Tennessee U.S. Representative Andy Ogles (R-TN-05) sent a letter to the mayors of Williamson County and Franklin as well as the top law enforcement officials of the area to offer his office’s support for the upcoming Israel Summit set to be held at the Ramsey Event Center on May 20-22.
The Israel Summit was originally set to be hosted next week at the Sonesta Nashville Airport Hotel until hotel leadership announced that it was dropping its contract to host the event, citing “threatening” calls and messages.
On Tuesday, financial advisor and radio host Dave Ramsey extended an invitation for the summit to be held at the Ramsey Event Center in Franklin on the same dates as originally planned.
“As we approach the date of the Summit at its new location, if there is any way my office may supplement your ongoing and critical support of our fellow Americans, please do not hesitate to let us know,” Ogles said in the letter to Franklin Mayor Dr. Ken Moore, Williamson County Mayor Rogers Anderson, Williamson County Sheriff Jeff Hughes, and Franklin Chief of Police Dr. Deborah Y. Faulkner.
“I extend my deepest appreciation to each of you for your patriotic and devoted service to our community. God bless each of you for your steadfast and loyal service,” Ogles added.
Ogles began his letter to the elected leaders by citing reporting by The Tennessee Star of the Sonesta Hotel’s decision to breach its contract with the summit’s organizers, saying, “As the world continues to witness increasing exhortations for a third intifada and the massacre of the Jewish people, we are now forced to contend with radical Hamas apologists inspired to defend that terrorist organization’s proclivity for depravity and butchery right in our backyard.”
“On May 13, The Tennessee Star reported that the 2024 Israel Summit would no longer be held at the Sonesta Hotel in Nashville, with hotel management allegedly citing an unacceptable risk to the lives of attendees. Each of us understands the need to avoid the establishment of a dangerous precedent – one that encourages the threat of terrorism and physical violence to quell free speech,” Ogles said.
The Star further reported on the organizers of the effort seeking to cancel the Israel Summit, which include the local groups Palestine Hurra Collective Nashville, a pro-Palestine group, and Nour Nashville, a community organizing group that advocates for the “Palestine cause,” who urged their members to call the hotel’s general manager and demand they make the decision to back out of hosting the Israel Summit
“This antisemitic pressure campaign is fundamentally evil, and to the credit of the Israel Summit organizers, they will not be cowed into silence by Hamas’s understudies – and neither will we. It’s why so many in our community were thrilled to hear that Dave Ramsey is offering the use of his Event Center in Franklin to allow the Israel Summit gathering to continue – it’s yet another testament to Mr. Ramsey’s generosity of spirit and commitment to individual liberty,” Ogles said.
Organizers of the Israel Summit are urging event attendees to make new travel and hospitality arrangements for the event, as the Ramsey Event Center is approximately 27 miles from the Sonesta Hotel and the Nashville International Airport.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X / Twitter.
Photo “Andy Ogles” by Andy Ogles. Background Photo “Sonesta Nashville Airport” by Sonesta Nashville Airport.
andy stays on the right side of the issues. ogles 2024.