Hundreds of attendees from around the United States, Israel and other nations gathered at the Venetian in Las Vegas on Wednesday for the first day of the three-day RJC Annual Leadership Summit, featuring major Republican speakers, lawmakers and Jewish community leaders.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was initially slated to speak but had to withdraw at the last minute due to the school shooting outside Atlanta.
This year, the convention comes almost a year after Oct. 7 and on the heels of the murder of six Israeli hostages by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, including Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, a somber note that carried through everyone’s speech.
“We mourn for the brutal murder” of the hostages, Norm Coleman, chairman of the Republican Jewish Coalition, told the crowd. “We are heartbroken for the people of Israel.”
The sentiment of missing hostages was apparent in the ballroom as the convention kept one table blocked off, empty and illuminated to represent the estimated 95 hostages still being held in captivity.
“Like all of you, I am heartbroken,” said Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa). “We must bring them all home, now!” The crowd then joined in unison chanting “Bring them home,” a rallying cry for the return of the men, women and children Hamas kidnapped as part of its terrorist onslaught in southern Israel on Oct. 7.
Ernst, who is not Jewish, has led numerous initiatives in Congress in support of the Jewish state. She spearheaded legislation calling for the IRS to investigate charities linked to anti-Israel organizations and last month led a congressional trip to Israel, when their delegation visited the Druze village of Majdal Shams that was attacked by rocket fire from Hezbollah in Lebanon, resulting in the deaths of 12 children.
“Israel has every right to defend herself. Period. Hamas must be destroyed. Period. Iran must be held accountable. Period. And our remaining hostages must be freed and reunited with their loved ones. Period,” she said.
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-La.) spoke on Thursday via satellite from Italy, where he was attending a G7 Speakers summit. Later that day, former President Donald Trump addressed the audience, also by satellite, to great fanfare.
On Wednesday, Alex Traiman, JNS CEO and Jerusalem bureau chief held an exclusive interview with conservative talk-show host and lawyer Mark Levin.
A focus on quashing campus antisemitism
In addition to a call for the hostage release and unwavering support for Israel, many used their speeches to slam the Biden administration for removing sanctions on Iran placed by former President Donald Trump.
“If Biden truly cared about the Middle East, he would never have unfrozen Iranian assets,” said Rep. David Kustoff (R-Tenn.), one of two Jewish Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives.
He added that Trump was “the most pro-Israel” and “pro-Jewish president in America’s history.”
Another key point of discussion focused on the rise of antisemitism in the United States, particularly on college campuses.
Rep. Jason Smith (R-Mo.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, said the House has been investigating antisemitism at universities, particularly “elite” ones, a process he said was “long overdue.”
“Every Jewish student on an American university campus should be safe,” he stated.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.), who is up for re-election and is running for Republican majority leader should his party win the Senate in November, said he would pass three bills to help ensure such a goal.
The first would be to remove any funding that could potentially be used for Hamas or other terror proxies. The second would be a bill titled “Stop Antisemitism on College Campuses Act” to remove federal funding from academic institutions that host events based on hate, religious discrimination or anti-Jewish motives. The third bill is aimed at defunding the United Nations, an organization Scott said “emboldens terrorism.”
