire, so our taxes won't suddenly go up at the end of 2025.

• Funding to secure our borders and crack down on illegal immigration.

• Increased spending on our military, including for a "Golden Dome" missile defense system.

• Repeal Pres. Joe Biden's student loan forgiveness program and 'green energy' tax credits.

The tax bill passed yesterday by the Ways and Means committee includes one element of particular interest to Jewish Americans: the Educational Choice for Children Act (ECCA). ECCA creates a tax credit to offset donations to non-profit organizations that provide opportunity scholarships for the families of K-12 students. These scholarships would be a boon to Jewish families struggling to give their children a Jewish education and, more broadly, would help American parents around the country access better schools for their children.

Despite this week's major progress, there is still a long road ahead and RJC will be working with our partners in the biggest ever coalition mobilized in support of a school choice measure to ensure that the strongest possible version of ECCA is included in the final version of the "big, beautiful bill."

Further reading:

• Tandy: The Educational Choice Act is a breakthrough for Jewish education access in US

• Banks and Schmitt: Let's bring universal school choice to the finish line

• Stefanik: Educational Freedom Is the Key to Our Children's Future

RJC Board of Directors member Gabe Groisman, the former mayor of Bal Harbour, FL, writes at JNS that President Donald Trump is pursuing foreign policies that are in America's best interest – and are also good for our ally, Israel. When it comes to Iran, their Houthi proxies, Saudi Arabia, or any other actor in the region, Pres. Trump is making "foreign-policy decisions that advance the national security, economic and political interests of the United States."

At the same time, Groisman writes, "Trump will stand apart in US history as the most unapologetically pro-Israel president, backing the Jewish state with unmatched clarity, consistency and action… There is no question that Trump understands that a strong, safe Israel is a key component of America's national security interest."

The release of American-born Israeli hostage Edan Alexander from Hamas captivity brought us all joy and thankfulness this week. Edan grew up in New Jersey and made aliyah (moved to Israel) at the age of 18 to serve in the IDF, in the Golani Brigade. He volunteered to stay on his base in the south of Israel over the Sukkot holiday in 2023 and was kidnapped from the base on October 7, 2023. He spent 583 days in the hands of the terrorists.

Edan Alexander was released unconditionally after talks between Hamas and the Trump Administration. Like Edan himself, we are grateful for President Donald Trump's efforts to bring him home.

The Times of Israel reports that a third-party mediator acted as a backchannel between the US officials and Hamas leaders in Qatar to help gain Edan's release. This person passed messages back and forth and pressed Hamas to agree to release Edan unconditionally.

In diplomacy, good results can come from unlikely sources. Max M. Fisher of Detroit, who founded the Republican Jewish Coalition in 1985, was a friend to every Republican president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to George H.W. Bush. From the 1960s through the 1980s, Fisher acted as a backchannel between Republican US Presidents and Israeli leaders at key moments in history, as described in the biography of Fisher entitled, "The Quiet Diplomat."

Not all the American hostages of Hamas have come home. The bodies of four Americans who are feared to be dead are still being held by terrorists in Gaza: Omer Neutra, Itay Chen, Gadi Haggai, and Judi Weinstein Haggai. Fewer than two dozen Israeli hostages are still thought to be living. We hope to see all of the hostages released very soon.

JNS: Trump aide unveils consequence-centered approach to Jew-hate

In one of his first speeches since being nominated as US President Donald Trump's special envoy to monitor and combat antisemitism, Rabbi Yehuda Kaploun, outlined on Monday a firm vision for holding promoters and silent facilitators of Jew-hatred accountable.

"President Trump made it clear: If a university tolerates antisemitism, it loses its funding. If a student visa holder advocates for terror, they lose their visa. Europe must follow suit," he said at the European Jewish Association (EJA) conference in Madrid, Spain.

Presidential Action: Fighting overcriminalization in federal regulations

On May 9, President Donald Trump signed an executive order that will put a stop to the injustice of ordinary Americans falling victim to weaponized regulations in the hands of unaccountable bureaucrats. (See here for examples.)

The EO states: "The purpose of this order is to ease the regulatory burden on everyday Americans and ensure no American is transformed into a criminal for violating a regulation they have no reason to know exists."

The EO says that: "Prosecution of criminal regulatory offenses is most appropriate for persons who know or can be presumed to know what is prohibited or required by the regulation and willingly choose not to comply, thereby causing or risking substantial public harm." The EO gives the head of each federal agency one year to provide a report listing all the criminal regulatory offenses under that agency, the penalties for a violation, and how intent to commit the offense is established.

Commentary: A survivor faces the cowards

Seth Mandel writes about Yuval Raphael, who faces hatred and threats from antisemites this week as she represents Israel in the Eurovision song contest. Mandel writes: "She is a survivor of the Nova massacre, the largest mass killing at a music festival in history. Her story is harrowing, and her appearance at Eurovision is, frankly, an inspiring if not historic moment for music fans everywhere."

Yuval Raphael competed this afternoon in the second semi-final of the contest and won a spot in the grand final competition, which will take place on Saturday. You can see the music video for Yuval's song, "New Day Will Rise" here.

The Hill: The Druze reveal a road not taken in Israeli-Palestinian relations

The story of the relationship between Druze Arabs and Jews in Israel departs radically from the conventional narrative of Israeli-Palestinian relations. The reason for the difference is simple: Unlike most Arabs, the Druze never fought against the Jewish state. From the beginning, they accepted the immigration of Jews to what was then Palestine and accepted the creation of the state of Israel. They have been loyal citizens ever since.

…Druze Arabs were universally granted Israeli citizenship when the nation was born in 1948. They were not driven out of their villages during the war of independence because they did not attack the nascent state. In fact, Druze volunteered to serve in the Israel Defense Forces and have been prominent within it ever since.

…Druze Arabs are of the same race as other Arabs; they just have a different religion. The hypothesis that Zionism is fundamentally based on racism is refuted by the story of the Druze in Israel.