RJC to JDCA Lawyers: We Will Not Be Silenced

Washington, DC (August 2, 2021) -- The Republican Jewish Coalition received a letter on July 22, 2021 from the lawyers for the Jewish Democratic Council of America, demanding that the RJC delete a tweet asking why JDCA remained silent in the face of Rep. Ilhan Omar’s repeated use of antisemitic rhetoric.

The RJC’s response to that letter was simple: “We will not be silenced, canceled, or intimidated.” 

The JDCA’s lawyers claimed that our tweet was factually wrong, because in February 2019 (two and a half years ago!) JDCA put out a statement condemning one particular tweet by Omar. Where were their condemnations of her other recent antisemitic comments and tweets?

The RJC, in contrast, has a long record of publicly condemning antisemitism, whether from the right or the left. You can see recent examples here, here, and here. The RJC has spoken out when Holocaust comparisons were used in the political arena. (Examples here and here.) The RJC PAC even supported the primary challenger to a sitting Republican congressman (Randy Feenstra vs. Steve King in IA-4) in 2020, because of King’s troubling history of racist statements. The RJC does not shy away from taking on antisemitism and bigotry wherever they appear.

Instead of demanding the RJC delete its tweet that asked why JDCA does not stand up against antisemitic rhetoric by political figures the way the RJC does, it would have been better for JDCA to try and give examples of their organization taking a consistent stand against antisemitic rhetoric from Ilhan Omar and her ilk. As RJC’s legal counsel wrote in their response to the threatening letter from JDCA’s lawyers:

The RJC’s Tweet is in the nature of protected political speech and hyperbole. It posed a rhetorical question that could have been answered simply that the JDCA did condemn such antisemitism in February 2019. That way, the public record would be clear… The public will be best informed by making the record clear and having a free exchange of ideas and positions unfettered by intimidation and legal threats. If forced to, the RJC is prepared to respond in kind, but will not be silenced.

Yes, the RJC proudly stands on its record and will not be silenced.