A group of faith organizations led by the Faith and Freedom Coalition sent a letter to congressional leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate urging a number of steps be taken to support Israel and fight antisemitism.
“On October 7, the Hamas terrorist organization slaughtered thousands of innocent Jewish men, women, and children. The monstrosity and evil of these barbaric attacks have shocked our conscience. The killings were the most significant massacre of the Jewish people since the Holocaust. In the wake of this horrific terror, antisemitic protests erupted in the United States and around the world. We will not remain silent in response,” the organizations’ letter reads.
“With this letter, we issue a united condemnation of antisemitism and proclaim our support for Israel’s right to self-defense. The United States government, and the people’s representatives in Congress, cannot waver both in combating antisemitism and in supporting the State of Israel,” the faith organizations add.
The “top priority” lawmakers should focus on, according to the faith organizations, should be “advancing legislation to help fund Israel’s defenses as soon as possible.”
The organizations are also urging lawmakers pass a string of pro-Israel bills, including the Countering Hate Against Israel (CHAI) by Federal Contractors Act, the Antisemitism Awareness Act, the Maximum Pressure Act, and the No Funds for Iranian Terrorism Act.
In addition, through congressional oversight, the organizations urge lawmakers to “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.”
The organizations are also calling for a list of “more broader” measures to be taken to increase “regional stability and Israel’s security,” including:
- 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 more Iron Dome 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.
The letter, dated November 27, was sent to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA-04), and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY-08).
“We are proud of our national leadership and allies that have presented this letter to the leadership of the U.S. House and U.S. Senate,” Aaron Gulbransen, Executive Director of the Tennessee Faith & Freedom Coalition said in a statement.
“As we’ve said many times, we support our Jewish brothers and sisters both here at home and abroad,” Gulbransen added. “As Christians and as human beings it is our duty to do so. The nation of Israel is our strongest ally in the Middle East and the United States must stand by our ally. Hamas must be defeated and state sponsors of terror like Iran ought to be neutered by the foreign policy of the United States. Additionally, antisemitism has no place in our society and must be condemned at every turn.”
Read the letter:
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
