Faith Leaders Unite to Demand Lawmakers 'Get Israel the Aid It Needs'

A coalition of American faith leaders is coming together to demand action from Congress to support Israel and the Jewish people, address the surge of antisemitism on display in recent weeks, and "defend our shared humanity against barbarism and terror."

The Faith and Freedom Coalition — led by Chairman Ralph Reed — dispatched a letter on Monday to leaders of the House and Senate as lawmakers returned to Washington, D.C., seeking swift and decisive legislative action to support the State of Israel and Jewish People in Israel, the United States, and elsewhere around the world. 

"While Israelis are fighting for their right to live and exist as a nation, we have grave concerns that the aid package for Israel is being unnecessarily delayed," Reed said in a statement provided to Townhall. "We call on Congress to return from recess and act posthaste to get Israel the aid it needs. We urge both parties and the House and Senate to put aside their differences, pass a military aid package, and send a powerful message that U.S. support for Israel is unequivocal," he implored. 

Citing "the values that unite us as people of faith," the faith leaders' letter explains that the "monstrosity and evil of these barbaric attacks shocked our conscience" on October 7. In the wake of the Hamas massacre, "antisemitic protests erupted in the United States around the world," the letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) reminds. 

"We will not remain silent in response," say faith leaders who, along with "the majority of Americans," continue to "stand by their Jewish brothers and sisters in the United States and in the Jewish homeland of Israel."

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"As Jews remain the target of more than half of religion-motivated hate crimes in the United States and as Israel faces a fight for its survival, Americans of all faiths and backgrounds must take action now," the leaders urge in their letter to lawmakers before issuing a "united condemnation of antisemitism" and proclaiming "support for Israel's right to self-defense."

As the faith leaders explain, "the people’s representatives in Congress cannot waver both in combatting antisemitism and in supporting the State of Israel." As such, the leaders request that lawmakers implement straightforward policies to "fight antisemitism and ensure that the Jewish state survives this horrific attack."

1. Make it a top priority to advance legislation to help fund Israel’s defenses as soon as possible.
2. Pass the Countering Hate Against Israel (CHAI) by Federal Contractors Act, bipartisan legislation that would ensure U.S. taxpayer dollars are not subsidizing the antisemitic movement to boycott Israel out of existence.
3. Pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act, bipartisan legislation that would both revoke the tax-exempt status of universities that refuse to fight antisemitism on campus and direct the Biden administration to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's definition of antisemitism while investigating hate crimes.
4. Pass the Maximum Pressure Act that would require any new deal with Iran to be ratified by the U.S. Senate and restrict the President’s ability to lift sanctions on Iran.
5. Pass the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act to permanently freeze the $6 billion of Iranian funds released as part of the Biden administration’s 2023 hostage deal.
6. Through vigorous congressional oversight, require the Department of Justice, Department of Homeland Security, and other relevant agencies to take all necessary measures to prevent, prosecute, and punish antisemitic hate crimes in the United States. 
7. Take the following broader measures to increase regional stability and Israel’s security: support Israel’s efforts to degrade and destroy the Islamic terrorist organizations Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad in Gaza; help Israel defend its civilian population with moreIronDome protection; press for economic and diplomatic normalization between Israel and regional Arab nations; maintain robust sanctions on the Iranian regime, which funds Hamas; and force Qatar to choose between remaining a major non-NATO ally of the United States or continuing its support for Hamas leadership and terrorism.

   
   

Signatories to the letter include Dr. James Dobson, Rabbi Tuly Weisz, John Hagee, Jonathan Falwell, Gordon Robertson, and Jordan Sekulow, among other faith leaders.