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Take Action and Stay Informed on the Crisis in Israel

October 13, 2023

Dear Friends,

Last weekend seems like an eternity ago. Throughout this entire week, we’ve been mourning, glued to the news, and doing all we can to support Israel. On Simchat Torah, Hamas brutally murdered at least 1,200 men, women, and children–the most murders of Jews on any day since the Holocaust. The Biden administration and the Democratic Party have been unwavering in its support for Israel’s safety and security. As he has for more than five decades in public life, President Biden has stood resolutely and crystal clear in his support for Israel and the Jewish people.

While Democrats lead, Republicans are in disarray at this critical moment. The House can do nothing–absolutely nothing–until Republicans elect a new Speaker of the House. The Biden administration is doing all it can on its own, rushing supplies to Israel, providing strong diplomatic support, and moving its forces to the region, but eventually Congress will have to appropriate money to aid Israel, and Republicans have paralyzed the House of Representatives.

Israel is at war. Jewish Dems will stand with Israel as it does what any state must do–protect its citizens from terrorism. Israel is at war with Hamas, not the Palestinians. We will stand with Israel.

As the home and voice of Jewish Democrats, we are here to help you – to ensure you stay informed and have the resources to take action so you can continue to advocate for our values and support Israel.

 

Stay Informed

On Tuesday, we hosted an Emergency Briefing: Crisis in Israel and the U.S. Response. We were joined by renowned expert Michael Koplow, Chief Policy Officer at Israel Policy Forum, to discuss the Israeli and American responses to this crisis, and our CEO, Halie Soifer, shared the Jewish Democratic perspective. If you missed the program, we encourage you to watch it here. 

I cannot urge you strongly enough to watch President Biden’s remarks Wednesday at the White House in their entirety. President Biden reiterated to the leadership of all major Jewish organizations in the United States his unequivocal support for Israel. President Biden has participated in more than three dozen meetings, calls, and briefings about the situation in Israel over the past few days. He is all-in for us and we are all-in for him. At a time when, more than ever, we need a president who has our back, we have one in Joe Biden.

Continue to stay up to date on the conflict by following JDCA on X/TwitterInstagramFacebookTikTok, and in the news. Watch our response to the unfolding crisis on MSNBC here. You can also read and share coverage of JDCA in The ForwardBloomberg and The Times of Israel.

 

Take Action

With our closest ally in the Middle East in crisis, Republicans are blocking the promotions of 300 senior Pentagon officials at a time when we cannot afford to be unprepared. We cannot let Republicans in the Senate prevent the confirmation of the next U.S. ambassador to Israel. Please urge your Senators to immediately confirm Jack Lew as the next U.S. Ambassador to Israel. The U.S.-Israel relationship is too important to leave this post vacant, especially as Israel faces its most significant security threats in decades.

URGE THE SENATE TO CONFIRM JACK LEW AS
THE NEXT U.S. AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL

As Republicans spread disinformation and stall our government, Democrats overwhelmingly stand with Israel. Join us in thanking Democratic leadership for standing with Israel. President Biden, Senate Majority Leader Schumer, Democratic Leader Jeffries, and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Gregory Meeks have taken important steps in support of Israel. Read about what they’ve done just this past week and thank them by signing our letter below.

THANK DEMOCRATIC LEADERSHIP FOR
STANDING WITH ISRAEL

We will continue to stand in solidarity with Israel on behalf of Jewish Democrats. Thank you for standing with us.

Shabbat Shalom,

Hon. Ron Klein
Board Chair, Jewish Democratic Council of America