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This Week:

• DSA Pushes the Democratic Party Farther from Israel

• Silence is Complicity

• The ‘Big, Beautiful Bill’ Gives Parents a Choice and Kids a Chance

• RJC in the News

• Short Takes

• Week's Best Tweets

• Upcoming Events

DSA Pushes the Democratic Party Farther from Israel

The Democratic Socialists of America held their national convention in Chicago last weekend. The convention adopted a virulently anti-Israel resolution, as Jessica Costescu reports at the Washington Free Beacon:

One resolution made "organizing in solidarity with the Palestinian cause a priority until Palestine is free." It also affirmed the DSA's commitment to "al-Thawabit," a foundational creed the Palestine Liberation Organization created in 1977 "to which all Palestinian factions must pledge fealty." The principles include the "right to resistance," the "right to self-determination," the designation of "Jerusalem as the capital" of a Palestinian state, and the "right to return."

Corey Walker at The Algemeiner notes:

According to the resolution, various actions in support of Israel, such as "making statements that 'Israel has a right to defend itself'" and "endorsing statements equating anti-Zionism with antisemitism," will now be considered an "expellable offense," subject to a vote by the DSA's National Political Committee.

…With roughly 78,000 members nationwide [including some members of Congress], the DSA represents a small fraction of the Democratic Party's base. But its convention votes often reverberate in progressive political spaces.

The DSA's growing impact on the mainstream Democratic Party can be seen in reports this week that when the Democratic National Committee meets later this month, delegates will consider two Israel-related resolutions. The more "reasonable" one supports an immediate ceasefire and release of all hostages held by Hamas, and supports "a credible, negotiated pathway toward a two-state solution." Jewish Democrats are hoping to put this one over the top.

The other proposed resolution is a starkly anti-Israel one. It supports an immediate ceasefire, without mentioning Hamas at all, and calls for an arms embargo against Israel and suspension of military aid to Israel. It further calls for members of Congress to recognize Palestine as a country. We will be watching to see how much support this resolution receives from the DNC.

Politico has a notable report today that former Biden administration Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg has reevaluated his position on Israel. Buttigieg, who is reportedly a potential contender to be the Democratic nominee for President in 2028, was criticized for being too friendly toward Israel in a recent interview. The Politico report notes:

Democrats have recalibrated on Israel, and that's already reverberating across the shadow campaign trail as the US relationship with Israel is fast becoming a key litmus test ahead of the 2028 Democratic primary. The Democratic National Committee is weighing two different resolutions on the matter, with progressives pushing for elected Democrats to endorse an arms embargo on Israel and recognize a Palestinian state.

Buttigieg said he would have signed on to Sen. Bernie Sanders' proposed arms embargo against Israel, would recognize Palestine as part of a two-state solution and thought the US should not pass another 10-year agreement between the US and Israel on foreign military aid carte blanche.

The 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Gives Parents a Choice and Kids a Chance

Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Tim Scott (R-SC), and Ted Cruz (R-TX), along with former US Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos, write at Fox News:

The One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act establishes the first-of-its-kind tax credit scholarship program for all types of educational settings. Beginning in 2027, individuals will receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit of up to $1,700 per year for donations to educational nonprofits that fund K-12 scholarships for low- and middle-income students.

Eligible scholarships can cover tuition, books, tutoring, transportation, uniforms, special needs services and educational technology. Parents and students will receive these scholarships tax-free.

The result? Tens of billions of dollars for scholarships will be made available to K-12 students all across America. Millions of families will now be able to send their children to a school that aligns with their values and beliefs. Parents will be able to reclaim control of their children's education.

RJC in the News

Matt Brooks on "Come to Think of It" Show

RJC CEO Matt Brooks sat down in Aspen with Steven Nemerovski to talk about the Republican Jewish Coalition and its growth, rising antisemitism and its effects in the political arena, and President Donald Trump's record on Israel and antisemitism.

Push and pull of American Jewish voters and Israel tells part of political story

Republican Jewish Coalition spokesman Sam Markstein, whose group spent millions of dollars to elect US President Donald Trump, argued that exit polls and turnout studies don't tell the whole story.

"National numbers are fun to look at, but what matters in elections is winning more Jewish Americans' votes in key precincts in the critical battleground states, which is exactly what President Trump did and the RJC helped to deliver in 2024," he told JNS.

For example, in Oakland County, Mich., which has a significant number of Jewish voters, Trump did better in 2024 than 2020 by seven points in Oak Park, eight points in West Bloomfield and five points in Southfield, according to an analysis for the RJC.

"Jews in Los Angeles, Jews in Chicago, Jews in New York City are not making the difference when it comes to presidential politics," Markstein told JNS.

RJC is Celebrating 40 Years!

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.

Please consider making a gift to the RJC today in honor of our 40 years of growth and success.

We need your support to keep moving forward!

Thank you!

Short Takes

Gemunder: The silver lining

RJC leader David Gemunder considers the question of how the Jewish people have maintained their collective Jewishness through millennia of displacement. His response: "[C]ynic that I am, I prefer a much more prosaic answer: that we largely have been preserved by the hatred so many others have had for us."

Tratt: Mainstream Jewish groups shy away from scrutinizing Mamdani

RJC Board of Directors member Irit Tratt writes: "Nearly two months have passed since Zohran Mamdani won the Democratic Party's mayoral primary in New York City. While America's major Jewish groups underestimated the 33-year-old candidate's rising popularity before the June primary, their restrained criticism of the anti-Israel ideologue ahead of November's general election suggests that some of our nation's most prominent Jewish institutions are absorbing his presumptive mayorship with unspoken acceptance… An electoral win for Mamdani would result in antisemites being given free rein to harass, intimidate and attack Jewish communities and face next to no consequences for their actions."

Tobin: The generational price of the false Gaza 'genocide' narrative

[T]here is something even more sinister about the debate over the Gaza Strip that isn't being fully understood by Israelis or those in the Diaspora who are speaking up about what is happening. The willingness of so many to swallow pro-Hamas propaganda as truth transcends contemporary arguments about the war or discussions on how best to combat the post-Oct. 7 surge in the hatred of Jews. The acceptance of assertions put forth by jihadists is laying the foundation for a future in which antisemitism will not just spread, but will be treated as something in which decent and high-minded people believe…Put in this context, the effort to refute the lies must be seen not just as an important aspect of the information war to defend Israel today, but for generations of Jews not yet born.

NRO: City-Backed Kansas City grocery store closes despite millions in taxpayer funding

A city-run grocery store in Kansas City that was propped up by more than $18 million taxpayer dollars has closed… The failure of Sun Fresh in Kansas City raises doubts about the feasibility of New York City Mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani's proposal to establish a $65 million network of city-funded grocery stores. Mamdani has been unclear whether the stores will be operated by the city, or if nonprofit partners similar to CBKC will run the stores.

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