I am back in the saddle in South Florida after attending the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. I had the honor of serving as a delegate from Florida for the 25th congressional district.
Before the convention, I was excited to be a part of something magnificent and joyous. But never in my wildest dreams did I believe that I would be treated the way I and my Jewish friends were at the RNC.
The first morning of the convention, we got our items together along with our Jewish Coalition signs and made our way to the arena where the convention was being held. We were soon stopped by a group of people asking if we were Jewish. We live in a time when antisemitism is at an all-time high and such a question could be a predecessor to violence. Nonetheless, albeit somewhat hesitantly, we said, “Yes, we are.”
Nothing could have prepared us for what came next. The people asking us about our Jewish identity were brought to tears, saying they love the Jewish people and are praying for Israel. They wanted to bless us with peace and take pictures with us. This experience blew my mind and shocked my friends.
We’ve never seen this type of love from any community. We never thought we’d find it at the RNC from strangers. But this was not the end of it. As we continued to walk from our hotel, which was no more than a block from the convention, we were stopped over and over again by people wanting to give us blessings, pray with us and take pictures with us.
It took us 45 minutes every day to walk the block from our hotel to the arena because everyone wanted to pour so much love on us. The media was drawn to us like a magnet. There was interview after interview with news sources from around the world.
Inside the arena, it was no different. Love and support poured out from every side. The love came from the attendees and was part of the RNC program. There were multiple prayers for the hostages being held by Hamas in Gaza. The entire arena was completely silent and in awe as the hostages’ families spoke and were showered with love.
Oct. 7 affected everyone differently; it changed every Jew. After that frightful day, we understood that we are in a fight for our survival.
As we saw college campuses erupt with antisemitism and Nazi tactics being rebranded as the new Palestinian and Islamic jihadist movement on the streets of America, we felt alone. The RNC made me realize we were never alone. There is a giant community that loves and supports American Jewry without conditions.
It’s safe here. It’s loving here. It’s honest here. It’s Godly here. It feels like home.
