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More Than Half of Senate Dems Vote to Block Arms Sales to Israel
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Last night, the US Senate voted down two resolutions introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) to block over $675 million in US weapons sales to Israel. One measure failed by a vote of 27 to 70; the second failed 24 to 73. All 53 Republicans voted against both measures.
The Jewish community – including thousands of RJC members – mobilized yesterday to call on their Senators to oppose the resolutions when they came up for votes. The defeat of these measures is a positive indication of American support for our ally Israel.
But that support is eroding, as the Senate votes last night demonstrate. This is the third time that Sen. Sanders has introduced resolutions to halt US military assistance to Israel since November 2024. Over time, more and more Democrats have supported Sanders' anti-Israel measures.
Our community is facing a serious challenge as the Democratic Party and their friends in the media and academia bring anti-Israel and antisemitic ideas and spokesmen into the mainstream of American discourse.
The fight to defend Israel and the Jewish community against this onslaught has been the RJC's fight since our organization was founded forty years ago. The RJC has fearlessly called out and worked to defeat anti-Israel and antisemitic voices on both the political left and the right. We continue to act on that core principle today. You will hear much more from us in the months ahead about this fight, the RJC's role, and what you can do to help stop the rise of anti-Israel and anti-Jewish hatred in this country.
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POD Save America co-hosts Tommy Vietor and Jon Lovett. Photos: nrkbeta CC BY-SA 2.0
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Dems Are Abandoning Israel
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Two startlingly clear examples of Democrats mainstreaming the worst anti-Israel, antisemitic voices and ideas in their party came up this week.
One instance was a clip from the Pod Save America podcast. Pod Save America is a liberal podcast hosted by former Obama communications staffers Jon Lovett, Tommy Vietor, and Jon Favreau. Here's some of what they had to say about Israel:
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Former Obama White House press secretary Tommy Vietor: "Things I want see Democrats at least calling for is cutting off military assistance to Israel… I would like to see talk about sanctioning Israeli government officials… We should support a cease-fire resolution at the UN… There has to be a total mindset change in the Democratic Party. When the war ends, we are not going back to the pre-October 7th status quo, because that's not where the party is."
Former Obama speechwriter Jon Lovett: "Especially if we're going to head into a primary, like, table stakes is going to be no more military aid for Israel. So, there will just have to be a shift. And I do think that will mean putting far more pressure on Israel. That's what I think Democrats want…"
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Danielle Cohen-Kanik writes at the Jewish Insider that these "Democratic influencers" are "a public example of the intense lobbying taking place in [Democratic] party circles and how progressive foreign policy officials such as [Iran nuclear deal messaging guru Ben] Rhodes who have long been deeply critical of Israel are pushing to turn humanitarian concerns in Gaza into a more permanent split between the Democratic Party and Israel."
Another example is the rise of radical leftist Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary in the New York City mayoral race. A poll conducted by progressive pollsters Data for Progress and released by the Institute for Middle East Understanding Policy Project on Tuesday found a disturbing source for much of Mamdani's support. As the Times of Israel reports: "Most voters who showed up for Mamdani were inspired by his campaign to lower costs and tax the wealthy, according to the poll... But their third-most motivating issue was 'his support for Palestinian rights,' which drove 62% of his voters."
The report continues, "New Yorkers who never voted before, a surge of tens of thousands of people, were especially motivated by Mamdani's pro-Palestinian beliefs — 83% said it drove them to the voting booth."
The RJC commented on this survey, as reported by Semafor:
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The Republican Jewish Coalition, meanwhile, viewed the poll as a credible CAT scan of what Democrats truly believe.
"This poll should shake every Jewish New Yorker to their core," said Sam Markstein, the RJC’s spokesman. "Democrats' leaders have appeased, enabled, and embraced this hostility to the Jewish state rather than have the courage and moral clarity to stand against it. There is only one pro-Israel party, and it is the Republican Party."
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If Mamdani succeeds in the mayoral race, which he is likely to do, New York will have a mayor who supports the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement, who calls Israel's actions in Gaza "genocide" and says the US, by supporting Israel, is "subsidizing a genocide," and who refuses to condemn the phrase, "globalize the intifada," which is heard in anti-Israel demonstrations, and is a call for violence against Jews worldwide. That will mark a major shift in the political face of the US city with the largest Jewish population in the country.
Further reading on Mamdani: Diker: Lessons in populist propaganda and totalitarian takeover
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The Pew Research Center showed that President Trump won 35% of the Jewish vote in 2024!
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Read our exclusive report for details about how the RJC moved voters across America to President Trump and the GOP.
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Eylon Levy video showing undistributed aid in Gaza. https://x.com/EylonALevy/ screenshot.
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Fighting the Narrative That Blames Israel for Gazan Hunger
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The media is awash in stories about famine and starvation in Gaza, and they blame Israel for the suffering of Gazan civilians. President Donald Trump spoke the truth plainly when he posted to social media: "The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!" Hamas, not Israel, is responsible for the suffering of both Gazans and Israelis since October 7. The war would stop immediately if Hamas surrendered and returned the hostages.
Democrats are helping to push the narrative that Israel is to blame for hunger in Gaza. Forty Senate Democrats sent a letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff this week. The Jewish Insider reports:
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"The acute humanitarian crisis in Gaza is … unsustainable and worsens by the day,” the lawmakers said. "Hunger and malnutrition are widespread, and, alarmingly, deaths due to starvation, especially among children, are increasing.”
The senators said that the Israeli- and American-backed GHF aid distribution system had "failed to address the deepening humanitarian crisis and contributed to an unacceptable and mounting civilian death toll around the organization's sites.”
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These Democratic Senators are lying. GHF, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, has provided over 97 million meals in Gaza. As an effective alternative to Hamas and UN food distribution, GHF presents a serious challenge to Hamas' ability to steal, sell, and apportion food to Gazan civilians, a key means of Hamas control over the population in the Gaza Strip. That is why GHF is being vilified in the media.
Seth Mandel writes at Commentary:
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Testimony of Gazans and videos of fat, ogreish Hamasniks stuffing their maws have made this fact undeniable: Hamas is intentionally starving the rest of Gaza.
Additionally, nearly a thousand UN aid trucks have passed through the Israeli inspection points and sit in Gaza with their goods undistributed. Trey Yingst, a fairly harsh critic of the Israeli counteroffensive, reports that the IDF offered the UN five different routes to distribute the aid; as of yet the UN does not appear to have accepted any of the distribution offers.
The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, the US- and Israel-backed organization that distributes aid to Gazan civilians instead of Hamas, has been appealing to the UN to join the distribution efforts and work with GHF to get the food to those in need. Yesterday, GHF offered simply to deliver the UN's stalled aid for free. Again, thus far no one has been able to compel or convince the UN to deliver needed food aid.
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RJC in the News
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Greene calls Gaza crisis a 'genocide,' hinting at rift on the right over Israel
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Matthew Brooks, the chief executive of the Republican Jewish Coalition, denounced Ms. [Marjorie Taylor] Greene's remarks as "part of an ongoing pattern of her saying outrageous and outlandish ridiculous things,” and said that [President Donald] Trump, who is "clearly standing unequivocally with Israel,” defines the MAGA point of view.
"This is not about it being the dam breaking in MAGA world,” he said.
But he also acknowledged an uptick in skepticism toward Israel among younger people on the right, attributing it to their ignorance about the issues.
"What we're seeing among young MAGA people is an ill-informed view of things,” Mr. Brooks said, adding that it was challenging "to educate this generation” while working with other groups.
"I don't think they are anti-Israel; I think they are getting incorrect information and are getting impacted by social media,” he said.
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Shaheen's latest attack on Israel inspires angry reaction from Jewish groups
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[Sen. Jeanne] Shaheen's [D-NH] anti-Israel comments are nothing new. In the past, she's voted to ban weapons sales to the Jewish state, accused Israel (falsely) of "starving” the people of Gaza, and denounced President Donald Trump when he dropped out of the Iran Deal.
…On Wednesday, her latest attack on an Israel-backed attempt to keep humanitarian aid out of the hands of the Hamas terrorist organization sparked a backlash.
Shaheen is the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. She is retiring in 2026.
"Sen. Shaheen is doing the Granite State a favor by retiring,” said Sam Markstein, communications director for the Republican Jewish Coalition.
"The people of New Hampshire deserve better representation than Sen. Shaheen, who attacks the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), which is working diligently—and succeeding—to give aid directly to the people of Gaza, bypassing the old, disastrous system of organizations that for years have knowingly had critical supplies looted, plundered, and resold at sky-high prices to civilians by Hamas, the profits from which are then used by Hamas to rearm and recruit more terrorists.
"While Republicans continue to lead on these issues strongly and decisively, Senate Democrats' choice to elevate Senator Shaheen as Ranking Member on the Foreign Relations Committee tells you all you need to know about why Democrats are in the minority and out of power: outdated thinking, no solutions, and zero results.”
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RJC is Celebrating 40 Years!
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Have you seen our new look? Our logo has changed to reflect our pride in the 40th anniversary of the RJC's founding. From our start in 1985 to today, the RJC has been a unique, outspoken, and trusted voice for Jewish Republicans, bringing our message to Republican decision makers and the broader Jewish community.
We support a strong America, and that includes a strong US-Israel alliance. We don't hesitate to call out antisemitism, no matter which side of the political aisle it comes from. Republicans who support American security and prosperity, and who are friends of Israel and our community, know the RJC has their backs - in the policy fights in Washington and in their election battles.
All of this is possible only through the dedication and support of our members and leaders.
Thank you!
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JNS: Trump again opts to withdraw United States from UNESCO
The Trump administration told Audrey Azoulay, director-general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, on Tuesday that Washington is withdrawing from the UN agency.
"Continued involvement in UNESCO is not in the national interest of the United States,” [Tammy Bruce, the State Department spokeswoman] stated.
"UNESCO's decision to admit the 'State of Palestine' as a member state is highly problematic, contrary to US policy and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organization,” Bruce stated. "Continued US participation in international organizations will focus on advancing American interests with clarity and conviction.”
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NR Editors: Lee Zeldin's EPA Liberates American Industry
In March, we cheered the news that Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin planned to "reconsider” the Obama EPA's 2009 "Endangerment Finding.” That finding allowed the EPA to regulate fossil fuel emissions under the Clean Air Act. On Tuesday, Zeldin announced that the EPA intends to rescind the finding, a step he described as "the largest deregulatory action in the history of the United States.” This strikes a major blow against intrusive regulation of the energy, automotive, and manufacturing sectors.
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Sen. McCormick lauds Israel's efforts in creating more secure Middle East
Israel's response to the Oct. 7, 2023 Hamas terror attacks "changed the landscape in ways that could be for the good” and lead to the "possibility of a secure region,” Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) told a group of pro-Israel college students on Tuesday…
After Oct. 7 "there was a second surprise attack. That's the evil of antisemitism that we saw across our campuses,” McCormick said. "Most of us didn't know the degree to which antisemitism would rear its ugly head on campuses across Pennsylvania and across our country.”
"It has shown us that we have to engage in a constant battle against the kind of hatred and evil that we saw in Israel on Oct. 7, but also that we saw across our campuses.”
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HUD Announces Christopher Patterson as Northwest Regional Administrator
GHF is the America- and Israel-backed humanitarian distribution firm that feeds Gazan civilians but doesn’t funnel its supplies through Hamas. This way, there is no secondhand market that enriches and entrenches Hamas’s rule.
...The launch of the GHF should have been treated as a major step toward ending the war and prioritizing the wellbeing of Gazans over that of Hamas. Instead, the fact that GHF excluded Hamas was treated as a drawback.
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NV: Summer Leadership Event
A Leadership-only event featuring a special address from Matt Brooks, CEO of the Republican Jewish Coalition.
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RSVP
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NV: Women’s Firearm Safety & Training Course
Join us for an in-depth, two-day training designed to give you the knowledge and confidence to safely handle and operate firearms. This course is split over two consecutive Sundays 8/17 and 8/24.
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RSVP
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CA: Reception and Discussion with Rep. Young Kim
Please join us in Los Angeles for this opportunity to meet Rep. Kim (R-CA-40). For current RJC Leaders and Members.
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RSVP
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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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