• The RJC spoke out strongly about the death of George
Floyd and about the protests and riots that have taken place
in American cities in recent days. Jewish News Syndicate reports:
In a statement to JNS, the Republican Jewish
Coalition said, “Like all civilized people, we grieve for
George Floyd and his family. His murder was outrageous, and rightfully
brings an important conversation to the public forefront. We need to
do more in this country to protect minority and other vulnerable
groups including the Jewish community.
“The peaceful protests are an important piece in facilitating
that conversation. The rioting and looting we have seen the past few
nights only serves to hurt the process to bring about much needed
change and will divide us further. Violence in the streets must be
addressed swiftly and effectively and law and order must be restored
so that citizens and business owners will no longer suffer and so that
the memory of George Floyd can serve as a catalyst for change.”
• The RJC
criticized Democratic Congressman Eric Swalwell of
California for comparing ex-US Ambassador to Germany Richard
Grenell to Nazi propaganda chief Joseph
Goebbels. The Algemeiner reports:
In a social media exchange on Tuesday night with journalist
Ryan Lizza, Swalwell — who unsuccessfully sought the
Democratic presidential nomination last year — referred to Grenell as
“Goebbels with a Twitter account.”
In a statement on Wednesday, the national chairman of the
Republican Jewish Coalition, former Senator Norm
Coleman, said, “Ric has been one of the most strident and
effective defenders of the Jewish people and the State of Israel.
While political rhetoric can get heated, there is no excuse for ugly
comparisons to one of the worst monsters in human history. It demeans
the important work that Ric has done — getting Germany to designate
Hezbollah as a terrorist organization, starving the terrorist regime
in Iran of funds that would be used to finance terror against Israel
and the Jewish people, and speaking out in defense of German Jews who
were targets of antisemitic attacks.”
“Swalwell owes a genuine apology to Mr. Grenell, to his
constituents whom he has embarrassed, and to the victims of Goebbels
whose suffering he minimized by this comparison,” Coleman added.
• We took a
victory lap this week after two of the RJC PAC’s top endorsees won
their primary races. Randy Feenstra defeated
Republican Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s 4th district and
Lisa Scheller won the GOP primary in Pennsylvania’s
7th district.
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks said:
“Steve King does not represent the Republican Party, and it’s time for
him to leave Congress. We are happy that Randy Feenstra, a strong
conservative and a friend of Israel, will be our party’s candidate for
Congress in Iowa’s 4th district seat this year.”
RJC’s unusual support for a primary challenger to a sitting
Republican was widely noted in the press, including: The
Algemeiner, The
Forward, Haaretz,
CBS
News, and the New
York Times.
RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks had
this to say about the primary win for Lisa Scheller in
Pennsylvania:
We are delighted that Lisa Scheller won her primary and will
face off against Democrat Susan Wild in the general
election. Lisa earned the endorsement of the RJC PAC and the
passionate support of RJC members because she is a principled fighter
who will stand strong for the US-Israel alliance. We look forward to
her victory in November, which will capture an important House seat,
bring Nancy Pelosi one step closer to losing her
Speaker’s gavel, and add another terrific Jewish Republican member to
the US House of Representatives
Lisa Scheller
will need our help to win in November. Click
here to donate to her campaign.
• We were also pleased to note the primary defeat of
Valerie Plame in New Mexico. The Washington Free
Beacon reports:
Valerie Plame's congressional bid came to an end on Tuesday
when the former CIA operative, who has battled accusations of
anti-Semitism and carpet bagging, was defeated in a Democratic
primary.
… A spokesman for the Republican Jewish Coalition,
Neil Strauss, celebrated Plame's defeat but expressed
concern that Democratic leadership "supported an anti-Semite."
"Valerie Plame has frequently trafficked in and promoted
anti-Semitic messages. The fact that prominent Democrats and
celebrities, Chuck Schumer chief among them, chose to
support her in a crowded field shows that Democrats aren't committed
to combating left wing anti-Semitism," Strauss told the Washington
Free Beacon.
• The RJC
worked for passage of the Never Again Education Act, which will expand
Holocaust education programming for American schools. It passed in
both the House and Senate by large majorities. Last Friday, President
Donald Trump signed the bill into law. Our
efforts were noted by the Jewish News Service.
