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This Week:

• RJC Plays Decisive Role in Massie Defeat
• White House Holds Shabbat Gathering for US 250th Anniversary
• Help Our Senate Candidates!
• Trump Admin Revitalizes Taylor Force Act Against "Pay for Slay"
• Short Takes
• Week's Best Tweets
• Upcoming Events

RJC Plays Decisive Role in Massie Defeat

Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky went down in defeat in Tuesday night's primary election to Ed Gallrein. It was a sweet victory for Republicans who support President Donald Trump's commitment to stopping Iran's nuclear ambitions, improving the US economy for American families, and standing strong with our ally Israel, because Thomas Massie voted against those things time and again.

JTA reported:

The Republican Jewish Coalition Victory Fund, the super PAC related to the Republican Jewish Coalition, has spent close to $5 million in pro-Gallrein ads, a spokesperson for RJC Victory Fund told JTA. Matt Brooks, the RJC's CEO, told The New York Times in November that defeating Massie is a "top priority" of the group.

RJC CEO Matt Brooks said Tuesday night:

The RJC congratulates Ed Gallrein on his decisive primary victory tonight. Kentucky Republicans sent an unmistakable message: there is no place in the Republican Party for those who turn their back on the MAGA agenda. For years, the Republican Jewish Coalition has opposed Thomas Massie, and for good reason.

Massie has been a thorn in the side of President Trump, the Republican Party, and the Jewish community writ large, siding time and again with the far-left Squad on top issues of concern. In addition to opposing the Working Families Tax Cuts, opposing border security funding, and opposing Holocaust education funding, Massie has stood alone among House Republicans in opposing aid to our ally Israel, voting against bipartisan resolutions condemning antisemitism, and, in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023 Hamas terrorist attack — the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust — Massie voted against emergency assistance for Israel as it fought a war for its very survival. His record is indefensible, and tonight, the Republican primary voters of Kentucky held him accountable.

Notably, Massie's conduct throughout this campaign–trafficking in antisemitism and bottom-of-the-barrel nativism at a time when Jew-hatred is on the rise–was wildly unacceptable and outrageous from an elected member of Congress.

…Unlike the Democrats, who continue to appease and enable the worst elements of their radicalized party base, the RJC continues to lead the fight for Republican values, deploying significant resources in the most pivotal elections across the country.

Massie responded to this criticism of his record with antisemitic tropes. He frequently called the RJC and prominent Jewish supporters of Ed Gallrein "the Israeli lobby":

On Friday, Massie told a reporter that his [primary] has "turned into a referendum on whether Israel gets to buy seats in Congress."

"This Week" anchor George Stephanopoulos pressed Massie on the comment, asking him, "What did you mean by that?"

Massie said that two of the individuals he named -- major GOP donors Miriam Adelson and Paul Singer, along with the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) and American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), are "all part of the Israeli lobby."

When Massie's defeat was clear and the race was called Tuesday night, Massie opened his concession speech with this comment: "I would've come out sooner, but I had to call my opponent and concede, and it took a while to find Ed Gallrein in Tel Aviv."

Tucker Carlson attacked the RJC by name last night in a show focused on defending his friend Thomas Massie:

I think it's obvious that Massie would not have lost without the Republican Jewish Coalition and a few neocon billionaires weighing in on behalf of foreign country.

The RJC is proud of the role that we and our members played in helping show Thomas Massie the door. We are confident that Ed Gallrein will be an excellent representative for the people of KY-4.

White House Holds Shabbat Gathering for US 250th Anniversary

Last Friday, the White House was the scene of a special Shabbat 250 experience.

Attendees included Leo Terrell, senior counsel to the assistant attorney general of the Civil Rights Division at the US Department of Justice, members of the Trump administration, and Jewish leaders from across the American Jewish community.

That was not the only such event in DC. The Jewish Insider spoke with Rabbi Levi Shemtov, the executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad):

Shemtov said the message he's taken from his conversations with fellow Jewish leaders going into this weekend is one of gratitude toward the president for including the national Sabbath in his JAHM proclamation and of hope that the venture would prompt more Jewish Americans to keep Shabbat.

"I'm obviously delighted by the president's call to observe Shabbat, because this reinforces Jewish identity with Jewish observance and tradition. I hope those who don't yet observe Shabbat will choose to do so, and those who already observe will choose to share with a friend who doesn't yet know about this beautiful cornerstone of our heritage," Shemtov said. "I would imagine that those Jewish people who were in America 250 years ago could not have imagined our good fortunes today and must be kvelling."

Trump Admin Revitalizes Taylor Force Act Against "Pay for Slay"

The US State Department this week reached a settlement in a lawsuit and committed to enforce the Taylor Force Act, an anti-terrorism law barring US aid to the Palestinian Authority as long as it continues to its "Pay for Slay" subsidies to terrorists and their families.

Congress passed the Taylor Force Act in 2018, with strong and active support from the Republican Jewish Coalition. President Donald Trump signed it into law, but the Biden administration refused to enforce it.

The lawsuit was brought by America First Legal (AFL) on behalf of US Congressman Ronny Jackson (TX), the parents of Taylor Force, who was murdered in a terrorist attack in Israel in 2016, and another American victim of Palestinian terrorism, Sarri Singer. The 2022 lawsuit came after the Biden administration "brazenly ignored the Taylor Force Act" and engaged in "unlawfully financing a foreign government that continues to incentivize terrorism," in violation of the Taylor Force Act.

​

This settlement agreement ensures that the State Department will comply with the Taylor Force Act and binds the government for the next ten years, according to AFL. It clarifies the factors the Secretary of State may consider to determine whether specific aid "directly benefits" the Palestinian Authority. it is a major step toward enforcing the Taylor Force Act and preventing taxpayer funds from financing terrorism.

This settlement is a victory for American victims of terrorism and a reaffirmation of the Trump administration's commitment to defending the American people and enforcing our laws. The RJC is proud to have fought for the Taylor Force Act from the start and to see the Trump administration take this important step forward.

Short Takes

Reuters: Trump administration pressures Palestinian UN envoy to drop General Assembly vice presidency bid

President Donald ​Trump's administration threatened to revoke the visas of the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations if the ‌Palestinian ambassador refuses to end his candidacy for the vice presidency of the UN General Assembly, according to an internal State Department cable seen by Reuters.

…[Palestinian ambassador to the UN ​Riyad] Mansour had already withdrawn his candidacy for the presidency of the General Assembly as a result of US lobbying in February, …but ​if elected to the lower-profile ⁠vice presidency, he could still get to preside over General Assembly sessions.

Washington Post Editorial: Why are so many states leaving free money on the table for education?

The tax cuts that President Donald Trump signed into law last July included a provision that lets Americans deduct up to $1,700 from their federal filings for donating to scholarship granting organizations that enable underprivileged children to attend private schools. For complicated procedural reasons, the law requires governors to opt in for nonprofits in their states to become eligible to receive those tax-deductible contributions.

Every Republican quickly did so, but teachers unions pushed Democratic governors to reject the potential windfall because it will increase competition for public schools. These unions oppose allowing parents the choice to move their kids from failing schools to better performing religious and charter options.

… Until [New York Governor Kathy] Hochul's [opt-in] announcement on May 8, only one Democratic governor had been willing to prioritize the best interests of the children in their state over the demands of union bosses: outgoing Colorado Gov. Jared Polis.

In Kentucky and Kansas, Republican legislators overrode vetoes by Democratic governors to force their states to opt in. In Arizona, North Carolina and Wisconsin, GOP legislators were unable to override a Democratic governor's veto of opt-in legislation. Meanwhile, four states have formally declined to participate: Minnesota, New Mexico, Oregon and Hawaii.

This leaves 13 states, plus DC, that have not officially decided. Five of the holdout states are led by potential 2028 presidential candidates: California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro. This is an opportunity for a potential presidential candidate to show independence from self-interested union leaders.

Times of Israel: Demand soars for Israel's weapons tech, even among countries claiming to boycott Jewish state

According to the Defense Ministry, Israeli weapons sales have more than doubled over the past five years, with a record high of nearly $15 billion in 2024. While the ministry hasn't released overall 2025 figures, leading Israeli weapons makers, including Elbit and Israel Aerospace Industries, both reported double-digit sales growth last year.

More than half of the Israeli arms industry's sales are for missiles, rockets and air-defense systems. For the first time, Israel has surpassed the United Kingdom in its share of global arms exports, making it the world's seventh-biggest supplier, according to a March report by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

…Countries that have vowed to shun Israeli weapons makers are nonetheless quietly placing orders, according to industry officials.

JNS:Assistant US commerce secretary quotes Torah portion in Nebraska talk about broadband internet

Arielle Roth, US assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information, cited the weekly Torah portion [Parshat Bamidbar] during a May 14 talk in Ogallala, Neb., about broadband internet.

…One of the themes at the beginning of the book of Numbers, Bamidbar, is "that a shared mission doesn't require uniformity of roles," Roth said. "Each tribe contributed in different ways based on their strengths and circumstances."

…"In contrast to the previous administration's one-size-fits-all approach to broadband policy, the Trump administration's market-driven, technology-neutral reforms helped Nebraska move incredibly quickly and efficiently to connect rural Americans."

"Like in Bamidbar, the mission was shared, but different communities and terrains required different approaches and strengths to accomplish it," she told JNS.

Tweets

Events

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