— Featured —



















List of Trump’s Accomplishments Grows






Most of the media have given all their attention to the shiny object in the room, impeachment, to the near-exclusion of all other news. However, Paul Bedard and Marc Thiessen have stepped up to remind us of the substantial accomplishments that President Donald Trump racked up in the last few weeks.

Last Friday, Bedard listed some of President Trump’s recent accomplishments <[link removed]>:

- An agreement on a new US-Mexico-Canada trade deal.
- A new budget including more than $1.3 billion for a border wall and blocks a government shutdown.
- House approval of the US Space Force, a brand-new branch of the military.
- Government family leave that will be a model for a proposal for the public.
- Tentative agreement on trade with China.
- Approval of Trump's 50th federal appeals judge.
- Confirmation of a new Food and Drug Administration chief.
- The signing of a pro-Israel anti-Semitism executive order.

Thiessen added to the list in an article this week <[link removed]>: 

Consider the string of successes Trump has racked up in recent days. First came news that the US economy added 266,000 jobs in November, far exceeding economic forecasts. Not only that, but the Bureau of Labor Statistics also revised the September and October jobs reports upward, adding 41,000 more job to the Trump economic record. And a new Quinnipiac poll found that 57 percent of Americans said they are better off financially since Trump took office.

…Trump also reached agreement with Democrats on a spending bill averting a government shutdown. He secured Democratic support on a tax bill that would repeal three Obamacare taxes, including the “Cadillac tax” on high-cost employer-sponsored health insurance — a major win for union workers. And the House approved a $738 billion defense spending bill that would authorize the creation of his Space Force and his parental leave policy for federal workers, while not including restrictions Democrats had threatened on use of defense dollars to build a border wall.

…Bottom line: The economy is humming, Trump’s accomplishments are accumulating and impeachment is backfiring — and that makes these the best weeks of Trump’s presidency so far.

President Trump catalogued his administration’s accomplishments in his letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi condemning the impeachment “crusade” against him. Read it here <[link removed]>: 

7 million new jobs; the lowest-ever unemployment for African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Americans; a rebuilt military; a completely reformed VA with Choice and Accountability for our great veterans; more than 170 new federal judges and two Supreme Court Justices; historic tax and regulation cuts; the elimination of the individual mandate; the first decline in prescription drug prices in half a century; the first new branch of the United States Military since 1947, the Space Force; strong protection of the Second Amendment; criminal justice reform; a defeated ISIS caliphate and the killing of the world’s number one terrorist leader, al-Baghdadi; the replacement of the disastrous NAFTA trade deal with the wonderful USMCA (Mexico and Canada); a breakthrough Phase One trade deal with China; massive new trade deals with Japan and South Korea; withdrawal from the terrible Iran Nuclear Deal; cancellation of the unfair and costly Paris Climate Accord; becoming the world’s top energy producer; recognition of Israel’s capital, opening the American Embassy in Jerusalem, and recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights; a colossal reduction in illegal border crossings, the ending of Catch-and-Release, and the building of the Southern Border Wall—and that is just the beginning, there is so much more. 

Trump biographer Doug Wead, quoted in Paul Bedard’s piece noted above <[link removed]>,  predicts that voters in 2020 will keep their focus on the President’s winning agenda rather than the Democrats’ losing impeachment sham:

“Perhaps, for now, what he accomplished this week will be overshadowed by the impeachment, but by next summer, the impeachment may be seen as mean-spirited and partisan, and the string of victories will add to his incredible list of victories going into reelection season,” Wead said.

















Correcting the NY Times et al on Anti-Semitism






The executive order <[link removed]> that President Donald Trump signed during the White House Hanukkah party last week continues to be misreported by the New York Times and other outlets, who have described it as redefining Jews as a “nationality.” David Bernstein, a law professor and the executive director of the Liberty & Law Center at the Antonin Scalia Law School at George Mason University, has been tracking the New York Times' "hit pieces" on the executive order. You can see his commentary here <[link removed]>, here <[link removed]>, and here <[link removed]>.

As we noted last week, the actual executive order did not redefine Judaism or Jews. It reiterated guidance for the executive branch issued in 2010 and expanded it to address anti-Semitism disguised as “anti-Zionism,” using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition of anti-Semitism <[link removed]>.

Daniel Hemel, an assistant professor at the University of Chicago Law School and a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, takes issue with the President’s use of the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism, but he explains that the order’s extension of Title VI protections to Jews on college campuses is on firm legal grounding. Hemel writes <[link removed]>: 

Mr. Trump’s interpretation of Title VI as applying to anti-Semitism is neither new nor troubling. The characterization of anti-Semitism as a form of racial or national-origin discrimination has a secure place in American law.

…Fast-forward to 1982, when Shaare Tefila, a synagogue in Silver Spring, Md., was spray-painted with swastikas, Ku Klux Klan symbols and other anti-Semitic messages. The synagogue and several members responded by suing those who had vandalized their house of worship. The plaintiffs cited the Civil Rights Act of 1866, which applies to racial discrimination. They argued that even though Jews are not a racially distinct group, the vandals viewed Jews as a distinct race and were motivated by racial animus. The case ultimately reached the Supreme Court, which voted unanimously in the synagogue’s favor… The Shaare Tefila case teaches that placing a group within a racial category for purposes of civil rights protection does not require us to endorse the idea that the group is racially distinct…

…Just as African-Americans qualify for protection from racial discrimination even though the very idea of race is based on pseudoscience, anti-Semitism can be racism for legal purposes even though Jewishness cannot be reduced to racial terms… The nuances of Jewish identity and experience do not… shield Jews from attackers who see Jews as a nation apart. Jews can suffer national-origin discrimination regardless of whether Jewishness is a nationality.

The Education Department under President George W. Bush recognized that anti-Semitism could constitute racial or national-origin discrimination within Title VI’s ambit. The Justice Department under President Barack Obama reaffirmed that view. President Trump’s executive order is consistent with those interpretations, though he is the first to articulate this position as an administration-wide policy.

Human rights lawyer Alyza Lewin offers this argument <[link removed]> for the President’s use of the IHRA definition: 

…It is not unlawful in the United States to make racist or anti-Jewish comments. In America, the First Amendment protects your right to express yourself as a bigot. Nothing in the Executive Order changes that fact. But the First Amendment does not insulate and prevent those who make racist or anti-Semitic comments from being labeled as racists and anti-Semites. By incorporating the IHRA definition, the Executive Order delineates what constitutes anti-Semitism so that it can be recognized, labeled and condemned.

… There are Jews in Israel and around the globe who support the right of a Jewish nation-state, but who do not support some or all of the policies of the current government. Criticizing those policies is not anti-Semitic. What is anti-Semitic, according to the IHRA definition, is claiming that there is no right to a Jewish state within any borders.

…Trump’s Executive Order does not bar students or professors from expressing these perspectives, and it certainly does not prevent students or professors from engaging in constructive, challenging dialogue regarding the policies of the current government of Israel.

However, the Executive Order puts universities on notice that they must treat this type of anti-Semitism the same way they treat racism or other forms of discrimination. Universities must call out and condemn as anti-Semitic the persistent and pervasive demonization of Zionists, just as they would call out and condemn persistent and pervasive anti-black, anti-Hispanic or anti-Muslim rhetoric.

















Israel’s Valuable Contributions to US Security






John Hannah, writing at Foreign Policy, makes a very strong case for America’s military assistance to Israel and says Democratic presidential candidates who want to cut that aid are dead wrong <[link removed]>: 

The fact is that Israel’s recent emergence as one of the world’s most powerful industrial democracies has never been more important to the United States. And the value to US interests of Israel’s world-class military, intelligence prowess, and cutting-edge science and technology sector is only likely to grow in the future.

… As Washington’s stomach for wielding hard power against the Middle East’s most dangerous challenges recedes, the new reality is that Israel has become a major exporter of security and extended deterrence to the broader region. Since at least 2017, it has been the only power in the world conducting regular military operations to push back successfully against Iranian forces and their expansionist designs. A kind of de facto division of labor has emerged whereby the United States restricts itself to punishing Iran and its regional proxies with harsh economic sanctions while Israel does the more difficult and dangerous work of directly confronting and containing Iranian power on the ground.

…To jeopardize such a strategic asset on the altar of a Palestinian conflict that has dragged on chronically for decades, with no resolution in sight and the issue’s relative geopolitical significance in steep decline, would be a huge unforced error.

Notably, in the middle of the impeachment mess, the White House, the House, and the Senate have worked together on funding bills to prevent a government shutdown, and those bills contain important provisions that affect Israel.

JNS reports that the US House of Representatives passed <[link removed]> a $1.37 trillion appropriations bill on Tuesday that includes the annual $3.3 billion in security assistance to Israel. It also addresses other Jewish and Israel-related priorities. The bill is expected to pass in the Senate and be signed by the President.

The Senate passed <[link removed]> the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) on Thursday, which includes U.S.-Israel missile-defense cooperation and up to $25 million for U.S.-Israel counter-unmanned aerial-systems cooperation. That bill, passed by the House last week, now goes to the President for his signature. 



















Poll: 89% of Orthodox Jews Would Support Trump in 2020






According to a poll <[link removed]> by Ami Magazine 89% of Orthodox Jews say they will vote for President Donald Trump in 2020.

Here are the top results <[link removed]>: 

- A full 89 percent of Orthodox Jews said they approved of the job Trump is doing as president.
- An even larger majority (91 percent) said they did not think the president should be impeached.
- An even larger majority (92.5 percent) said they trust Donald Trump and the Republicans more than Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats (1.5 percent) when it comes to fighting anti-Semitism.
- When asked "Which of the following presidents do you feel accomplished the most for the security of Israel?" the vast majority (82.5 percent) chose Donald Trump.

PJ Media's Tyler O’Neil spoke to Ami Magazine’s Jake Turxabout the poll <[link removed]>: 

Yet these Orthodox Jews who love the president are not all Republicans. Only 39.5 percent of them identified themselves with the GOP, while a full quarter (26 percent) identified themselves as Democrats. The others were Independent (16.5 percent) or not registered (18 percent).

…"Why do Orthodox Jews support Trump?" Turx asked. "Ask 100 people and you will receive answers as diverse as Orthodox Jews themselves. You might hear about his recognition of Jerusalem, record-high economic numbers, fighting against religious persecution around the world, the eradication of ISIS, decertification of the Iran deal, the release of Mr. Rubashkin, prison reform, standing up to the United Nations, border security, appointment of conservative judges and issuance of executive orders that promote religious liberty—among other things."

"The fact that he expelled the last living Nazi from America and was the first president to publicly honor Holocaust survivors at a formal White House event doesn’t seem to have hurt his popularity either," Turx added.









REGISTER NOW FOR THIS SPECIAL EVENT





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March 13-15 in Las Vegas: RJC National Leaders are invited for a terrific weekend of politics, policy, and poker at the fabulous Venetian/Palazzo Resort and Hotel. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear from – and be heard by – some of the country’s foremost politicians, policy makers, and leaders, including featured speaker Ambassador Nikki Haley. It’s time to reserve your spot! Visit RJCVegasMeeting.org <[link removed]> for details and reservations. (This event is open to RJC Leaders; Leadership dues begin at the $1,000 donor level.)























• The Republican Jewish Coalition is hiring field staff for our advocacy efforts in support of President Donald Trump’s reelection in various battleground states.CLICK HERE <[link removed]> for details and application information. 

• The RJC PAC has endorsed a terrific slate of House and Senate incumbents, and we need them to continue their work on Capitol Hill! CLICK HERE to donate through the RJC PAC portal and show your support for our great candidates! <[link removed]>

And don't forget your RJC/Trump kippah!
Our extremely popular red Trump kippah is now for sale for just $18. This includes shipping and handling. Supplies are limited. 


BUY YOUR KIPPAH HERE. <[link removed]>

















— Short Takes —

















In solidarity with Nessah Israel synagogueThis week, RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks and RJC Deputy Executive Director Alex Siegel visited the Nessah Israel synagogue in Beverly Hills, California, which was vandalized last Shabbat. They met with synagogue leaders and expressed the RJC’s support and solidarity with the community at this difficult time.

Last May, the RJC held an event at the Nessah Israel synagogue featuring former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. More than 1,000 people came out to hear Speaker Gingrich’s analysis of the 2020 presidential election.

As the Times of Israelreported <[link removed]>, prayer books were torn, scrolls were crumpled, furniture was overturned and relics were smashed inside the synagogue, which serves the area’s large Persian community.  A 24-year-old Pennsylvania man has been arrested in Hawaii <[link removed]> in connection with the vandalism. 


New report exposes how BDS movement uses veil of social justice to spread Jew-hatred <[link removed]>

StopAntiSemitism.org has released a new report: “The New Anti-Semites: The Radicalization Mechanism of the BDS Movement and the Delegimitization Campaign Against Israel <[link removed]>.” The report shows that the delegitimization campaign against Israel is promoting Jew-hatred and uses classic anti-Semitic tropes, language and imagery, according to Liora Rez, StopAntiSemitism.org’s executive director.

In first, resident of rocket-stricken southern Israel addresses UN Security Council, calls for action against Hamas <[link removed]>

Adele Raemer — who lives in Kibbutz Nirim, adjacent to the border with the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip — was invited to speak at the Security Council’s monthly meeting on the Middle East by US Ambassador Kelly Craft. This marked the first time someone from southern Israel had appeared before the council.


















































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EVENT WITH OHIO SUPREME COURT CANDIDATES
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