U.S. Rep. Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), one of only two Jewish Republicans serving in Congress, headlines the list of newly elected board members of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC).
Zeldin, who recently lost a closer-than-expected gubernatorial race in Democrat-heavy New York, joins other new RJC board members, including the former mayor of Bal Harbour, Fla., Gabriel Groisman; Texas real estate developer Larry Levine; and Joshua Katzen of Massachusetts, the co-founder and publisher of JNS.
“It is a pleasure to welcome our newest board members, each of whom is an accomplished, dedicated American patriot, and a strong defender of the U.S. Jewish community and of Israel,” RJC National Chairman Norm Coleman, a former U.S. senator for Minnesota, said in a statement on Tuesday.
After garnering 47% of the vote in November’s election for New York governor, Zeldin said, “This race was a once in a generation campaign, with a very close margin in the bluest of blue states. The unrelenting passion and hard work of our grassroots volunteers and supporters made this incredibly close race possible and helped us win at least 49 of New York’s 62 counties. Republicans, Democrats and Independents united as New Yorkers, pouring their heart and soul into this campaign.”
Despite his loss to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, Zeldin’s message especially resonated with New York’s many Orthodox and Haredi neighborhoods, where increased crime usually also means a dramatic rise in antisemitic assaults on visible Jews and their property.