Some Republicans are criticizing the section of the GOP’s new platform focused on combating antisemitism as lacking substance at a time of record levels of antisemitism in the United States. 

The platform, which is far more condensed than previous iterations in an effort to be easily digestible for voters, includes just two brief lines on addressing antisemitism, the first of which reads, “Republicans condemn antisemitism, and support revoking Visas of Foreign Nationals who support terrorism and jihadism.”

“We will hold accountable those who perpetrate violence against Jewish people,” it adds. 

A further abbreviated list of priorities at the bottom of the platform vows to “DEPORT PRO-HAMAS RADICALS AND MAKE OUR COLLEGE CAMPUSES SAFE AND PATRIOTIC AGAIN.”

A number of party stalwarts told Jewish Insider they worry the lack of domestic policy prescriptions to address the rising tide of antisemitism will hurt the GOP’s efforts to reach Jewish voters who feel politically homeless going into November. 

“The Jewish people have endured so much these past nine months and are feeling abandoned as the left continues to accept rank antisemitism rhetoric from its own side,” Paul Teller, executive director of Advancing American Freedom, the policy group founded by former Vice President Mike Pence, said. 

“The RNC platform therefore missed an easy opportunity to bring American Jews into the fold of the right, to remind them they have not been forgotten and that it is Republicans who will always stand unequivocally with them and with Israel,” he added.

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, the Republican nominee in the competitive Maryland Senate race, told JI that, “I think standing up to antisemitism, unequivocally condemning Hamas terrorists, and supporting our ally Israel has to be one of our utmost priorities, especially right now — it certainly is for me.”

“I think it’s a missed opportunity, but I think the right is divided on this,” one Republican senator, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss intraparty divisions, told JI. 

“There are people [in the GOP] who don’t want to have an antisemitism bill; it doesn’t mean they hate Israel or Jewish people, but there is a wing of my party that is very sensitive about free speech. I think we’re overthinking this though. Now’s the time to plant the flag that this wave of antisemitism is going to be dealt with. We need a very clear statement that antisemitism roared throughout the world unchecked once, it’s not gonna do it twice,” the senator added. 

Another GOP senator, who also spoke on condition of anonymity to speak frankly about his own party, surmised that because the Jewish community has long been viewed as a majority liberal population, not everyone in the GOP sees this moment as a real opportunity to win over these voters. 

“There’s certainly a lot of distrust among some individual members that think this potential groundswell of Jewish support is something that goes away when Gaza goes away, that these voters will go back to their old way of thinking and their old political allegiances,” the senator said. “They’re not recognizing that this is a sea change opportunity. It requires folks like us, centrist members on that spectrum, to go out and engage them and be consistent.”

The shortened platform, another GOP senator said, “certainly doesn’t invite those voters in” who are primarily concerned about antisemitism and are “looking for a home.” 

“This is a time to be proactive rather than reactive, and it’s a fair criticism to say this platform is reactive,” they said. 

Not all Republicans shared these concerns, with many arguing that most voters, including in the Jewish community, won’t read the platform or use it to make their decision about which party or candidates to support in November. 

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) outright dismissed the notion of there being any issue with a condensed platform, saying that he thought those involved “have done an outstanding job.”

“You have to ask yourself: What is the purpose of the platform? The platform ought to be a unified document that’s a statement of principles that the public can look at and say, ‘Well, what’s the difference between Republicans and Democrats?’ I know some people proposed a lengthier, more detailed document, but frankly, I think that most people don’t read those,” Cornyn, who is running to replace Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) as GOP leader, said. 

“I don’t feel the need to go into chapter and verse. Not everybody’s gonna agree on everything, but I think it’s a unifying document. I think they did a good job,” he added. 

Another GOP senator recounted a discussion they said they recently had with former President Donald Trump about the anti-Israel college protests to explain that the GOP understands the importance of this moment. 

“Trump is going to hit the Democrats head-on and talk a lot about this issue. He sees the politics of this, but that’s what’s important. Nobody cares about the platform except for people here in Washington. Nobody cares. There was talk that Trump wrote the thing, and I don’t doubt that he glanced at it, but I think he was primarily concerned about what it said on abortion.”

Some of the party’s top Jewish donors expressed more positive views of the platform’s approach to antisemitism, even as they acknowledged its limited scope.

“I thought it was pretty good,” Brad Kastan, a GOP donor in Ohio, told JI last week. “Do I wish it were more? Yeah.”

Still, Kastan, who believes that the Biden administration has not done enough to counter rising campus antisemitism, speculated that the platform would likely “resonate” for those who are “paying attention.”

Fred Zeidman, a prominent Republican donor in Texas, echoed that view. “I am just thrilled that they’re at least addressing it — and at least addressing it in a manner that would correct the way the Biden administration has dealt with it,” he said in an interview with JI. “Knowing the way that Trump has governed historically, I don’t think he would have allowed any of this to continue on.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition also defended the platform as superior to what their Democratic counterparts had to offer Jewish voters this cycle.

“The Republican National Committee, in adopting President Donald J. Trump’s 2024 Republican Party Platform, is clear: we must return to peace through strength. We know President Trump will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the Jewish community in the fight against spiking antisemitism, and support our key allies like Israel and confront our adversaries who have been emboldened like never before under Biden,” Sam Markstein, who serves as political and communications director for the RJC, said in a statement.

“The 2024 GOP Platform is robust, optimistic, and contrasts sharply with the failed agenda and policies of Joe Biden and the Democrats. November 5th cannot come soon enough,” Markstein added. 

Reached for comment, RNC spokesperson Anna Kelly told JI that, “Joe Biden talks out of both sides of his mouth to appease Hamas sympathizers while Democrats have emboldened antisemitic protests on college campuses. In contrast, President Trump has stood firmly with our greatest ally in the Middle East, Israel, and America’s Jewish community.”

“His 2024 Platform reflects his commitment to restoring peace through strength and making America safe again for all.”