JDCA Testifies at the Democratic Policy Platform Drafting Committee Hearing
Testimony, as prepared:
I’m honored to join you today as CEO of the Jewish Democratic Council of America (JDCA), the political home and voice of Jewish voters, advocating for policies, and supporting Democrats who share our core values. These values include ensuring freedom and democracy; pursuing justice; defending dignity, equality, and equity; welcoming the stranger; repairing the world; and supporting peoplehood and community, including Israel.
Given that nearly three out of four Jewish voters support Democrats, we’re proud of the fact that JDCA represents the vast majority of American Jews. We’re also proud of the fact that President Biden and Vice President Harris align with the majority of Jewish Americans on every key policy issue, ranging from defense of democracy and abortion rights to the importance of combating antisemitism and standing with Israel.
Democrats approach this election from a position of strength, with a record of accomplishment, investments, and commitments made by the Biden-Harris White House on a range of issues of importance to Jewish voters. I will focus my remarks today on two such issues – Israel and antisemitism.
When it comes to the U.S.-Israel relationship, no U.S. president in history has a longer or stronger record than Joe Biden. The President’s deep commitment to Israel’s security – which spans more than five decades – was made abundantly clear in the aftermath of the horrific terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, and should be conveyed clearly and unequivocally in the Democratic Platform.
Eighty-two percent of Jewish voters identify as “pro-Israel” or have an emotional attachment to Israel, and seventy-four percent approve of President Biden’s handling of the war with Hamas, according to a November poll conducted by the non-partisan Jewish Electorate Institute (JEI). Similarly, the American people support a strong U.S.-Israel relationship and believe – as conveyed in the 2020 Democratic Party Platform – that a strong, secure, and democratic Israel is vital to the interests of the United States.
The Democratic Platform language on Israel should not be diluted from this strong starting point of four years ago. Rather, updates should be made to reflect events that have occurred since 2020, illustrating the Biden-Harris White House’s core policy goals: first, its steadfast commitment to Israel’s security; second, its support of expanding regional normalization agreements between Arab states and Israel; and third, preserving prospects for a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that ensure Israel’s future as a Jewish and democratic state with recognized and secure borders, and upholds the right of Palestinians to live in freedom and security in a viable state of their own.
The attack by Hamas on October 7 was the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust, and the Platform should recognize the horrors inflicted by Hamas on that dark day, including more than 1,200 brutally murdered, more than 240 taken hostage, and countless acts of sexual violence perpetrated by Hamas in its unconscionable use of rape as a weapon of war.
The Platform should also recognize the staunch and abiding commitment made by President Biden to Israel and American Jews in the aftermath of this attack. I had the honor of being present in the White House on October 11 when President Biden told Jewish leaders that his “commitment to Israel’s security and the safety of the Jewish people is unshakeable.” He said, “The United States has Israel’s back. And I have yours as well, both at home and abroad.”
These remarks demonstrated the President’s positions – reiterated in both word and deed – on two issues: (1) his strong support for Israel’s security in the aftermath of October 7; and (2) an unprecedented effort to combat antisemitism, including the surge of hate we’ve seen since October 7 targeting American Jews.
When it comes to Israel’s security, the Democratic Platform should include our existing commitment to the ten-year, $38 billion U.S.-Israel Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) negotiated by President Obama and Vice President Biden in 2016, as well as the $14.3 billion in additional emergency security assistance pledged by President Biden after returning from Israel in late October – the first visit by a U.S. president to Israel during wartime. This commitment to Israel’s Qualitative Military Edge (QME) is critical, especially in light of increased threats to Israel’s security from Iran and its proxies, including Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis. Given these burgeoning threats, JDCA opposes cuts or conditions of U.S. military aid to Israel.
President Biden’s critically important response to the unprecedented direct Iranian attack on Israel on April 13 – with approximately 300 projectiles launched at Israel by Iran – prevented what could have been the deadliest attack in Israel’s history. It demonstrated the President’s staunch commitment to countering Iran’s nefarious activities, his abiding support of Israel’s security, and his goal of building regional coalitions to defend against regional threats. Israel would have faced devastating consequences if President Biden had not moved U.S. military assets to the region, directed the U.S. military to intervene on Israel’s behalf, and created a regional coalition to defend against the first-ever direct Iranian airstrikes on Israel.
We deeply appreciate the President’s leadership on this issue, as well as his ongoing efforts to help negotiate the release of hostages, which resulted in the release of more than 100 hostages in November. We cannot rest until all the hostages are home, including eight Americans, whose return is long overdue. We also appreciate the President’s proposal of a three-phase ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, which includes a return of all hostages; it’s clear the onus is now on Hamas to respond constructively to such a proposal.
Despite the immense pain and suffering caused by Hamas on October 7, Jewish Americans do not view this conflict through a binary lens. Not only do the majority of Jewish Americans continue to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but we also support humanitarian aid for innocent Palestinians living in Gaza, recognizing a distinction between the Palestinian people and Hamas. Ensuring the flow of humanitarian aid to Palestinians is critical given the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and it’s important it continues.
When it comes to combating antisemitism, we strongly support adding a dedicated section of the Platform to this issue, recognizing and echoing the President’s unprecedented National Strategy to Counter Antisemitism. This strategy represents the most comprehensive and ambitious U.S. government effort to counter antisemitism in American history. This whole-of-government approach – including more than 100 actions to be taken by nearly every U.S. government agency – is needed to combat this distinct form of hatred that spiked not just after October 7, but also before. Democrats support robust funding for the implementation of the National Strategy, while Republicans try to cut funding for the critical agencies involved.
We know that the dangerous threat posed by white supremacists – to our communities and democracy – motivated President Biden to run for office following the Unite the Right Rally in Charlottesville, where Donald Trump equated neo-Nazis with peaceful protestors. There were not “very fine people, on both sides” in Charlottesville, as Trump falsely claimed. This moment was emblematic of the vast difference in the policy positions of the two parties when it comes to defending our democracy, freedoms, and minority rights.
On the one hand, you have a Democratic Party that stands with Jewish Americans and all minorities in our goal of security and freedoms led by President Biden, and on the other hand, you have a Republican Party led by Donald Trump – a self-declared “dictator on day one” – which has embraced, aligned with, and become the political home for dangerous right-wing extremists.
JDCA is proud to be a part of the party that stands with the vast majority of Jewish Americans, and because of this, we’re confident that the vast majority of Jewish Americans will continue to stand with Democrats.
Thank you.