Three senior U.S. officials connected to the Board of Peace, the Trump-led body created to resolve the conflict in Gaza, have been meeting with congressional offices this week to request $200 million for a peacekeeping force, according to two people with knowledge of the meetings. The meetings mark the first time that Board of Peace representatives have approached Congress with a funding request. 

Jasper Jeffers, an American military officer serving as commander of the International Stabilization Force, the United Nations-mandated peacekeeping force created in last year’s ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas; Board of Peace senior advisor Josh Gruenbaum; and retired Gen. Mark Schwartz, a former U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian Authority who is now the Board of Peace’s security lead, spoke at the Capitol Hill meetings. 

The ISF, which was part of President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan announced last September, has struggled to find backers. Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania pledged troops to the effort, but most have not yet done so. Indonesia paused its plans in March during the Iran war. What was billed as a 20,000-troop force has fewer than 20 initial members, according to a Wall Street Journal report this week. The ISF’s goal is to demilitarize Gaza and keep Hamas out of power, and countries have voiced concerns over whether their troops would be required to militarily confront Hamas. 

Gruenbaum, Jeffers and Schwartz have met or plan to meet with staff from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the national security-focused subcommittees on the House and Senate Appropriations committees. A Board of Peace official called the meetings “extensive and highly constructive.” 

“The delegation shared the progress that the Board has made in recent weeks, including movement toward the establishment of a humanitarian pilot [program] in Gaza, ongoing efforts in negotiations to disarm Hamas, preparations for the Palestinian technocratic government to assume authority, the huge improvement in the humanitarian situation, the pending start of training for a civilian police and the recent and ongoing scale-up in manpower and logistics for the International Stabilization Force,” the official told Jewish Insider.

The requested $200 million for peacekeeping operations, or PKO — a specific category in the Foreign Assistance Act — is primarily intended to fund the International Stabilization Force, according to a source with knowledge of the Board of Peace’s activities. 

The request is for discretionary funding, rather than a direct congressional appropriation for the Board of Peace. The Board of Peace source said conversations about congressional appropriations for the body may come later. 

The Board of Peace official said the congressional meetings marked “the start of an extensive effort to work with Congress” in order to “transform Gaza into a place of peace, prosperity, economic development and reconstruction.” 

Earlier in the week, Board of Peace officials met in Brussels with senior Palestinian Authority leaders, and the European Union committed to providing $1 billion toward Gaza recovery efforts.

On Capitol Hill, it’s usually the senators who publish books, not their staffers. 

The office of Sen. Dave McCormick (R-PA) has both: Last year, McCormick authored a book on leadership with his wife, Meta President Dina Powell McCormick. Now, McCormick’s chief of staff, Mark Isakowitz, is gearing up to release a book of his own. 

Isakowitz’s book, a memoir, is titled Wisdom in the House of Mourning: Kaddish, My Father, and Me. It tells the story of Isakowitz grappling with the loss of his father, who immigrated to America after surviving Auschwitz, and Isakowitz’s daily practice of reciting the mourner’s prayer at a synagogue in Washington. 

The book is described as a “father’s path from Auschwitz to America,” and “a son’s journey from grief to growth.” It will be published in January.

Having conquered New York City with a stunning primary night sweep on Tuesday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is wasting no time in moving on Capitol Hill.

In an uncharacteristically long question-and-answer session at an unrelated announcement on Wednesday, the mayor — having deposed two congressional incumbents in Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY) and Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and installed his favored candidate in the seat of retiring Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D-NY) — announced he would sit down later in the day with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY). 

Jeffries is a longtime critic of Mamdani’s Democratic Socialists of America, and attempted unsuccessfully to rally last-minute support for Espaillat.

The mayor nonetheless kept his comments civil and conciliatory for the potential future speaker of the House. Despite endorsing challengers against two Democratic lawmakers, Mamdani blocked a DSA ally from running against Jeffries in this year’s primary. 

“I’ll be speaking with Congressman Jeffries later today, and I’m looking forward to working with Congressman Jeffries on delivering for the people of our city,” the mayor told reporters. “What we saw last night was a hunger for leaders who will be there on the front lines.”

Mamdani stuck mostly to his usual rhetoric about affordability, but noted former City Comptroller Brad Lander — who defeated Goldman — had committed to supporting the Block the Bombs Act cutting off military aid to Israel.

Jeffries, for his part, had less favorable remarks for Mamdani, alluding to the distrust his endorsements engendered with himself and the rest of the delegation.

“He’s got work to do in terms of the conversations that he’s going to have with members of Congress moving forward,” the Democratic leader told reporters, saying he and the mayor “agree to strongly disagree about some of his endorsements.”

Lander has committed to backing Jeffries for speaker, as has another candidate who triumphed last night: Assemblymember Micah Lasher, the establishment-backed successor to Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY). Mamdani stayed aloof from the contentious and costly race for the Manhattan district, which boasts a large and progressive Jewish population, but Lasher enlisted the skills of Morris Katz, the mayor’s closest political advisor.

Pressed by Jewish Insider at his election party Tuesday night as to whether he would look to the mayor or to Jeffries for leadership, Lasher answered: “I expect Hakeem Jeffries will be the leader of the House caucus.”

President Donald Trump’s declaration that the U.S. “must, of necessity, respond” to Iran’s downing of a U.S. Army Apache helicopter off the coast of Oman on Monday evening received support from GOP lawmakers on Capitol Hill, several of whom called for a powerful military retaliation.

U.S. officials confirmed to CNN that the attack helicopter — whose pilots Trump said were successfully rescued — was brought down by an Iranian one-way attack drone. The high-stakes incident marks the most serious uptick in direct hostilities between Washington and Tehran in weeks, occurring amid diplomatic efforts to end the regional war and begin negotiations to curb Tehran’s nuclear program.

“I agree with the president, there should be significant consequences,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) told Jewish Insider.

“Enough is enough,” Cruz later wrote on X. “President Trump and our Armed Forces decimated Iran militarily, but the Iranian regime has been trying to rebuild and now they’ve taken down an American Apache. President Trump is absolutely right. There is a pressing necessity for the U.S. to respond to this attack.”

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-AL), who chairs the House Armed Services Committee, also called for a powerful response, urging Trump to look at “meaningful options.”

“We need to vigorously respond,” Rogers said. “We can’t let anybody shoot down one of our helicopters and it not be responded to.”

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC) similarly pushed for “decisive action” in order to put the looming Iranian threat “behind us.”

“I think America would be in a better place if we had this behind us and clear, decisive action that would bring an absolute end to this so we don’t have to do it again,” Budd told JI. “They [Iran] cannot persist to threaten us and then develop nuclear weapons. … They should never ever have a nuclear weapon.”

While some regional experts agreed that the Iranian attack necessitates a firm U.S. military reaction, they argued that any such response is likely to be limited in scope and is not anticipated to trigger a return to full combat operations, nor is it expected to derail ongoing negotiations given the president’s focus on a diplomatic exit.

“If information is correct, that Iran shot down a U.S. helicopter, then the president is correct, the United States does need to respond,” said former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro, who later served as deputy assistant secretary of defense in the Biden administration. “That’s a very serious attack, which thankfully did not seem to take the lives of the two aviators, but it needs a response.”

Shapiro noted that while U.S. action is necessary, the retaliation will likely be calibrated to avoid escalation, as Trump remains intensely “motivated” to secure a broader deal that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

“U.S. Central Command will be able to give [Trump] options that will include a meaningful response against an Iranian military target, but one that does not necessarily produce a strong Iranian response that leads to an escalatory cycle,” Shapiro explained. “If he wants to succeed in negotiations, say, on the war, he needs to respond, but do it in a way that leads to a de-escalation.”

Alexander Gray, who served as chief of staff on the National Security Council during Trump’s first administration, also anticipates a precise, “proportional blow against key Iranian targets.”

“The president has responsibly maintained considerable American military power in the vicinity of Iran, both conducting the U.S. Navy’s successful blockade, but also being held in reserve should the need arise to continue kinetic military operations,” Gray said. “The president will likely strike a proportional blow against key Iranian targets, while keeping in mind the broader American strategic imperative of concluding this conflict with a diplomatic solution that advances American interests in the region.”

Steven Cook, a senior fellow for Middle East studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, agreed that failing to respond would be a political and strategic impossibility for the White House.

“It would be hard for the president not to respond, though I suspect that this is not a return to combat,” Cook observed. “Trump will likely direct CENTCOM to take out one or several high-value targets.”

Analysts noted that the exchange is unlikely to impact the high-level talks or alter the calculations of either side, as negotiators continue to work out an agreement.

“It doesn’t necessarily push a deal further off the table,” Shapiro said. “It sounds like negotiators are close to a deal. Until there is a deal, though, exchanges in a ceasefire that has seen numerous violations of it are not surprising, but if both sides are motivated to get a deal, this will not prevent it from happening.”

Cook said that a minor strike could solidify Tehran’s perception of American vulnerability.

“I don’t believe that a tit-for-tat exchange will significantly alter Iran’s view that it has time on its hands and that the president is desperate for a deal,” Cook said. “It seems clear that the president does not want anything to upset negotiations and the chances of a negotiated way out of the conflict. The Iranians do not seem willing to give him anything that he could call a victory, however. The result is likely to be a continued stalemate.”

Iran has similarly appeared to prefer a diplomatic exit over renewed escalation. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Tuesday said that Iranian leaders “prefer language of diplomacy but speak other languages too.”

“Foreign forces in proximity to our territory are at constant risk on account of their own human errors, plain accidents, or potentially being caught in crossfire,” Araghchi posted on X following the incident. “To reduce risk, best solution is for them to leave.”

Aaron David Miller, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and a former State Department negotiator, said the incident reflects a “manifestation of how emboldened [the Iranians] are and how willing they are to take risks.”

While Miller warned against a heightened response, he noted that even restrained exchanges could lead to eventual escalation if a final diplomatic breakthrough is not reached soon. 

“If [Trump] doesn’t [limit the response], then what he’s going to trip into is a very hard response if he goes after directly Iranian targets on the mainland,” Miller warned. “The longer this goes on without having an agreement, it’s inevitable that this is going to escalate.”

The core parameters of a potential deal have been “evident for quite some time,” Miller added, but concluded it will ultimately require a painful political calculation from both Washington and Tehran. 

“Both sides must be prepared to accept a situation in which they’re going to perceive to have given something up,” Miller said. 

Senior congressional correspondent Marc Rod contributed reporting

William Paul, the adult son of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), verbally accosted Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) at a popular bar in Capitol Hill on Tuesday evening in a lengthy, public antisemitic tirade, Lawler confirmed to Jewish Insider on Wednesday afternoon.

NOTUS, whose reporter witnessed the confrontation, was the first to report the situation. 

The tirade occurred less than a week before the congressional election in Kentucky’s 4th Congressional District, where anti-Israel Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), who has repeatedly faced accusations of antisemitism, is facing a primary challenger, Ed Gallrein, backed by President Donald Trump and a range of Jewish and pro-Israel groups.

Lawler said that William Paul was visibly intoxicated when he entered the restaurant, the Tune Inn. He said that Paul had confronted him when he first entered the restaurant, and introduced himself as the senator’s son, later sitting next to Lawler at the bar and ultimately interjecting into  Lawler’s conversation with the NOTUS reporter.

“He goes on a drunken tirade about Thomas Massie, and if he loses, it’s because of my people. I said, ‘My people, who’s that?’ He goes, ‘Jews,’” Lawler, who is Catholic, told JI.

Lawler said that he told Paul he was not Jewish, and that Paul had apologized for “accusing you of that,” to which Lawler responded, “‘Even if I was Jewish, what’s the problem?’ And he just went on a tirade about it. Totally insane.”

He said that Paul went on to rant, “I hate Jews and I hate gay people, and I don’t care if they die,” which Lawler called “pretty vile” and “f****** disgusting.” He described Paul as engaging in a “roughly 10-minute diatribe about Israel, accusing Jews of being responsible for so many things, playing right into the typical antisemitic tropes that so many people rely on.”

Paul ended the conversation by giving Lawler the middle finger, and tripped on his way out of the bar, according to Lawler.

Lawler said that he was “honestly flabbergasted that somebody would engage in that type of rhetoric, let alone directly to a member of Congress.” He called it “arguably the most shocking thing” he’d experienced in his four years in Washington.

Paul apologized for the comments on Wednesday.

“Last night, I had too much to drink and said some things that don’t represent who I really am. I’m sorry and today I am seeking help for my drinking problem,” Paul wrote on X.

Asked what he wanted to hear from the elder Paul in response to the incident, Lawler said he would be “mortified” if it was his own child who had engaged in such behavior, but said he would leave it to the senator how he wants to respond. He said he hasn’t spoken to Sen. Paul or Massie about the incident.

He said that there is “no question when you look at some of the polling that the issue of Israel among young people and support for Israel is waning, and it’s a concern. … I think a lot of the anti-Israel sentiment is rooted in Jew-hatred, and driven by antisemitic tropes that are published on social media and online, and it’s something that we as a society and certainly Congress needs to combat.”

He said the incident “speaks to a larger issue, obviously in society, and what we’re seeing among young people and what we see online,” a “level of hatred and vitriol” that his Jewish colleagues and Jewish constituents have experienced firsthand.

The Kentucky senator’s office did not respond to JI’s request for comment on the incident.

Multiple House lawmakers condemned Paul’s son. 

Rep. Randy Fine (R-FL) told JI, “his grandfather,” former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) “was an antisemite. So why should we be surprised that it didn’t fall from the tree? And his father’s supporting the biggest antisemite in the house, Thomas Massie. So I don’t find it surprising. I would be curious where he works, because I wouldn’t suspect he’ll work there for long.”

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) wrote on X, “If you are wondering how things are going up on Capit[o]l Hill. We have elected family members screaming ‘you are a Jew’ at catholics.”

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) called it, “Repugnant behavior that we don’t want in the GOP.”

Melanie Pell, chief engagement officer for the American Jewish Committee, who lives in Kentucky, told JI, “What’s most disturbing here is how casually ‘Jew”’ was weaponized as a slur in a face-to-face exchange. This isn’t about politics or personal relationships — this is textbook antisemitic bigotry, and its normalization should alarm everyone.”

Pell said she “would hope that Senator Paul would be quick to condemn any use of ‘Jew’ as a slur irrespective of the source.”

The Republican Jewish Coalition responded to the original NOTUS report saying simply, “gross.” Jeff Miller, a Republican lobbyist and board chair of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, responded, “WTF.”

Rabbi Shlomo Litvin, the chairman of the Kentucky Jewish Council, said that his organization was “deeply disturbed both by the antisemitic conspiracy theories posited by Mr. Paul and with his comfort in harassing someone he thought was Jewish in a public place.”

“The antisemitic conspiracy of Jews controlling the government, supported by extremist bigots like Thomas Massie and Tucker Carlson are not only false, stupid, and a refutation of American values, they are also dangerous, as we can see how they go from online bots to public confrontations, and can potentially turn to violence,” he said in a statement.

Litvin reiterated his concern over the younger Paul’s actions in an interview with JI later Wednesday, questioning if the encounter with Lawler would have ended differently if Paul had confronted “a kid in a yarmulke.”

“My initial reaction is hurt, but not shock. What Congressman Lawler went through last night is an experience that nearly every Jewish American understands,” Litvin said. “I’m relieved this was a U.S. congressman who he thought was Jewish. It could have just been a kid in a yarmulke, and I don’t know how the night would have ended in that case.”

Litvin linked the Tuesday night incident with Massie’s appearance on Tucker Carlson’s podcast, accusing the Kentucky congressman of spreading “Nazi propaganda of Jewish control of the government” as he claimed Jews were responsible for his primary challenge. 

Massie, according to Litvin, “said, ‘I’m the only one who didn’t support the leader of my party in my body, Speaker Johnson, and I voted against Trump. Now they’re coming after me and it’s because of the Jews.’ Perhaps, if you’ve made enemies out of all the leaders of your party, the Jews are not responsible when people are upset with you, but that’s his claim, that it’s the Jews, it’s the Zionists.”

“That’s exactly what this young man said to Mike Lawler: ‘You need to watch more Tucker Carlson because this is what they’re talking about,’” he said. 

Still, Litvin repeatedly emphasized in his statement and to JI that he has “never seen a hint of antisemitism” from Sen. Paul “who has been a friend to Jewish Kentuckians, condemning antisemitism, supporting Jewish students, standing for the return of stolen Holocaust art and valuables, rejecting the hateful extremism at international organizations, and celebrating the Jewish community’s contributions to our country.”

Litvin called on statewide officials to condemn the younger Paul’s comments, while defending the Kentucky senator.

“I think everyone should speak out at this point. I think we have a growing problem we’ve been ignoring in America. Of Candace Owens, of Tucker Carlson, of Hasan Piker,” he continued. “They’re not on some big news station who’s held responsible. They are given a limitless platform and a microphone, and far too many times we have seen those direct comments lead to violence.”

Lauren Wolman, the senior director of government relations and strategy for the Anti-Defamation League, called the comments “disgusting and dangerous.”

“We’re thankful to Rep. Lawler for standing up in the face of this hate, but the fact that a Member of Congress was subjected to this kind of abuse so openly is outrageous and a sign of how far too normalized antisemitism has become,” Wolman said. “Every leader and public official, in every party, must condemn it clearly and unequivocally and make clear this hate will not be tolerated.”

The incident comes just days after another antisemitic incident in Massie’s race drew widespread national condemnation. An outside group backing Massie and opposing Gallrein published a vitriolic attack ad against Gallrein donor and Jewish billionaire Paul Singer, which placed Singer alongside a large star of David.

Paul has made headlines in the past for alcohol-related issues, including a 2015 collision with a parked vehicle while intoxicated and a 2013 arrest for assaulting a flight attendant, underage drinking and disorderly conduct.

Paul’s LinkedIn page lists him as a digital communications manager in the House, and a former staffer for two conservative groups. But a recent post from four days ago suggested he no longer works on the Hill.

Jewish Insider’s Washington reporter Matthew Shea contributed to this report.

A series of largely Democratic lawmakers painted an unusually dire portrait of the state of rising antisemitism and threats to the Jewish community in remarks at an Anti-Defamation League reception honoring Jewish American Heritage Month on Capitol Hill on Tuesday evening.

Several emphasized the need for those in the audience, many of them young Jewish congressional staffers and Washington professionals, to continue speaking out and fighting for the Jewish community in a time of crisis.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), the retiring former No. 2 House Democrat, said that antisemitism has escalated to the point that Jews are no longer guaranteed safety in the United States.

“There were two places in the world where Jews felt really safe. One, of course, was Israel, and the second was the United States of America,” Hoyer said. “That’s not true today, and that is a sad statement of what’s going on in the country today. So you all need to be involved. You all need to when you see something that’s not right, not fair, not just stand up, speak up and make a difference.”

Rep. Laura Friedman (D-CA) emphasized that efforts to fight antisemitism have often been met with additional hostility.

“It is a very scary time for the Jewish community,” Friedman said. “And to make matters worse, when we express that we’re scared and that there’s this rising level of hatred directed towards the Jewish community, we’re often met with people telling us that we’re not allowed to feel that way. And how dare we even say that there’s anything wrong with treatment towards Jews in this country?”

She offered as an example of “how bad it’s gotten” that her synagogue was graffitied this year with a swastika, and that she ended up in an argument online with local activists “who were trying to tell me why it was appropriate for people to put swastikas on the sides of buildings in the Jewish part of Los Angeles, where there are Holocaust survivors still living, why they thought that was OK and not antisemitic.”

Friedman used as another example a recent ad created by a super PAC backing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) in his reelection race attacking a Jewish conservative donor, Paul Singer, who is supporting Massie’s opponent, which prominently featured a graphic of a Jewish star alongside the Singer’s face.

“A super PAC thought it was totally fine to do a hit on a candidate by showing one of their donors and by flashing a Jewish star behind that donor to let everyone know that, ‘Hey, if everything else we’ve said about this candidate isn’t convincing enough, they have a donor who’s Jewish,’” Friedman said.

“I don’t think anyone can sit this one out and you all being here is part of that effort, so thank you … for showing up, thanks for the work you do,” she concluded.

Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), who is running for Senate in Michigan and has faced attacks over her support for Israel and ties to the Jewish community, said that she would not “sugarcoat” the situation, explaining that “the faces of hate in this country have morphed into violent extremism,” with an increasing pace of violent attacks targeting the Jewish community, including in her own district.

“Extremist words matter. They absolutely matter,” Stevens said.

She also maintained that she is “unequivocal in declaring that I am very much a proud Zionist” in spite of facing attacks for that stance. “When I show my face in my community, every so often [I] get chased out because of violent extremism, because people feel so emboldened to shout at me that I am a ‘Zionist pig.’ That cannot be acceptable.”

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN), whose congressional district was recently carved up by Tennessee Republicans, likely ending his career, warned that prejudice is still a real and very active problem. 

He recounted a story of when he ran for governor in 1994: “I went to a little radio station in Dixon, Tenn. — one person radio station, gravel road. [I] came in, talked to the man for a while and he said, ‘Son, you Jewish?’ I said, ‘Yes sir.’ He said, ‘Good luck,’” Cohen recounted. “It ain’t changed a lot since then. Be careful. There’s a lot of mamzers out there. They don’t know us, but they don’t like us,” he said, using the Hebrew word for bastard.

Rep. Greg Landsman (D-OH) said that it is “obviously a very bad time” for the American Jewish community and “in my opinion, it’s going to get a lot worse.” He urged the crowd “to lead through such difficult, chaotic, awful times.”

Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) lambasted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani as emboldening and encouraging antisemitism.

“We see a mayor in New York City who has, in many respects, OKed his supporters engaging in antisemitic hate, engaging in conduct that threatens Jewish students and Jewish lives,” Lawler added. “We see these protests happening outside places of worship — these are real issues that we have to combat.”

He also emphasized that antisemitic influencers like Hasan Piker, Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson have been using antisemitism as a “grift” and playing on hatred to “make a buck” and create further division. 

Rep. Jake Auchincloss (D-MA) said that it is “unacceptably scary to be a Jew in the United States” and that the country is “violating the core promise that George Washington made” to the Jewish community in Rhode Island in 1790 that the country would be one of religious freedom and pluralism.

Auchincloss highlighted his efforts in Congress to combat antisemitism on social media, describing platforms as having become “failed societies online. It’s become so toxic, it’s become so rotten on these platforms that antisemitism is mushrooming as a symptom of something that is deeply rotten underneath.”

Rep. Kim Schrier (D-WA) said that Jews are “all feeling so threatened right now” and emphasized the need for broader understanding of antisemitism.

“They need to understand that anti-Zionism is kind of a new iteration [of antisemitism], if you don’t want another country wiped off the map,” Schrier said. “And I just think we all need to recognize that we all need to call it out, whether it’s in our party or another party.”

Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD), the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, said that “antisemitism and racism are the gateway to the destruction of liberal democracy” and that “the extremism, the fascism, the racism and the antisemitism” are infecting politics in the U.S. and around the world.

He praised Hungary as an example of a country that had been able to buck such trends, ousting its longtime right-wing government.

Several of the lawmakers who addressed the group also offered remembrances about Abe Foxman, the former longtime ADL leader who died last weekend.

“We’re all thinking about Abe Foxman right now, who looms over this room in a powerful way and taught us so much,” Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ) said. “I think what he taught us most was to be courageous, to fight, to never back down. That’s my ask of you. It’s tough out there, by the way. The harder they hit us, the more fight I feel.”

Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) said that Foxman was “a giant, a hero of mine, hero of so many, and really built this organization practically from the ground up.” She said she’d been stunned by his death, having spoken to him at a Holocaust remembrance event at the Capitol just weeks ago.

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) also urged those in attendance to follow Foxman’s model, and emphasized the need for additional funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program.

In a statement, Lauren Wolman, ADL’s senior director of government relations and strategy, said the group was “honored to host our annual Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) reception celebrating Jewish Members of Congress and congressional staff.”

“At a time when many of these dedicated public servants are navigating rising antisemitism and growing challenges on Capitol Hill, the reception served as an important opportunity to celebrate their work and create a space for Jewish professionals to come together in community, connect with one another, and feel supported,” Wolman continued.

A who’s who of the leading names in media, tech and global and domestic politics are flocking to the nation’s capital for the scores of exclusive parties surrounding the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner this Saturday — where President Donald Trump will make his first-ever appearance as president and deliver a roast of the political press corps. 

The correspondents’ dinner, and the parties thrown in its honor, have always generated enough fanfare to maintain its status as the biggest weekend of the social calendar in Washington. This year, however, is being treated inside the Beltway as the most high-profile WHCD weekend in at least a decade, the result of Trump’s decision to participate in this year’s dinner after boycotting it for his entire presidency.

In addition to Trump’s roast, guests will be entertained by Oz Pearlman, a famed mentalist known for his mind-reading tricks. Pearlman, who is Jewish and was born in Israel, marks a shift from the traditional entertainment choice at the dinner, which is usually a monologue delivered by a comedian. Those comedians’ jokes about Trump were a factor in why the president has skipped previous dinners, and the White House Correspondents’ Association canceled its planned entertainer last year over backlash to her past comments.

The dinner could make for some awkward moments: one of the WHCA’s award winners this year is a team from The Wall Street Journal, for reporting on Trump’s ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein — an article that led Trump to sue the Journal. And that’s not to mention Trump’s routine hostility toward and criticisms of the media more broadly. It is unclear if the president will be present for the award ceremony.

Celebrities have historically flocked to Washington for WHCD weekend, though the number of famous names willing to appear for the dinner or other events dwindled during the first Trump administration. That trend began to reverse during the Biden administration, though it picked up again last year when Trump returned to office. 

Nicki Minaj, the rap superstar who has become an advocate for the Trump administration, will be attending the dinner as a guest of the Washington Times. No other media organizations have announced celebrity guests for their respective tables at the dinner. 

Regardless of a diminished turnout of famous faces, this weekend will be jam-packed with nonstop events, and it has already begun.

Trump’s announcement in early March that he would attend Saturday’s dinner — leading many senior administration officials to also make plans to attend the festivities and Donald Trump Jr. to organize an ultra-exclusive event at his Executive Branch Club in Georgetown on Friday night — prompted an avalanche of interest from major companies, U.S. officials, foreign diplomats and dignitaries, top corporate powerbrokers and domestic political firms. 

Boeing, Meta and Amazon swiftly organized intimate, invite-only gatherings for this weekend or became lead sponsors for events being hosted by D.C.-area embassies, media outlets, political operatives and high-profile consulting groups. Foreign ambassadors stationed in the U.S. and others looking to connect with the president’s circle or the broader Washington political orbit began calling in favors to get on the guest lists for all of the weekend’s events, making invitations all-the-more difficult to secure for those who have attended in the last decade. 

The parties start early on Friday with Axios Live’s annual WHCD weekend kickoff brunch at 9:00 a.m., followed by MS NOW’s brunch at 11:00 a.m. and Punchbowl News’ WHCD weekend kickoff gathering the publication’s townhouse in Capitol Hill at noon. 

Meghan McCain’s “Renegade Women’s Cocktail Party” at The Graham in Georgetown starts at 4 p.m. while YouTube’s official WHCD party at Floreria Atlantico in Georgetown and the Motion Picture Association’s reception at the Downtown headquarters begin at 5:30.

Later that night, Semafor is hosting a “house party” at the private residence of its founder, Justin B. Smith, starting at 8 p.m.; Creative Artists Agency’s annual Friday evening party, sponsored by Vanity Fair, will take place this year at 7:30 p.m. at the Belgian ambassador’s residence near Georgetown; and United Talent Agency will host their annual “Celebration of American Journalists” at 9:00 p.m. at Osteria Mozza in Georgetown.

The Qataris are once again hosting a Friday evening correspondents bash with Washingtonian magazine, which starts at 8 p.m. at the Georgetown Four Seasons, which Qatari Ambassador Meshal Al Thani is slated to attend. At 7 p.m., doors will open for the Daily Mail’s party with Brunswick Review Business Magazine at the British ambassador’s residence.

Saturday’s festivities start at 11 a.m. with the annual White House Correspondents’ garden brunch, hosted by Tammy Haddad at the Beall-Washington House in Georgetown. Ahead of the dinner, Puck is hosting a “penthouse pre-party” on the rooftop of The Hepburn, located next to the Washington Hilton. At the Hilton, where the dinner is taking place, The Wall Street Journal and ABC News have their respective annual pre-dinner receptions at 5:30 p.m. The Washington Post has a cocktail reception at the Hilton starting at 6 p.m., the same time that Politico’s pre-dinner event with CBS News — featuring new CBS News honcho Bari Weiss — takes place just down the hall. 

Alongside the dinner, Substack is hosting its “New Media Party” at 8 p.m. at the Renwick Gallery, located blocks from the White House; afterward, MS NOW and NBC News have dueling parties starting at 11:30 p.m., with the former hosting theirs at Dupont Underground in Dupont Circle and the latter hosting theirs at the French ambassador’s residence in Kalorama. Time’s WHCD afterparty at the Swiss ambassador’s residence in Woodley Park begins at 11 p.m.

On Sunday, NOTUS and Politico are hosting a brunch at the home of Robert Allbritton starting at 11:00 a.m., and CNN’s “WHCD Weekend Finale” brunch reception starts at 12:30 p.m.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth did not give advance notice to senior Republican senators before announcing on Wednesday that he was firing Navy Secretary John Phelan and had already tapped his replacement, causing surprise and confusion on Capitol Hill.

“I found out about it the way everybody else did,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) told Jewish Insider of the Pentagon’s announcement on social media of Phelan’s dismissal.

Reached for comment, the Pentagon referred JI to Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell’s statement on X — the first public announcement of the news.

“Secretary of the Navy John C. Phelan is departing the administration, effective immediately. On behalf of the Secretary of War and Deputy Secretary of War, we are grateful to Secretary Phelan for his service to the Department and the United States Navy,” Parnell said on X. “We wish him well in his future endeavors.”

After taking part in White House meetings earlier Wednesday, Phelan was on Capitol Hill in the afternoon for a pair of pre-scheduled meetings, the first with Sen. Roger Wicker (R-MS), the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, and the second immediately after with Sen. Jack Reed (D-RI), the committee’s ranking member. Phelan’s departure was posted to the Pentagon’s social media pages minutes after Phelan walked out of Reed’s office, a source familiar with the matter told JI. 

A GOP senator on the committee who spoke to Reed and Wicker after the Pentagon announced Phelan’s immediate dismissal told JI that the topic of Phelan’s future in his role did not come up in either meeting, and that none of the three men was expecting such a move. 

“This was a total surprise to Senate Republican leadership, to the two leaders of the Armed Services Committee and, clearly, to the secretary of the Navy himself,” the senator said. 

Senators on the committee privately expressed concern to JI over Phelan’s firing, which comes amid as the U.S. is maintaining a naval blockade of Iranian ports and has begun boarding Iranian-linked tankers around the world, with three U.S. aircraft carriers on station or en route to the Middle East.

“I mean, I’m sure there are going to be some questions asked about the reasons, etc.,” Thune told JI. “But hopefully the authorizing committee will get a briefing and be informed about some of these decisions.”

Prior to his role at the Defense Department, Phelan ran an investment firm and was a major fundraiser for President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. Phelan and other administration officials had reportedly been clashing over how best to grow the U.S. shipbuilding industry, a longtime challenge, though Phelan has heralded his own close relationship with Trump. 

Hegseth’s term has also been marked by ongoing friction with other senior officials in the department, including Army Secretary Daniel Driscoll, and the firings of multiple top officials. Hegseth fired Army chief of staff Gen. Randy George earlier in April.

Phelan is being replaced by Under Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao, a former House and Senate candidate in Virginia.

Jewish leaders from communities impacted by antisemitic violence in the past year met with House and Senate leaders on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to advocate for additional federal security assistance. The advocates represented Temple Israel in West Bloomfield, Mich., Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Miss., a hostage awareness march in Boulder, Colo. and, the Capital Jewish Museum in Washington.

“I will never forget the phone call. Or the images on the news of smoke rising from the place where I had just left my child,” Taylor Weintraub, a parent of a child who attended Temple Israel, told reporters on Wednesday morning. “Thank God, none of the children were physically hurt. But that wasn’t luck, that was preparation — reinforced doors, trained security, investments made because we knew this could happen. But here’s what keeps me up at night: we are the lucky ones.”

Among other priorities, the group, organized by the Anti-Defamation League, lobbied lawmakers for an increase to $1 billion in Nonprofit Security Grant Program funding in 2027, with Weintraub making the case that the program is “literally saving lives” — at Temple Israel, NSGP funding helped upgrade the synagogue’s cameras.

“Without these resources, more parents will get that phone call saying a terrorist is inside their child’s school,” Weintraub continued. “And no one should have to live through that.”

Cassi Cohen, the director of development at Temple Israel, said that, as a survivor of the attack, she is “living proof that these pieces of legislation work. … If I can be a voice to help ensure that other houses of worship have the ability to get the resources and the funding to prevent something as catastrophic as what we went through, then I’ll do this every day, because I don’t think there’s anything more important right now.”

Elyssa Schmier, a member of Temple Israel and the ADL’s regional director in Michigan, said that Jewish institutions across the state are undertaking reviews of their security and making upgrades — in some cases without the funding to pay for it.

Schmier’s son’s Jewish preschool is expanding its armed guard’s hours to full time — he previously worked part time because the school did not have enough money to pay for more — “and they’re not really sure how they’re paying for it. They’re just doing it.”

Smaller communities farther outside urban areas are especially vulnerable, she added.

Susan Rona, ADL’s Mountain States regional director, said that security has been critical to ensuring that the community feels able to continue gathering and participating in Jewish life.

“When we built the [Jewish Community Center] building, we benefited from the Nonprofit Security Grant Program as well, and it still is present,” Rona said. “We’re almost a year out, and there’s been real impacts to Boulder and our security needs are just getting higher to make sure that we can still create a space for the community to say, ‘Yes, I want to gather in this Jewish space.’”

The group met with the offices of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA), Sens. James Lankford (R-OK), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-MS) and Gary Peters (D-MI) and Reps. Haley Stevens (D-MI), Hilary Scholten (D-MI), Joe Neguse (D-CO) and John James (R-MI).

In addition to NSGP funding, the group advocated for the Pray Safe Act and the SACRED Act, a new bill being led by Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-NY) to create a protected 100-foot buffer zone around houses of worship, similar to legislation being pursued in New York and California.

On Capitol Hill, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) has long been a vocal advocate for combating antisemitism and active on Middle East security issues. But it was her questioning at a December 2023 hearing that made her a household name in the American Jewish community and beyond, and drew her into the center of the unfolding fight on campus antisemitism.

“Does calling for the genocide of Jews violate [your school’s] code of conduct or rules regarding bullying and harassment?” Stefanik asked the presidents of Harvard, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Their equivocal responses, as disruptive and at times threatening anti-Israel protests were sweeping universities across the country, were a major factor in the resignations of two of those presidents and a slew of further hearings that put college presidents in the hot seat.

Now, as she prepares to leave Congress next year, Stefanik is out with a new book on campus antisemitism, ​​Poisoned Ivies: The Inside Account of the Academic and Moral Rot at America’s Elite Universities.

More than two years after that first hearing — and after a tumultuous political period in which she saw her nomination as ambassador to the United Nations withdrawn before launching a short-lived New York gubernatorial campaign — Stefanik offered a mixed readout on how she sees the state of American higher education in an interview with Jewish Insider this week.

“In the year after the hearing, we saw that the universities failed to fix themselves and continued to dig deeper and deeper, and it was going to take significant administrative and legislative and frankly, appropriations action of withholding of funds, to force them to really reckon with what the American people saw loudly and clearly in that hearing, [which] is that there are deep-seated issues in higher education,” Stefanik said.

She said that there have also, however, been leadership changes at many of the universities that were probed by the House Committee on Education & the Workforce, in part because of those hearings, as well as overhauls such as the elimination of diversity, equity and inclusion programs at some schools.

“The other piece, I would say, is you’re seeing parents and students vote with their wallets and their feet,” such as the rising application and matriculation rates to schools like Vanderbilt University, which Stefanik has highlighted as having handled the post-Oct. 7, 2023, environment effectively.

The New York congresswoman argued that the hearings played a major factor in the reform efforts that followed. She also said that the Trump administration, even before it took office, has been sharply focused on the issue of campus antisemitism, coordinating closely with her office to help shape the administration’s lawsuits and executive orders on the issue.

Asked about anti-Israel and antisemitic voices in the Republican Party such as commentators Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens, Stefanik largely dismissed the idea that antisemitism was, or could become, a significant problem within the GOP.

“The difference between [New York City Mayor Zohran] Mamdani and those podcasters is Mamdani is elected to the most important city in the world as mayor, and those other names are not elected, and I think are often overstated [in] their influence,” Stefanik said. “They would not be elected to local office, to state office, to congressional office. That’s why I think it’s very important for actual elected officials, actual leaders, to speak out on issues of importance.”

She praised Trump for calling out Carlson and Owens and making clear that they don’t represent him or his voters, and argued that similar voices represent just a small fringe of Republican members in Congress. 

Pressed on the fact that such voices represented a similarly small fringe of the Democratic Party in Congress a decade ago, Stefanik insisted that Republican voters would not embrace such voices.

“The Democrat[ic] Party — it’s a full blown takeover of Hasan Piker, of these voices that The New York Times is now embracing, and ‘Pod Save America’ is now embracing,” Stefanik said. “That is not the case on the Republican side. And as a candidate who actually has stood in front of the voters for the past decade-plus — yes, those voices can say what they want, you actually represent the people that elect you, and that’s not what voters in my district [want].”

Despite the relatively small share of Jewish voters in her district, Stefanik said that her work on campus antisemitism still receives some of the strongest praise from constituents.

Though the administration’s initial blitz of action on campus antisemitism has faded from the headlines, Stefanik said its efforts to address issues in higher education are ongoing, and that the issue also remains top-of-mind for the country at large.

“It’s not just about antisemitism,” she added. “This is broader higher education reform. … That was the canary in the coal mine issue that brought up so many broader issues that were wrong with higher education.”

In Congress, she said that more legislation should be brought to the floor on campus antisemitism, adding that she’s also hoping to work on reining in funding to colleges, cracking down on tax advantages and loopholes that benefit colleges and further limiting foreign funding and foreign student populations at U.S. institutions in her remaining months on the Hill.

She pointed to Qatar as one driver of antisemitism on campuses, and said that the U.S. should make clear to Doha that, if it wants to remain a military partner with the U.S., it “can’t foment and fund this anti-Americanism on college campuses, full stop.”

Stefanik isn’t yet sharing her next steps, but said she wrote her new book in part to serve as a historical record of antisemitism on college campuses, so that “mainstream media” can’t “brush this chapter under the rug.” She said she intends to continue shining a light on the issue.

Though she ultimately passed on a gubernatorial run, Stefanik seems to have longer-term plans in New York politics, and said that Republicans will be in a stronger position to win in the state in the coming years.

Regarding her decision to drop out of the governor’s race, Stefanik argued that the political environment is not currently ripe for a GOP victory, that Republicans need more time to build their statewide infrastructure and that Mamdani’s policies will grow more unpopular in the next few years.

“I think the Democrat Party is going to be increasingly taken over [by Mamdani-aligned socialists],” Stefanik said. “That, long-term, is where Republicans can win back those independents and traditional Democrats.”

Stefanik drew a direct line between the anti-Israel encampment at Columbia University and Mamdani’s election — both because Mamdani’s father is “very much part of this antisemitic petri dish” at Columbia and because “the same people that were organizing the pro-Hamas encampment at Columbia directly were boots on the ground for [his] campaign.”

She called herself “the leader” among state Republicans in pushing back against “socialist and Democrat single-party rule of New York State,” and highlighted that she has her own statewide political apparatus — separate from the statewide GOP, which she said lacks infrastructure.

“There is going to be a long road in rebuilding that infrastructure to save the state,” she said. 

She also said she wanted to spend more time with her four-year-old son at this stage of his life.

“My voice is not going anywhere. If anything, it’s more. I mean, we’re putting this [book] out in the world and helping set the tone for the type of leadership we need in New York and, frankly, across the country,” Stefanik said.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, congressional leaders, newly appointed U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Board Chair Jeff Miller and others spoke alongside Holocaust survivors on Capitol Hill on Tuesday at the U.S.’ annual commemoration of Yom HaShoah.

At the event, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and other lawmakers presented a congressional gold medal — Congress’ highest honor — to the family of Benjamin Ferencz, the youngest of the U.S. prosecutors at the Nuremberg trials. Ferencz’s daughter, accepting the award, echoed her father’s motto — ”law, not war” — also imprinted on the medal itself.

In his remarks, Lutnick said that “President [Donald] Trump has shown through action, not just words but bold action, that he is the greatest friend of the Jewish people,” pointing the president’s work to free the hostages who were still in captivity in Gaza on Yom HaShoah last year.

Lutnick also recounted his visit last year to Poland, where he commemorated the liberation of Auschwitz and Birkenau, an experience that “left an indelible impression on my wife and me.” He drew a line from those atrocities to the 9/11 attacks, in which Lutnick, the former CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, lost friends, family and many of his colleagues.

“Both groups of the fallen are made up of common heroes whose memory on earth will be lost if not for the determined effort by organizations like the Holocaust Memorial Museum to keep their legacy alive and ensure that the refrain ‘Never Again’ echoes for generations to come,” Lutnick continued. “We are here because the victims of the Holocaust can continue to remind us that apathy must be overcome by meaning, neglect supplanted by remembrance and indifference surmounted by love.”

Miller, a lobbyist who was recently appointed to replace former Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat as the Museum’s board chair, described Holocaust remembrance and the mission of the museum as a critical duty.

“The fight against antisemitism and Holocaust denial is one of the defining moral challenges of our time,” Miller said. “For as long as the museum stands, as long as the truth of the Holocaust is taught, and as long as the people of conscience refuse to surrender to hatred, the [forces] of antisemitism, will find that they have not awakened our fear, but our unbreakable will and our determination to never, ever surrender in the fight against evil.”

Miller also acknowledged the rampant and growing modern problem of antisemitism. He warned that Holocaust denialism has been spreading, particularly online, that antisemitism has returned “not quietly, but openly,” with Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attacks serving as a “brutal reminder of what happens when hatred of Jews is allowed to go unchecked,” and Jews facing attacks and feeling afraid globally.

He said that he’s seen his own daughters face antisemitism on their college campuses, a challenge that “demands leadership, moral clarity and action.”

Then-Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower’s warning at the end of World War II that some would eventually try to deny the Holocaust, “has become reality,” Miller said. 

“The Holocaust demonstrates that hate began with the Jews but did not end with the Jews. That lesson cannot be more urgent today, and that is why the work of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum matters so deeply,” Miller said. “Antisemitism has once again shown its face in our time with shocking boldness. Let the world hear this clearly: We will confront it. We will expose it, and we will defeat it, because the promise of Never Again is not negotiable.”

Miller offered particular thanks to Trump, calling him the greatest friend of the Jewish people and Israel, saying that the Jewish people “owe President Trump a lifetime of gratitude” for his efforts to free the hostages in Gaza and push back against antisemitism on college campuses and elsewhere.

But he also said that the challenge of antisemitism goes beyond any institution, individual or administration, and is instead a question of “the responsibilities of free people in every generation,” emphasizing that the Holocaust began with “lies, with propaganda, with conspiracy theories.”

Johnson highlighted modern manifestations of antisemitism particularly on college campuses and in support for the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas terrorist attacks on Israel.

“Today, the work is even more important than ever, not only because those who personally witnessed this tragedy grow fewer in number each year, but because denying and distorting the truth of the Holocaust has become something, once again, that is tolerated and in some cases, even defended,” Johnson said. “On college campuses, leaders of once respectable institutions have excused hateful ideas as ‘context.’ The flags of radical Islamic terrorist groups have become commonplace on campus quadrangles, and safe spaces are reserved not for the Jewish students threatened by physical violence on those campuses, but for those who chant ‘From the river to the sea’ and ‘Long live Hamas.’”

He said that these “dangerous ideologies” have “dangerous consequences.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) emphasized that neutrality and silence are not options in the face of antisemitism.

“It’s important that we continue to take a side,” Jeffries said. “We have no other moral choice, because we know the violent and deadly history and reality of antisemitism. Jewish life has included, for thousands of years, pain, pogroms, persecution, prejudice, expulsions, the terrorist attack on Oct. 7 and the Holocaust. Never again must always mean never again.”

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) highlighted the need to call out antisemitism wherever it arises.

“We must continue to keep our eyes open today, at a time when antisemitism sadly runs rampant around the world once again,” Schumer said. “The responsibility falls on all of us. We must remember how the Holocaust happened, how too many stood silent in the face of evil, and how the death of democracy in Europe enabled the death of 6 million Jews. The poisons of fascism and antisemitism come from the same vial.” 

Other lawmakers who spoke included Reps. Lois Frankel (D-FL) and Joe Wilson (R-SC) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), who led the legislation awarding Ferencz with the gold medal. Sarah Bloomfield, the director of the USHMM, delivered remarks on behalf of Ferencz’s son, and several Holocaust survivors shared their stories as well.

Following an attack last Thursday on Temple Israel and its early learning facility in West Bloomfield Township, Mich., the Jewish Federations of North America is making a renewed push for expanded security funding and resources to protect the Jewish community.

Since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks in Israel, antisemitic attacks have repeatedly prompted such efforts from Jewish community groups and advocates on Capitol Hill, but funding has remained stubbornly gridlocked. Currently, funding for community security under the Nonprofit Security Grant Program remains in limbo during the Department of Homeland Security shutdown, with no signs of movement in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

In a letter sent to every member of Congress on Friday, JFNA Chair Gary Torgow and President Eric Fingerhut highlighted the significant degree of security support that Temple Israel received from its own membership, from the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit and JFNA. 

“We are grateful that philanthropic funding and security planning played a decisive role in ensuring no harm came to any of the children or staff at Temple Israel,” the letter reads. “However, safeguarding communities at risk of violence is not the responsibility of philanthropic organizations. Rather, it is the government’s responsibility to protect its citizens in their places of worship and communal gathering.”

The letter emphasizes that the “Jewish community is under attack today like no other religious or ethnic group,” as a top target of hate crimes by a significant margin.

The letter urges increased funding for the NSGP at $1 billion and the prompt allocation of funds already appropriated that have not yet been disbursed for 2025. It also requests an end to restrictions on using NSGP funding to pay salaries for security personnel.

“The Jewish Community in Detroit has received important support from the state of Michigan and the Federal Nonprofit Security Grant Program, but the funding levels currently provided across the nation to protect our communities are simply not commensurate with the escalating threat landscape that American Jewish communities face daily,” the letter states.

The letter additionally asks Congress to ensure that NSGP applications are quickly opened and processed and that reimbursements are promptly fulfilled, following significant delays to funding grants and reimbursements last year.

It also calls for additional funding for FBI counterterrorism personnel and field offices that work to protect Jewish communities, and increased federal funding for local law enforcement to protect Jewish institutions, so that those institutions don’t have to pay for such protection themselves.

“Finally, we urge all our political leaders to take action to confront antisemitic-fueled violence in the public discourse and on social media,” the letter concludes. “This virulent ideology surging across the political spectrum utilizes rhetoric that either normalizes or minimizes such hatred, manifesting in dangerous consequences, potentially far worse than what took place today.”

The letter precedes a visit by Torgow, Detroit Federation CEO Steve Ingber, Temple Israel Rabbi Jennifer Lader and Detroit federation security director Gary Sikorski to Capitol Hill on Tuesday. The group is set to meet with both of Michigan’s senators and nearly every member of its House delegation.

Beth Israel Congregation President Zach Shemper wrapped up a week on Capitol Hill Thursday feeling “confident” that sharing the story of the recent arson attack on his synagogue with lawmakers would bring increased security funding for houses of worship nationwide — including his own.

“My message to members of Congress was simple — increasing funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program and advancing the Pray Safe Act will make a real difference for houses of worship like ours across the country,” Shemper told Jewish Insider. 

It’s been one month since a fire heavily damaged the historic place of worship — the only synagogue in Jackson and the largest one in the state. The suspected arsonist, Stephen Spencer Pittman, 19, admitted to starting the blaze on Jan. 10 due to “the building’s Jewish ties,” and referred to the institution as the “synagogue of Satan.”

Pittman was charged on Thursday with civil rights and arson offenses, which add to an earlier arson indictment. Two Torah scrolls were destroyed in the fire, and five more were damaged. A Torah that survived the Holocaust, which was kept in a glass case, was unharmed. The congregation’s library and administrative office were also destroyed. Synagogue leaders estimate it will take two or three years to rebuild. The 140 families that belong to Beth Israel are indefinitely holding services in a nearby church.  

Less than two weeks after the attack, ​​Congress put forward a budget of $300 million for NSGP for 2026. While that figure is a small increase from the funding provided in 2024 and 2025, it is lower than the allocations initially proposed by both the House and Senate. That figure is also significantly less than the $500 million to $1 billion for the program requested by congressional advocates and Jewish groups. 

New conditions on the program relating to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs and immigration have also drawn bipartisan condemnation.

Still, Shemper said he is “feeling confident about increased NSGP funding. At the end of the day, it’s just the right thing to do.” 

In meetings facilitated by the Anti-Defamation League, Shemper met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY); the ranking members of the House and Senate Homeland Security committees, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS) and Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI); Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA); and the co-chairs of the House Bipartisan Task Force to Counter Antisemitism, Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Grace Meng (D-NY), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and George Latimer (D-NY).

“The arson attack on Beth Israel Congregation in Jackson, Mississippi is a stark reminder that Jewish institutions across the country face serious and persistent security threats. ADL was proud to join Beth Israel Congregation President Zach Shemper on Capitol Hill this week to ensure lawmakers could hear directly from a community leader navigating the aftermath of a targeted attack,” ADL CEO Jonathan Greenblatt said in a statement. “Faith communities deserve to gather and worship without fear, and Congress has a clear opportunity, and responsibility, to help make that possible.”

Shemper told JI that “coming to Washington this week gave me the opportunity to underscore what it takes for synagogues like ours to keep our congregants safe.”

“After the arson attack on our synagogue, security is not an abstract concern,” he continued. “It is immediate, personal and a daily reality for our community. What happened in Jackson was not an isolated incident, it’s part of a dangerous pattern. No community should have to experience what we have, and no congregation should ever have to rebuild after an attack simply for being Jewish.”

Located in a major hub of the Civil Rights Movement, Beth Israel was also the target of a 1967 bombing by the Ku Klux Klan over the rabbi’s support for racial equality — including providing chaplain services to activists incarcerated for challenging segregated bussing in the state. 

Shemper said that NSGP “helped pay for security cameras that caught the assailant” of the arson attack.

“I was in Washington advocating for increased NSGP funding — because our grant didn’t cover the full cost of security cameras, and there are certainly more houses of worship who need access to this funding,” he continued. 

“Security for houses of worship can’t be optional, and it can’t just come after tragedy.” 

Following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s announcement that Israel seeks to wean itself off of U.S. aid within next 10 years, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told Jewish Insider he will push forward an effort to end U.S. aid more quickly — a major shift from one of Israel’s closest allies on Capitol Hill.

“From my point of view as an American, now that this decision has been made, I don’t think we need to wait 10 years,” Graham, who chairs the State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs (SFOPs) subcommittee of the Senate Appropriations Committee, said. “I’m going to work on expediting the wind down of the aid and recommend we plow the money back into our own military.”

The majority of direct U.S. military aid to Israel — $3.3 billion annually through the U.S.-Israel memorandum of understanding — comes through the SFOPs budget package. An additional $500 million in cooperative missile defense funding for co-produced systems is provided through the Defense funding tranche, along with funds for other cooperative programs.

The current MOU guaranteeing $3.8 billion per year expires in 2028.

Graham said that he wants to see the funding redirected into the U.S. military, in light of President Donald Trump’s plan, announced this week, to request $1.5 trillion for the Pentagon for 2027, a more than 50% increase over the 2025 budget.

“President Trump’s budget request of $1.5 trillion for [the] Department of War is a major increase, and every dollar we can recoup, from efficiency or allies who don’t need the money anymore, is welcome to go into building up our military,” Graham said. “Israel’s a great friend and a marvelous military, but we’re the only superpower in the world. America and the demands on us are at an all-time high because of the threats. The American military is the best in the world and in great demand. So what I think is best for America, now that Israel has made this decision, is to expedite this money, plowing it back into our own military needs.”

Netanyahu’s announcement came at a time of rising criticism of U.S. aid to Israel on both sides of the aisle.

But Graham argued that — if Israeli leaders believe that winding down U.S. aid will help rebuild support for the Jewish state among those who are critical of Israel — they are likely mistaken. He added that he’d communicated that view to Israeli leaders, but they pushed ahead anyway.

“From a political point of view, if people in Israel think this will get more support in America, I doubt it. I don’t think people who support Israel and understand its vital role object to the aid, which is a small fraction of our budget, and I don’t think you get any credit from people who think Israel is a liability by reducing our military assistance,” Graham said. “I made that position clear, but Israel is a sovereign nation, a great friend. I respect their decision.”

The South Carolina senator said that he “respect[s]” Netanyahu’s decision, adding “As an American, you’re always appreciating allies that can be more self-sufficient.”

Graham described the U.S. funding for Israel as a “great investment” for U.S. national security which has ultimately saved American taxpayer funding and filled capacities the U.S. would otherwise struggle to achieve.

“The investment we’ve made into the IDF has been a great investment for our national security. We have no better ally than Israel. The more capable they are, the safer America [is],” Graham said. “So I’ve always seen this money going to the IDF as investing in a very capable partner being able to do things that we can’t do at a fairly small price. It would be hard for America, if not impossible, to replicate some of the things the Israeli military and intelligence community can do because of location and expertise.”

Some Republicans and at least one Democrat on Capitol Hill are voicing their support for the U.S. to follow Israel’s lead in recognizing Somaliland — but many lawmakers, even some who have supported expanded U.S.-Somaliland ties in the past, say such a step would be premature, if not misguided, at this point.

Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA), one of the most vocal pro-Israel Democrats in Congress, said in a statement to Jewish Insider that he’s in favor of U.S. recognition of Somaliland, making him the first member of his party to do so publicly.

“As an unapologetic friend of Israel, I fully support their decision on Somaliland. I support the U.S. doing the same,” Fetterman told JI. 

“Recognizing Somaliland isn’t charity — it’s strategy. It aligns with America’s security interests and the ‘America First’ doctrine by strengthening an ally that shares our values in a region vital to global trade and counterterrorism,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) said in a statement on Monday.

Cruz has been a longtime champion for Somaliland recognition, urging the administration to take such a step last August in a letter to President Donald Trump.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee subcommittee on Africa, praised Israel in a statement on Tuesday for recognizing Somaliland and urged others, including the U.S., to do the same.

“Somaliland is a functioning democracy, as demonstrated by the peaceful transfer of power more than a year ago following elections — a rare, positive example in the Horn of Africa, and, indeed, in much of Africa,” Smith said. “Somaliland’s strategic location and deep-water port at Berbera also underscore its national security significance to the United States. And Somaliland’s close ties with Taiwan offset Communist China’s malign influence in the region … Above all, official recognition signals to the Somaliland people that their commitment to democracy — and to free and fair elections — is not in vain, and their nation is getting the acknowledgment it deserves.”

Reps. Scott Perry (R-PA), Andy Ogles (R-TN), Pat Harrigan (R-NC) and Tom Tiffany (R-WI) introduced a bill last June to recognize Somaliland’s independence. Reps. Tim Burchett (R-TN) and John Rose (R-TN) have since joined as cosponsors.

Still, lawmakers on both sides of the aisle said that U.S. recognition would be either premature or a mistake entirely.

Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) told JI that he didn’t support the idea “yet,” citing issues the U.S. has had with recognizing still-developing nations. “I’m still deciding on that. I was just in the region not long ago on that. I don’t share their [the Israelis’] recognition of it yet, but it is one I’m actually looking at,” Lankford told JI. 

Lankford also pointed to issues that experts have raised around the need for continued positive relations with Somalia, which opposes Somaliland independence, as it pertains to regional stability and counterterrorism efforts.

“We’ve done a lot to try to stabilize Somalia over the years, which has just been a hot mess for a very long time. We need their country to be a stable country. Al-Shabaab has been a major threat of terrorism in the entire region. The work they [Somalia] have done has destabilized Kenya, a close ally of ours,” Lankford said. “There’s a lot that we’re trying to be able to work with the countries in the region on what they’re going to do. You don’t want to see Somalia collapse. You want to see Somalia succeed. We want successful democracies there, and I think Somaliland has struggled with that.” 

Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) said that the U.S. should examine the issue but that it has other considerations to take into account that Israel may not.

“We should take a close look at it, but I don’t know that we should be the second in the world to do it,” Blumenthal said. “I think that Israel’s reasons for recognition, while deserving of respect, probably are different from what ours should be.”

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD), a lead sponsor of legislation in 2022 that sought to expand U.S. ties with Somaliland — but explicitly stopped short of recognizing Somaliland’s independence or establishing a relationship with Somaliland as an independent entity — said that U.S. recognition would be premature.

“There are some diplomatic issues that have to play out there yet. I’m not sure how that’s going to look when it’s all done,” Rounds said. “I’m aware of what [Israel has] done, but I’m not exactly sure what the next steps will be, so I really can’t give you a whole lot of information right now, that I can share publicly anyway.”

Parts of that legislation were adopted as part of the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act, directing a report and feasibility study on existing and potential greater collaboration with Somaliland.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), another lead sponsor of the bill with Rounds, said the U.S. should not recognize Somaliland’s independence.

“I think the United States should be engaged with people throughout Somalia, including Somaliland,” Van Hollen said. “It continues to be part of Somalia. And I don’t think that the United States should be essentially getting in the middle of that.”

Sen. Jim Risch (R-ID), the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, also sponsored the 2022 bill on expanded ties. Risch did not respond to a request for comment.

Multiple other senators indicated to JI that they hadn’t followed the issue closely enough to weigh in.

Other prominent lawmakers on the Hill have also called for steps to deepen the U.S.-Somaliland relationship without endorsing full recognition of its independence.

Smith and Rep. John Moolenaar (R-MI), the chair of the House Select Committee on China, urged the administration in September to distinguish Somaliland from Somalia in its travel advisory report, a step toward expanding relations with Somaliland and incentivizing U.S. investors to enter its market.

That letter also noted that Somaliland is working with U.S. partners including Israel and Taiwan.

Moolenaar in January 2025 urged the State Department to open a representative office in the Somaliland capital, Hargeisa. He did not respond to a request for comment.

Dating back to 2022, bipartisan members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, including the committee’s former chairman, Rep. Michael McCaul (R-TX), have called for expanded ties with Somaliland.

Beyond Capitol Hill, analysts and former military personnel say the question of U.S. recognition hinges on a complex tradeoff: potential military and geopolitical gains weighed against the risk of destabilizing existing alliances and inflaming regional tensions.

Vice Adm. Kevin Donegan (Ret.), who served as commander of the U.S. Fifth Fleet and the 32-nation Combined Maritime Forces in the Middle East, told JI that an expanded American presence in Somaliland could carry military benefits – from greater access to the Red Sea to deeper cooperation on counterterrorism – in what he described as a “critical choke point” in the world.

“Having options is always good for the military,” Donegan said, pointing to concerns about ISIS and broader counterterrorism efforts in the region. “When you look at the region in general, we are worried about ISIS and doing counterterrorism operations when necessary, or at least collecting information and maybe empowering other nations to help in this anti-terrorism fight.” 

He added that “it’s always better to have more places that you have access to and more governments that are going to work with you against counterterrorism.”

Another factor potentially shaping U.S. thinking is growing Chinese influence in Africa, according to Donegan. “We all know that Chinese influence exists in Africa,” he said, adding that expanded engagement in Somaliland could provide Washington with “options” to push back against Beijing’s footprint on the continent.

Edmund Fitton-Brown, a former British diplomat and senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, who supports a U.S. move to recognize Somaliland, said that the east African nation’s capital city and Berbera port “could be very useful.”

“The U.S. would have a great deal of freedom of action in a landmass and coastline with potential strategic significance, close to Yemen, the Gulf of Aden, the Red Sea, and not far from Iran,” said Fitton-Brown. “In my opinion, the U.S. should recognize [Somaliland].”

Donegan, however, stopped short of endorsing formal recognition, instead suggesting that it may not be necessary to “unlock” military and geopolitical benefits in the region. 

“Ensuring that what’s in the best interests of the United States for helping to create stability in the region is the number one predominant thing that we should look at, as opposed to adding another issue that’s relatively charged to the plate,” he said. “Some of these things, including access to the port in Berbera and access to helping their forces, potentially can be worked out without declaring Somaliland independent.”

Donegan also warned that recognition risked adding to regional instability. He pointed to the complex regional dynamics involving Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two U.S. partners whose growing policy differences include whether to support Somaliland. The UAE has quietly supported Somaliland’s de facto independence, while Saudi Arabia has strongly backed Somalia’s territorial integrity. 

“The harder problem is, does [recognition] make [the U.S.] aligned or misaligned with regional allies?” he said. “As a country, the United States is very much supportive of the Emiratis and very much supportive of the work they’re doing, and very much supportive of the Saudis and the work they’re doing, and we wouldn’t want to pick sides between those, and that’s where it starts to get complex.”

Steven Cook, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, told JI that geopolitical concerns among Middle East partners are a possible reason that the Trump administration has thus far refrained from formal recognition.

“It is unclear to me exactly why President Trump is opposed to recognition of Somaliland, but I surmise it has to do with Turkey, Qatar, Egypt and Saudi Arabia — four countries that are important to U.S. foreign policy,” said Cook. “The Qataris and Turkey are invested heavily in Somalia and as a result, are likely concerned about an Israeli partner next door and an Israeli presence in the Red Sea.” 

Cook added that Egypt is likely “worried that the Israelis will forcibly relocate Gazans [in Somaliland],” despite calling such a move “unlikely.”

As U.S. officials weigh whether to follow in Israel’s lead, Fitton-Brown said there is “talk of other states,” such as Ethiopia, Kenya, Morocco, the UAE and India, moving towards recognition of Somaliland, which could “put the issue more firmly on the U.S. radar screen.” 

After pressure from Capitol Hill — including a blockade by Democratic senators of the confirmation of the Coast Guard commandant — the Coast Guard struck from its disciplinary policies language describing swastikas and nooses as “potentially divisive,” rather than as explicitly banned hate symbols.

The Washington Post initially reported that the language around displays of such symbols would be changed last month, prompting bipartisan outrage from Capitol Hill. Though Department of Homeland Security officials denied the changes, acting Coast Guard commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday issued new guidance to clarify that such displays were still banned hate symbols and repeatedly reassured lawmakers as such.

Yet, this week, the Post reported that the “potentially divisive” language had gone into effect anyway, prompting another wave of confusion and outrage from Capitol Hill, with some lawmakers accusing Lunday of misleading them. Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) said they would block Lunday’s confirmation in response to the latest change, and some Republicans expressed frustration at the continued flip-flopping and sought answers from DHS.

Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem denied any wrongdoing and attacked critics, but said Thursday on X, “The pages of superseded and outdated policy will be completely removed from the record so no press outlet, entity or elected official may misrepresent the Coast Guard to politicize their policies and lie about their position on divisive and hate symbols.”

Noem’s description of the “superceded and outdated policy” appears to refer to the “potentially divisive” language, but the language of policy now on the books remains unclear. 

The Post reported that the Guard had indeed deleted the language downgrading swastikas and nooses from hate symbols to “potentially divisive,” and that the Coast Guard manual now includes a black bar covering the relevant portion of its table of contents and a reference to a separate civil rights manual.

Noem claimed that new Coast Guard policies, in addition to the Coast Guard’s existing civil rights manual, “strengthens our ability to report, investigate, and prosecute those who violate longstanding policy,” and that the updated policy and order issued by Lunday last month “double[d] down on that language and further clarif[ied] the display of divisive and hate symbols and flags prohibited as a violation of Coast Guard policy and the Uniform Code of Military Justice.”

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle had raised concerns that the updated policy issued by Lunday weakened investigative and accountability procedures for displays of swastikas as compared to the previous policy.

Noem dismissed critics as promulgating a “demonstrably false story.”

The secretary’s announcement came after Rosen and Duckworth placed holds on Lunday’s confirmation, which was expected to be finalized this week, over the policy. Noem demanded an end to these delays and Lunday’s prompt confirmation.

The latest developments were sufficient reassurance for the two Democrats to announce they would be lifting their holds.

But Rosen said she’ll be placing a hold on another DHS nominee in a bid for accountability going forward. 

“While I continue to have reservations about the process by which this happened and the confusion created by leadership at the Department of Homeland Security, I am pleased to see that the policy now directly refers to stronger language against swastikas and nooses,” Rosen said in a statement. “For this reason, I will be lifting my hold on Acting Commandant Kevin Lunday. I appreciate his lifetime of service to our country and look forward to working with him to continue to strengthen anti-harassment policy at the Coast Guard.”

To ensure the “ongoing implementation of the policy,” Rosen said she’d place a hold on Sean Plankey, nominated to lead the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, who is currently overseeing the Coast Guard in a role at DHS.

“I will keep that hold in place until we see that this new policy works to protect our men and women in uniform from racist and antisemitic harassment,” Rosen said.

She also said that some at the Coast Guard and DHS have been “evasive, misleading, and elusive” about the policies being put in place since the scandal first began, and that there was “absolutely no valid reason” to alter existing policy in the first place.

She also highlighted that even after the Coast Guard initially agreed last month to drop the “potentially divisive” language, the new policy included changes that “would’ve weakened the Coast Guard’s standards and potentially allowed swastikas and nooses to be displayed.”

Duckworth said, “Swastikas and nooses are divisive symbols of hate. No gray area. No debate. Admiral Lunday told me he agreed with this statement — so it made absolutely no sense that the Coast Guard policy ever said otherwise. With this policy reversed, I will lift my hold.”

👋 Good Wednesday morning!

In today’s Daily Kickoff, we report from Hanukkah receptions at the White House, on Capitol Hill and in New York, and cover concerns from U.S. lawmakers over Canberra’s failure to address concerns from Australia’s Jewish community prior to Sunday’s deadly attack in Sydney. We report on the Coast Guard’s quiet moves to reverse its policy on swastikas, and talk to Rep. Zach Nunn about his legislative work aimed at expanding the U.S.-Israel relationship. Also in today’s Daily Kickoff: UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, Mark Zuckerberg and Galia Lahav.

Today’s Daily Kickoff was curated by Jewish Insider Executive Editor Melissa Weiss and Israel Editor Tamara Zieve, with assists from Danielle Cohen-Kanik and Marc Rod. Have a tip? Email us here.

What We’re Watching

• President Donald Trump will give a televised address at 9 p.m. ET.
• The Heritage Foundation is hosting a sit-down this afternoon between Heritage President Kevin Roberts and conservative commentator Ben Shapiro.
• Elsewhere in Washington, Jewish members of Congress are hosting the annual Capitol Hill Hanukkah party. Across town, the Israeli Embassy in Washington is hosting its annual Hanukkah reception tonight.
• Norman Podhoretz, the longtime editor of Commentary magazine and influential conservative thought leader, died on Tuesday. In a remembrance of his father, John Podhoretz wrote: “He bound himself fast to his people, his heritage, and his history. His knowledge extended beyond literature to Jewish history, Jewish thinking, Jewish faith, and the Hebrew Bible, with all of which he was intimately familiar and ever fascinated.”
• Australian police charged Naveed Akram, one of the suspects in the Sunday terror attack in Sydney, with 15 counts of murder in addition to dozens of other offenses, including committing a terrorist act; Akram is in stable condition at a Sydney hospital after spending two days in a coma.

What You Should Know

A QUICK WORD WITH THE JI team

As Jewish communities are marking Hanukkah under the shadow of the deadly terror attack in Sydney that marred the beginning of the Jewish holiday, leaders in Washington and New York addressed growing concerns about antisemitism at several Hanukkah events held yesterday.

President Donald Trump warned that Israel and the “Jewish lobby” have lost their influence in Washington and that Congress is “becoming antisemitic,” in a holiday message delivered to attendees at the White House’s annual Hanukkah party.

Speaking from the East Room to a gathering of lawmakers and prominent Jewish figures ahead of a ceremonial menorah lighting, the president repeatedly cautioned that the Jewish community and its allies “have to be very careful because bad things are happening” to Jewish people and to Israel’s global standing, citing the shooting in Sydney and the ongoing denials of Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel. Read the full story here.

Meanwhile, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Mike Waltz, speaking at a Hanukkah reception hosted by Israel’s U.N. mission at The Jewish Museum in Manhattan, said the U.S. “can and will confront antisemitism without apology, without hesitation and will do so everywhere around the world, including right here in the halls of the U.N.” Read the full story here.

On Capitol Hill, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s (D-FL) annual Hanukkah party featured remarks by Shira Gvili, sister of Ran Gvili, the last hostage in Gaza, JI’s Marc Rod reports. Gvili highlighted that her brother had always dreamed of being a police officer and ran into the fight on Oct. 7 — when he was killed — despite waiting for surgery for a broken shoulder. She also noted that he volunteered to support Holocaust survivors.

“On this celebration of light, of heroes, as we do on Hanukkah, Ran is not only my hero, he is our hero. For everyone lighting a candle tonight, may the glow of the menorah [brighten] the darkened moments. May the glow of the menorah’s light bring Ran home tonight,” Gvili continued.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) also delivered remarks, and nearly 40 lawmakers — a majority of them Democrats — stopped through the gathering. These included Reps. Ed Case (D-HI), Lois Frankel (D-FL), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Daniel Goldman (D-NY), Craig Goldman (R-TX), Steny Hoyer (D-MD), David Kustoff (R-TN), George Latimer (D-NY), Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), April McClain Delaney (D-MD), Brad Schneider (D-IL), Kim Schrier (D-WA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Grace Meng (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY) and Don Davis (D-NC). 

Jeffries said that, after the attack in Australia, “it’s incumbent on all of us as leaders not just to, of course, authentically express our thoughts and prayers on behalf and directed at those families who have suffered from this unconscionable, unthinkable, unspeakable tragedy, but to make it clear that we all have a responsibility to combat antisemitism whenever and wherever it’s found, and make sure that no matter what it takes, we’re committed, not as Democrats or Republicans, but as Americans, to bury antisemitism in the ground never to rise again.”

Jeffries continued, “At the same time, we’ll also make clear that we will continue to stand up for Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and Democratic state and a homeland for the Jewish people.”

ON THE HILL

Australian Jews’ warnings about rising antisemitism were ignored, U.S. lawmakers say

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, multiple Jewish lawmakers emphasized that the Sunday massacre that killed at least 15 at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, came after many warnings from the Australian Jewish community, and Jewish communities around the world, about the rising violent threats they face —  warnings that have often gone ignored, the lawmakers said, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Notable quotable: “That threat, those warnings, have fallen on deaf ears, and we are living with those consequences now,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) said. “I hope that this tragedy is the wake-up call that world leaders need to truly stand up and protect their Jewish communities from antisemitism, whether that manifests online or in person. … Lives are at stake. This is not pretend. These enemies of the Jewish people are not playing games. They mean to end our existence as a people.” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL), a co-chair of the Congressional Jewish Caucus, emphasized that the attack was “not predicted” but “it was predictable,” adding, “For too long, the Jewish community in Australia was saying to the authorities, saying to the government, ‘Antisemitism is a cancer eating away at the soul of the nation, and it’s going to result in the death of Jews in the land,’ and that’s what we saw on Sunday.” 

Read the full story here.

Exclusive: The co-chairs of the House Bipartisan Task Force for Combating Antisemitism urged Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to act more forcefully to protect Australia’s Jewish community and implement months-old recommendations from the country’s antisemitism envoy. They likewise highlighted the string of “warning signs” that preceded the attack.

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SANDERS’ STATEMENTS

Bernie Sanders pivots from sympathy toward Sydney shooting victims to criticizing Netanyahu

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) criticized Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, after Netanyahu linked the terror attack in which 15 people were killed at a Hanukkah celebration in Sydney, Australia, to Canberra’s support for a Palestinian state, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

What he said: Sanders issued a statement in response on Tuesday: “No, Mr. Netanyahu. Speaking out on behalf of the Palestinian people is not antisemitic. Opposing the disgraceful policies of your extremist government is not antisemitic. Condemning your genocidal war, which has killed more than 70,000 people — mostly women and children — is not antisemitic. Demanding that your government stop bombing hospitals and starving children is not antisemitic.”

Read the full story here.

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BETRAYAL ON THE HIGH SEAS

Democratic lawmakers outraged by Coast Guard’s reported reversal on swastika policy

Weeks after the Coast Guard commandant personally called lawmakers to reassure them that swastikas and nooses would remain banned hate symbols within the service, the Guard quietly broke its pledge and diminished the severity of such displays as “potentially divisive” instead — the very language that had prompted outrage from lawmakers and the Jewish community, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports. 

The latest: Leading Democrats erupted in outrage on the news of the Coast Guard’s policy shift, while Republicans have thus far been silent. Several Republicans who spoke out against the initial policy change did not respond to JI’s requests for comment on the latest development on Tuesday. “The shocking news from the Coast Guard exposes a crisis of conscience enabled by the Trump administration’s stunning lack of moral clarity,” Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) told JI. “The Trump Administration lied right to the American people’s faces when they indicated last month that they weren’t going through with this policy change,” Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI) said.

Read the full story here.

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BACKING BROOKS

Shapiro joins with progressives to back Dem recruit Bob Brooks in key Pennsylvania swing seat

With backing from both moderate Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and progressives like Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA), firefighter union leader Bob Brooks has emerged as a front-runner in the Democratic primary for Pennsylvania’s 7th Congressional District, a critical swing district that Democrats are aggressively contesting for next year’s midterms, Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod reports.

Endorsement insights: Christopher Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College, said that Brooks’ background brings elements that appeal to various elements of the Democratic coalition, perhaps explaining his support from both sides of the party: his time as a leader in organized labor with a history on workers’ rights issues should resonate with progressive voters, while his “personal narrative fits if you’re trying to win over white working-class voters that might be more moderate or socially conservative.”

Read the full story here.

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PUSHING PARTNERSHIP

Rep. Zach Nunn stands by U.S.-Israel relationship as ‘returning huge dividends’

At a time when an increasingly vocal minority on the right is questioning the future and the benefits of the U.S.-Israel relationship, Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA) led a pair of amendments to the 2026 defense policy bill aiming to expand the relationship, with a particular focus on new technologies. Asked how he responds to those on the right who question the value of the relationship, Nunn, the chair of the Republican Study Committee’s national security task force, said in an interview with Jewish Insider’s Marc Rod, “Israel is the lone bastion of democracy, freedom and Western values in a region where the U.S. has vital national security interests. For decades, Israel has been a strategic partner in kinetic and non-kinetic action against bad actors like Iran.” 

Tech talk: Nunn added that programs such as the ones he championed would prepare the U.S. for all manner of challenges. “As our adversaries embrace low-cost options like drones and cyberwarfare, it’s more important than ever that we not only coordinate closely on joint security, but also on the underlying technologies that will define the next generation of conflict,” the Iowa lawmaker  continued. “My amendments are about ensuring that partnership continues to evolve. They are strategic investments that strengthen American security, deter our adversaries and deliver real returns for U.S. taxpayers.”

Read the full interview here.

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Worthy Reads

⚠️ Shoulder to Shoulder: In The Times of Israel, Israeli President Isaac Herzog reflects on the Sydney terror attack and the meaning of Hanukkah. “Yet as we reflect on the miracle of the return home of our brothers and sisters, we also confront a deeply troubling reality beyond Israel’s borders. As the October 7th massacre in southern Israel was still ongoing, Jewish communities around the world began to experience a vicious wave of hatred. Institutional antisemitism, Holocaust inversion, conspiracies left and right, Jew-hatred platformed on social media, and moral bankruptcy masquerading as social justice have all disturbingly increased across the Western world. The deadly terror attack in Sydney this week demonstrates where these dangerous trends can lead.” [TOI]

👮 ‘Forever Changed’: In The New York Times, Alex Ryvchin, the co-chief executive of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, mourns those killed in Sunday’s terror attack in Sydney, as well as the sense of communal security that no longer exists for Australian Jews. “Now we have suffered a loss that is impossible to measure or articulate. It is a loss felt nationally for a country that is forever changed. It is a loss felt communally for a way of life defined by pride and open observance that no longer exists. And it is a loss we feel individually for the friends and relatives who died in our arms from hideous wounds inflicted by high-powered shells used for hunting game. … My community will never recover from this, I am sure. My rabbi, my friend, Eli Schlanger lived by a mission of being proud of who he was as a Jew. The annual Hanukkah event he hosted on the beach was the ultimate evidence of our acceptance, the proof that we were safe in our acts of community pride. That is all gone now. And with it, a man who had shown us the way.” [NYTimes]

 ⚖️ After Bondi: In the wake of the Bondi Beach terror attack, The Atlantic’s Graeme Wood posits that governments need to take serious, tangible actions that go beyond antisemitism education to address threats to the Jewish community. “With an attack like this, the only effective response is the zealous prosecution of anyone who planned or supported it, and the protection of those who might be targeted in similar attacks in the future. Museum education is nice, but if an attack is under way, a police officer with a rifle has more stopping power. Self-study to determine whether Jews are systematically excluded or vilified is worthwhile but will take time. Restrictions on speech are another matter, and a distraction from real police work. It should not be a crime to inquire about the whereabouts of Jews, or even to say you wish to gas them. But if you spray-paint a Jewish school or set a car on fire, a government with its resources properly ordered will find and charge you before you graduate to violent crime.” [TheAtlantic]

Word on the Street

The Sudanese Armed Forces – backed by Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey, Egypt and Iran – are the subject of a new CNN investigation that found them responsible for mass killing of civilians and dumping their bodies into canals… 

United Arab Emirates Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed re-upped a 2024 Atlantic piece by Palestinian political activist Samer Sinijlawi calling for leadership changes in Israel and the Palestinian Authority…

Turkey was excluded from a CENTCOM-hosted conference in Doha, Qatar, focused on putting together an international stabilization force in the Gaza Strip…

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) said that the Trump administration needs to put forward a new nominee for the post of ambassador for religious freedom as former Rep. Mark Walker’s (R-NC) nomination remains stalled in the Senate…

The widow of a security officer who was killed in a mass shooting at the Park Avenue building housing the headquarters of the NFL is suing the league, the real estate firm that owns the building and the building’s security company over their failures to prevent the attack, in which philanthropist Wesley LePatner and two others were also killed…

The NYPD is investigating an incident in which a group of Orthodox Jewish men were harassed and assaulted on a subway car after video of the confrontation was posted to social media; police are also investigating as a hate crime a separate incident, also filmed, in which a visibly Jewish man was attacked while walking down the street in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights neighborhood…

Two members of the Heritage Foundation’s board resigned amid a series of high-profile departures from the think tank over its embrace of Tucker Carlson and failure to denounce extremist views; Abby Spencer Moffat said Heritage was “unwilling or unable to meet this moment with the clarity and courage it requires,” while Shane McCullar said the think tank was “unwilling to confront the lapses in judgment that have harmed its credibility, its culture, and the conservative movement it once helped shape”…

Warner Bros. Discovery is expected to reject Skydance Paramount’s hostile takeover bid due to concerns over financing; Jared Kushner’s Affinity Partners, which had provided some backing to Paramount in its effort, withdrew its support for Paramount’s bid…

The Financial Times reports on Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s efforts to build out AI infrastructure as he looks to compete with OpenAI and Google…

Qatar Sports Investments-owned Paris Saint-Germain was ordered by a French court to pay more than $70 million to former PSG star Kylian Mbappé resulting from unpaid wages and bonuses…

Actress Sydney Sweeney wore a gown by Israeli designer Galia Lahav to the premiere of her new film, “The Housemaid”…

Iranian victims of the Women, Life, Freedom protests that swept through the Islamic Republic in 2022 are suing more than three dozen Iranian officials in an Argentine court, alleging the officials committed or were complicit in crimes against humanity…

PBS reports from Hezbollah’s secretive military installations following their seizure by the Lebanese Armed Forces… 

Wall Street investment banker Arthur Carter, who would go on to purchase The Nation and found The New York Observer, died at 93…

Pic of the Day

Actor Jonah Platt sat in conversation with former Israeli hostage Eli Sharabi on Monday night at the American Friends of Magen David Adom’s Miami Gala.

Birthdays

Grammy Award-winning songwriter and musician, Benjamin Goldwasser turns 43… 

Retired attorney and vice chair of the American Jewish International Relations Institute, Stuart Sloame turns 86… Former CEO of multiple companies including the San Francisco 49ers and FAO Schwarz, Peter L. Harris turns 82… VP of strategic planning and marketing at Queens-based NewInteractions, Paulette Mandelbaum… Professor of Jewish history, culture and society at Columbia University, Elisheva Carlebach Jofen turns 71… Retired chair of the physician assistant studies program at Rutgers, Dr. Jill A. Reichman turns 70… Former Israeli ambassador to the U.S. and senior foreign policy advisor to prime ministers Sharon, Barak and Netanyahu, Danny Ayalon turns 70… Longtime chairman and CEO of HBO, he now heads Eden Productions, Richard Plepler turns 67… Israeli film director, screenwriter, animator and film-score composer, Ari Folman turns 63… Former president of Freedom House, now the director at Voice of America, Michael J. Abramowitz turns 62… Chief of the General Staff of the IDF until this past March, Herzl “Herzi” Halevi turns 58… Founder and CEO of LionTree LLC, Aryeh B. Bourkoff turns 53… Pastry chef, television personality and cookbook author, Jeffrey Adam “Duff” Goldman turns 51… Israeli former soccer goalkeeper, then on the coaching staff for the national team, Nir Davidovich turns 49… CEO of the New Legacy Group of Companies, he is also founder and chair emeritus of Project Sunshine, Joseph Weilgus… Co-director of New Public, Eli Pariser turns 45… Senior writer at National Review and author of Unjust: Social Justice and the Unmaking of America, Noah C. Rothman… Director of foundation partnerships at the UJA-Federation of New York, Julia Sobel… National correspondent for Vanity Fair and author of the 2018 book Born Trump: Inside America’s First Family, Emily Jane Fox… State general manager for Maryland at Entyre Care, Daniel Ensign… Actor, singer-songwriter and musician, he starred in the Nickelodeon television series “The Naked Brothers Band,” Nat Wolff turns 31…

President Donald Trump on Friday night publicly disavowed Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), once one of the president’s closest and most committed allies on Capitol Hill, saying he was withdrawing his endorsement of Greene and is prepared to support a primary challenger to the far-right Georgia congresswoman.

Greene, long dogged by controversy for her record of promoting antisemitic and otherwise fringe conspiracy theories, has emerged as one of the most vocal opponents of Israel on the right, accusing the country of genocide and leading efforts attempting to cut off U.S. aid to the Jewish state.

She has also repeatedly publicly criticized Trump’s policies and Republican leadership on Capitol Hill since the start of the government shutdown, earning Trump’s ire. Her breaks with the GOP have made her into a budding star in liberal media circles, where her ongoing promotion of conspiracy theories has increasingly been overlooked.

Trump said on his Truth Social platform that he has heard that “wonderful, Conservative people are thinking about primarying Marjorie” and that “if the right person runs, they will have my Complete and Unyielding Support,” accusing her of having “gone Far Left.”

Greene’s district is among the most heavily Republican in the country, and losing Trump’s support could prove a significant blow to the congresswoman.

“All I see ‘Wacky’ Marjorie do is COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN, COMPLAIN!” Trump wrote, adding that Greene’s criticism began after he showed her statewide polling that placed her at just 12% support and discouraged her from running for Senate or governor, both positions Greene had been eyeing.

According to NOTUS, Greene is discussing a presidential run in 2028, though she denied that to the publication.

“[Greene] has told many people that she is upset that I don’t return her phone calls anymore, but with 219 Congressmen/women, 53 U.S. Senators, 24 Cabinet Members, almost 200 Counties, and an otherwise normal life to lead, I can’t take a ranting Lunatic’s call every day,” Trump continued in his post.

He later called Greene a “Traitor” and a “disgrace to our GREAT REPUBLICAN PARTY!”

Greene responded on X, saying Trump had lied to her and claiming that two recent text messages about files related to child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein had “sent him over the edge,” saying it is “astonishing really how hard he’s fighting to stop the Epstein files from coming out.”

Greene is one of a small number of Republicans cosponsoring a measure to force a vote, over Republicans’ objections on files related to Epstein. Trump, an associate of Epstein, has sought to prevent the full release of those files, calling the push for further disclosure “the Epstein hoax.”

“Most Americans wish he would fight this hard to help the forgotten men and women of America who are fed up with foreign wars and foreign causes, are going broke trying to feed their families, and are losing hope of ever achieving the American dream,” Greene said. “I have supported President Trump with too much of my precious time, too much of my own money, and fought harder for him even when almost all other Republicans turned their back and denounced him. But I don’t worship or serve Donald Trump.”

In a subsequent post, Greene shared a graphic showing she has not received support from pro-Israel groups alongside another graphic comparing her “Liberty Score” to that of Trump-backed pro-Israel Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC). In the post, she wrote: “This and the Epstein files is why I’m being attacked by President Trump. It really makes you wonder what is in those files and who and what country is putting so much pressure on him?”

She also claimed that Trump’s posts are driving a wave of security threats against her.

Trump has also worked to defeat Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), another of the most vocal anti-Israel Republicans The president has endorsed retired Navy SEAL Ed Gallrein, who is challenging Massie in the GOP primary. 

On Friday, Trump called Massie a “LOSER!” in a separate Truth Social post, claiming that “the Polls have him at less than an 8% chance of winning the Election” and mocked his recent remarriage.

Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), speaking to a gathering of Jewish activists on Capitol Hill, highlighted concerns about rising left-wing antisemitism and the ways that antisemitic narratives are being spread to and by college students.

“We’re used to the right-wing side. What is new and what I think has so many in the Jewish community on our heels is that new left-wing antisemitism and how to approach it,” Slotkin said at a pre-High Holidays security briefing organized by several Jewish communal organizations. “How do we counteract it? How do we protect against it? How do we educate?”

“And certainly, we’re watching, on many college campuses, a lot of young people who actually maybe didn’t grow up with the Jewish community at all, get to campus and maybe repeat what they’re hearing, sometimes not even understanding or knowing,” she continued. “I would just say that one of our responsibilities as Jewish leaders and Jewish activists is to try and really parse through how to deal with antisemitism on the left, since antisemitism on the right isn’t good, but it’s more of a well-known threat.”

The freshman Michigan senator, who is working to establish herself as a leader in the chamber on national security issues, recently backed efforts to stop at least some offensive weapons shipments to Israel and emphasized that she hadn’t accepted endorsements from “Jewish group[s],” naming AIPAC and J Street.

Slotkin said at the Wednesday event that she “[doesn’t] think there’s been a more complicated and dicey time to be Jews in America, period, maybe since World War II.”

Speaking in support of the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, Slotkin said that one of the “most powerful moments that I had” during her time as a member of Congress was when a mosque in her district faced threats, and she worked with the local Jewish federation and her synagogue to help the mosque apply for an NSGP grant.

An emotional Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) referenced the killing of her friend, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and the mass shooting at the Annunciation Church in Minneapolis as she discussed the rise of violent extremism across the country, including various incidents targeting the Jewish community.

“We have been through this each and every time, but the babies keep dying,” Klobuchar said.

Klobuchar said that in conversations with administration officials immediately after the Annunciation shooting, her top priority was pushing for increased NSGP funding, in addition to gun control measures and action to address extremism and incitement on social media platforms.

She highlighted that the Annunciation Church shooter had left a manifesto spreading hate against a range of targets including Jews, Muslims, Black people and Hispanic people, and emphasized that he and other mass shooters have been “performing for the internet.”

While she noted that data shows that political violence has been coming more from the right than the left, “I don’t want to go tit-for-tat. I care about what we’re doing now and going forward, and words matter right now for bringing America together,” Klobuchar said.

Speaking about threats to the Jewish community specifically, Klobuchar noted the rise in antisemitic hate crimes nationally, saying that “something is seriously wrong in our country.” She said that 25 Jewish facilities had received bomb threats in Minnesota in the past year.

“This has completely shattered people, kids are scared,” Klobuchar said.

Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) said, referring to a string of recent antisemitic attacks, “I don’t care what fringe it comes from. This kind of extremism, hate and violence is unacceptable and needs to be condemned. … Foreign policy debates are complicated. Condemning antisemitism is not.”

She added that, as the generation that survived and witnessed the Holocaust shrinks, “we have to decide as a country if we will let their lessons pass.”

Hassan continued, “We can’t afford inaction. We can’t afford indifference, nor should we feel the need to offer qualification or apology, to simply say that the world’s oldest hate should be denounced as loudly as any other.”

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) also delivered remarks at the event, as did Rev. Russ McDougall, a member of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, who was invited in part to discuss the Annunciation Church attack. Sens. James Lankford (R-OK) and Jacky Rosen (D-NV) delivered video remarks.

The session also featured a panel with Jewish Federations of North America CEO Eric Fingerhut, Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations CEO William Daroff, Secure Communities Network CEO Michael Masters, Orthodox Union Executive Vice President Moshe Hauer and Anti-Defamation League director of government relations Carmiel Arbit.

Fingerhut told Jewish Insider there is “a domestic terror crisis” in the country “and we need comprehensive, strong action.”

“[Members of Congress] didn’t create the COVID problem either, but they responded with a crisis-level response, and that’s the level of response we need,” Fingerhut said.

He emphasized the need not only for increased NSGP funding but stronger funding for local law enforcement, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security to fight domestic terrorism. He said that resourcing and funding at those agencies for the counterterrorism mission isn’t sufficient.

“We’re in an era now of a trillion-dollar defense budget that is aimed at fighting terror and protecting America all over the world,” Fingerhut said. “We have a domestic terror crisis here, and it needs the level of attention and coordinated leadership by the federal government that we get in national defense.”

In his second consecutive day of hearings on Capitol Hill, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said that he expects that additional Arab countries will join the Abraham Accords by the end of the year, if not earlier.

“We do have an Abraham Accords office that is actively working to identify a number of countries who have lined up and already I think we may have good news, certainly before the end of this year, of a number of more countries that are willing to join that alliance,” Rubio said a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Wednesday.

The comments are consistent with other recent remarks by President Donald Trump and Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.

Rubio added that the administration is currently working on selecting an ambassador for the Abraham Accords, as required under law, to submit for congressional confirmation.

He said that there is “still a willingness” in Saudi Arabia to normalize relations with Israel, but “certain conditions are impediments,” including the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel and the ensuing war.

Rubio’s testimony largely reinforced and added on his comments the day before, on issues including Iran and Syria.

He again insisted that all elements of the Trump administration, including Vice President JD Vance and Witkoff, are unified behind the position that Iran cannot be allowed to maintain its capacity to enrich uranium.

And he affirmed that U.S. law requires that any deal with Iran be submitted to Congress for review and approval, noting that he had been in Congress when that law was passed.

At an afternoon hearing with the House Appropriations Committee, Rubio again said that sanctions relating to Iranian proxy terrorism or other malign activities will not be impacted by a nuclear deal that does not address those subjects. Republicans in the past have questioned the distinction between nuclear and non-nuclear sanctions, particularly as part of the original 2015 nuclear deal, which took a similar approach. And they’ve argued that any sanctions relief would allow Iran to expand its support for regional terrorism.

Rubio said the administration is continuing to ramp up sanctions on Iran, and said that European parties to the deal are “on the verge” of implementing snapback sanctions on Iran. He said that the administration would support legislation to implement additional sanctions on Iran’s oil sector.

He denied knowledge of a Tuesday leak by administration officials that Israel was making plans to strike Iran’s nuclear program, adding, “I also don’t think it’s a mystery, though … that Israel has made clear that they retain the option of action to limit Iran from ever gaining a nuclear capability.”

Expanding on comments he made the day before, Rubio said that he favors moving the mission of U.S. security coordinator for Israel and the Palestinian territories under the authority of the U.S. ambassador to Israel so that it can be a better-integrated part of the U.S.’ Israel policy. But he vowed that the core function of the office will continue.

Rubio denied reports of talks between the United States and Saudi Arabia about potential nuclear cooperation outside of a “gold standard” deal, which would include banning domestic enrichment.

The secretary of state reiterated comments about the critical necessity of providing sanctions relief to Syria to help contribute to stability, but he said that continued sanctions relief “does have to be conditioned on them continuing to live by the commitments” that the Syrian government has made verbally, including to combat extremism, prevent Syria from becoming a launchpad for attacks on Israel and form a government that represents, includes and protects ethnic and religious diversity.

He indicated that the U.S. is not actively working to shut down the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, but pledged that the United States will not be providing any further aid to or through that organization and will use its power and funding to look for alternatives.

He said it will be up to other countries whether they continue working with UNRWA, though he noted that the U.S. has been the agency’s largest donor.

Rubio said that he would be supportive, in concept, of legislation to expand current U.S. anti-boycott laws to include compulsory boycotts imposed by international organizations. That legislation was pulled from a House floor vote after right-wing lawmakers falsely claimed it would ban U.S. citizens from boycotting Israel.

Pushing back on calls for the U.S. to withhold weapons sales to the United Arab Emirates over its support for one of the parties involved in the Sudanese Civil War that the U.S. has found is committing genocide, Rubio said that the U.S. is not fully in alignment with the UAE but argued that it’s critical for the U.S. to continue engaging with and maintain a strong relationship with the UAE for its broader foreign policy goals in the Middle East.

He said that maintaining such a relationship and expanding the U.S.’ diplomatic and economic relationship with Abraham Accords countries is also important to ensuring that the Accords continue to be successful.

Rubio said that the State Department had approved restarting aid programs for Jordan that remained frozen — though he noted most were initially exempted from the administration’s blanket freeze. He acknowledged that the frozen programs had been “a source of frustration for [Jordan], and frankly for me.” He continued, “Ultimately, we’re going to get all those programs online, if they’re not online already.”

In a heated back-and-forth with Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), who was brandishing a pocket Constitution, Rubio again defended the administration’s policy of revoking student visas from individuals accused of involvement in anti-Israel activity on college campuses, saying that they are coming to the United States to “tear this country [apart]” and “stir up problems on our campuses.”

Addressing the case of Rümeysa Öztürk, a Tufts University graduate student that supporters have said was detained solely for writing an op-ed in a student newspaper criticizing Israel, Rubio claimed the situation is not as has been represented. “Those are her lawyers’ claims and your claims, those are not the facts,” Rubio said.

Asked by Jayapal about a comment — “Jews are untrustworthy and a dangerous group” — made by an Afrikaner refugee recently admitted to the United States from South Africa, Rubio said that he would “look forward to revoking the visas of any lunatics you can identify.”

But when presented with the fact that the individual in question was admitted as a refugee, not on a visa, Rubio said that refugee admissions are “a totally different process,” adding “student visas are a privilege.”

When Arie Dana walked up to a Capitol Hill coffee shop on a recent spring morning, I called him over to my table. “How’d you know it was me?” he asked. “Because I look like the Jewish guy?” 

In a fitted blue suit, a navy sweater and light brown oxfords, Dana looked the part of a young, ambitious congressional staffer. He wore round tortoiseshell glasses; his combed-back graying hair appeared perfectly in place. 

What gave Dana away as “the Jewish guy” — even more than the yarmulke on the back of his head — was his beard. In some places it extended more than a foot, the dark brown hair interspersed with gray. Dana has an identical twin brother, but “I’m the only bearded one of the family,” he told me, smiling. During our conversation, a young man with unkempt curly hair walked by and shouted “Nice beard, dude!” Dana thanked him.  

Nine days after his December 2020 wedding to a woman he met at the University of Southern California Chabad house on Rosh Hashanah, Dana moved to Washington D.C. to serve as the chief of staff for newly elected freshman Rep. Michelle Steel (R-CA), for whom he has worked since graduating college more than a decade ago.

***

Dana’s journey to this moment began during his freshman year at USC. “I was a College Republican, and one of my fellow College Republican friends was Michelle [Steel]’s daughter,” Dana said. 

After graduating, he took an internship with a California state assemblyman, until he received a call from his College Republicans friend. “Michelle’s daughter said to me, ‘Hey, I think my mom is looking for a communications director, are you interested in applying?’” Dana had previously volunteered on her 2006 campaign for the State Board of Equalization, the only elected tax commission in the country. He took the job. 

Last November, Steel, then a member of the Orange County Board of Supervisors, beat incumbent first-term Democrat Harley Rouda (D-CA) to become one of the first three Korean-born members of Congress. (Young Kim (R-CA) also represents parts of Orange County, while Marilyn Strickland (D-WA) represents the area around Tacoma, Wash.)

“I was actually in Crown Heights” — the Brooklyn neighborhood home to the global headquarters of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement — “doing some pre-wedding shopping with my fiancée, and I got an email: ‘Arie, book your flight to D.C. for orientation,’” he recounted. He got on a plane to Washington, and “by the end of the orientation, she asked me to be her chief of staff,” Dana recalled. 

“Arie has been a dedicated member of my team for more than 10 years in three different elected positions,” Steel told JI. “Arie is the one who introduced me to Orange County’s Jewish community, and I’m grateful for his leadership, which is needed here in Washington.” 

Dana is far from the first Orthodox Jew to work on the Hill. There was Peter Deutsch, a former member of Congress who now lives in Israel, and of course Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT), who went on to serve as Al Gore’s running mate on the 2000 Democratic ticket. Before Jack Lew served as Treasury secretary under Barack Obama, he was a staffer for House Speaker Tip O’Neill. 

But according to Rabbi Levi Shemtov, executive vice president of American Friends of Lubavitch (Chabad) and Washington’s most prominent Chabad rabbi, “there has never before been a chief of staff to a member — which is the most senior position you get — who was Hasidic in appearance and in observance.” Put more bluntly: “You’ve had many people who were shomer Shabbas, but they were not as outwardly recognizable as observant as Arie Dana,” Shemtov explained. “This speaks volumes about what it is possible to achieve in America without compromising religious principles.”

***

When Dana was a freshman at USC, he met Rabbi Dov Wagner, the school’s Chabad rabbi. “We always do, on Sukkot, a sukkah in the middle of campus, and offer students the opportunity to make a blessing over the lulav and etrog,” Wagner told JI. “He stopped by the sukkah at that time and made a little connection.” Dana would not reconnect with Wagner in a serious way until after he graduated.

Raised by Mexican parents in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, Dana did not grow up Orthodox. “In Mexico, some of the different Jewish denominations that you see in [the U.S.] don’t really exist,” he explained. “There’s less religious and there’s more religious, but it’s a very traditional environment.”

Dana had his bar mitzvah at a Reform congregation. “We were the first people, I think, who put on tefillin, ever, in this temple for our bar mitzvah, and it was something that I kept up doing,” Dana said. In college, “I was looking for ways to be more religiously involved. But I also had my parents at home, and we had Shabbat dinner every Friday night,” which did not leave much time for him to get involved with Jewish groups on campus. 

Both Dana and his twin brother started at USC as architecture majors, though Arie later changed his major to religion. (His brother and his sister-in-law, who is also an architect, are now working on an expansion for the USC Chabad house.) 

Dana’s family was not politically active when he was growing up. He was a teenager on Sept. 11, 2001, “which was a very transformative thing to happen your freshman year of high school,” Dana noted. He started reading up on the Middle East, terrorism and foreign affairs, before expanding into other topics. 

“I started reading a lot of libertarian thinkers and philosophers and got into the idea of the free market [as] a great way to help individuals from all backgrounds earn their own success,” Dana explained. “Freedom — in that sense of letting people on their own choose how they want to create their own communities without external force — made me really interested in the political world.”

Apparently, it’s a value espoused by Steel as well: Years later, when she was elected to Congress, she joined the “Freedom Force,” a group of Republican members formed to counter Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s progressive “Squad.” 

But first, at the State Board of Equalization, Dana received an education in big government. There’s “this big state agency,” Dana explained, that, in his view, could get in the way of “allow[ing] people to have the most freedom possible to live their lives the way they want to.” 

At the same time, he was also receiving a new religious education. “I had this great idea that I was going to be an Orthodox Sephardic Jew,” Dana said. But there was no Sephardic community near where he was living, so he began learning again with Rabbi Wagner from USC. They had reconnected when Dana came to Chabad alumni events with a woman he was dating at the time. 

“He had this incredible journey of really engaging in his Judaism very seriously and making it an important part of his life,” said Wagner, the USC rabbi. Dana and Wagner would study the  teachings of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, together. “Learning those things drew me into starting to study chassidus more. And then over time, I was just like, ‘Oh, I think I think this is where I’m supposed to be,” he noted. 

He began to observe Shabbat and keep kosher, which is when people close to him noticed his new observance. “With friends, it was a little bit harder than it was at work,” Dana recounted. “The standard thing is to go out to dinner, or [hang out on] Friday nights, and you can’t do any of those things anymore.” 

At work, “it started out with me just turning off my phone on Friday evenings. I didn’t really say so much about it,” he recalled. “Then [Steel] asked me, ‘Hey, why do you wait and not answer your phone until Saturday night?’” [I responded] ‘Oh, because I’m starting to keep the Sabbath.’” 

Last winter, Dana and Steel “already had a general understanding of many years,” he said. So when Orange County officials had to have an emergency press conference about the coronavirus, Steel knew not to call Dana. “It ended up being a Saturday morning press conference in Orange County, where they ended up announcing that there was going to be a state of emergency,” Dana explained. “I found out about it Saturday night. I was like, okay, it’s gonna be a busy week,” he said. 

It ended up being not just a busy week but a busy year, as the virus spread and Steel’s campaign for Congress heated up. “It was a lot of work in those days. I was leaving barely enough time to get home, and I would just rush home and change quickly and go to synagogue — or not go to synagogue; I stayed at home because everything closed, which in a way makes it easier,” he said. 

“Arie has been a dedicated member of my team for more than 10 years in three different elected positions,” Steel told JI. “Arie is the one who introduced me to Orange County’s Jewish community, and I’m grateful for his leadership, which is needed here in Washington.” 

One silver lining of the pandemic was the Rosh Hashanah dinner where Dana met his soon-to-be wife. “Even during COVID,” said Wagner, “the right people come together.” Dana had been spending a lot of time with Wagner, with most other Jewish organizations not holding events. On Rosh Hashanah, his future wife Chana “just showed up at our door, looking for a place” to celebrate the holiday, Wagner recalled. “Of the very few guests there, two of them met and, thankfully, hit it off.” 

They got married in December, and nine days later moved across the country to the first place Dana had ever lived outside of Los Angeles. About a week later, rioters stormed the Capitol. 

Dana and his team were in Steel’s office, trying to get the congresswoman out of the Capitol complex — she had tested positive for the coronavirus that morning and did not want to infect her staffers. “We had doctor’s orders, of course, to get her out of the Capitol as fast as we could so that she could go isolate,” Dana said. But when he called the sergeant-at-arms’ office to ask for the best way out, the response was: “There is no safe way out at this time.” So Dana and the other staffers stayed in one wing of the office while Steel isolated in her personal office, keeping the door closed for the next 10 hours that they were trapped together. Her case ended up being mild, and no one else in the office got sick. 

Insurrection aside, Dana has also missed the celebrations and events that typically mark the beginning of a new congressional session. He had to a hire an entirely new team, looking for people who “have experience on what the Hill is like” and understand things like ”what the schedule for a day is like, what do the votes mean, the procedural rules.” Back in Orange County, “there aren’t 2 a.m. votes on Friday night,” Dana explained. “Official business was a lot more regimented and scheduled.” Amid all the new things to learn, he at least knew that his boss understood why he could not be present during those rare Friday night votes. 

The new job brings new policy areas for Dana to learn about, but “we’re trying to be focused on local issues anway,” he said. “The foreign policy side is probably the biggest single change,” he added, but “with the congresswoman being very involved in the Asian-American community,” she already had some experience in foreign affairs. Since coming to Washington, Steel has joined with other Asian American members of Congress to call out violence against the Asian American Pacific Islander community, including after the mass shooting at a series of Asian-owned massage parlors in Atlanta this week. “What happened in Atlanta last night was senseless and tragic, and unfortunately only adds to a long list of recent violent crimes against our Asian American and Pacific Islander community,” Steel said in a statement, before testifying yesterday at a congressional hearing on anti-Asian American discrimination.

According to Dana, Steel also sees collaboration with Israel as a priority. “Water issues are something that’s a huge deal in California, and we have hi-tech and biomedical innovation,” said Dana. “She’s talked a lot about trying to find priorities of places to work together with Israel and the United States to advance that type of innovative spirit and find solutions to those types of issues.”

Dana is excited to explore Washington’s Jewish community more as the weather improves and the pandemic subsides. “I’m really eager to see what the Jewish community is like,” Dana said. Capitol Hill is not known for having a large Orthodox community, but “we’ve had a very warm welcome from the community that there is.” On a typical Saturday, Dana normally walks across town to Chabad in Dupont Circle. 

The lack of kosher restaurants in the District is also an adjustment, with the presence of just a single kosher meat restaurant, CharBar. But in some ways, that reminds Dana of home: “Orange County also had only one kosher restaurant.”