Our last news update was July 4; it’s incredible how much there is to report less than 3 weeks later: three meetings with house representatives, four press releases, six published op-eds, and the eight media outlets in which our material appeared… plus a radio interview. with Zev Brenner on WMCA 570 AM New York (and Cable Radio Network (CRN) Channel 6), with Rabbi Lerner and myself discussing the Kotel controversy at midnight the morning of July 16.

The meetings were with Rep. Jacky Rosen of Nevada on July 12, and (with Rabbi Pesach Lerner and myself) Rep. Clay Higgins of Louisiana (see our press release and longer description below) and a representative for Rep. Dave Brat of Virginia on July 18.

The Press Releases:

UNESCO Places Hate Ahead of Facts, July 3
Rabbis Commend Rep. Clay Higgins for Auschwitz Video, July 10 (with accompanying letter)
Rabbis Condemn Reform and Conservative Movements for Dividing World Jewry, July 16
Has the ADL Joined the Alt Left?, July 20

Our releases of July 10 and July 20 were both distributed by the Jewish News Service, while that of July 16 led the “Jewish World” News section at Arutz-7/Israel National News that day.

The Op-Eds:

Division at the Western Wall is No Path to Unity
by Rabbi Pesach Lerner and Rabbi Yaakov Menken, in the Jerusalem Post, July 5 — reprinted by (at least) the Five Towns Jewish Home, the Jewish Press, Monsey.com and the Queens Jewish Link.

The prolific Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer had four pieces in The American Thinker:

Donald Trump and Bill De Blasio in Europe – A Study in Contrasts, July 8
The House Dress Code – Paul Ryan Gets It Right, July 11
Hypocrites on the Temple Mount, July 19
Israeli Government Affirms Ban on Adoption by Same-Sex Couples, July 19

Last but not least, Rabbi Menachem Levine, Rabbi of Congregation Am Echad in San Jose, California, joined the Coalition for Jewish Values as a Rabbinic Fellow. We were able to help him to edit and submit his op-ed, An Open Letter to AIPAC, for publication in the Jerusalem Post on July 13.

Rabbi Levine’s open letter drew immediate results. AIPAC reached out to him to clarify that the purpose of their meeting with PM Netanyahu was misportrayed in the media, and AIPAC clarified that it would not take a partisan position. This was much to the chagrin of the past head of the Union for Reform Judaism, Eric Yoffie, who claimed that AIPAC’s avoidance of Israeli political matters was “certain to change,” that AIPAC would have to stand against what he described as “Ayatollah Judaism.”

I would like to elaborate upon a single incident that brings home to me how important it is that the CJV exists, and that we are working to promote true Jewish values in the public sphere. You’re going to be astounded a few times over if you read this story.

Clay Higgins is a freshman congressman from Louisiana. He’s a decorated law enforcement officer and army veteran who became famous in his community for creating videos calling on local criminals to turn themselves in, face the consequences of their actions, and return to being productive members of society. These videos were successful, because they come from his personal belief in the power of penitence; he wears a bracelet saying “redemption” on his wrist.

Unsurprisingly, he received a position on the House Committee on Homeland Security. His first international trip took him and fellow legislators to several European destinations, where they discussed Russian interference in elections and other relevant issues with officials of allied nations.

While they were in Poland, they took a side trip to the Auschwitz death camp. And Congressman Higgins was so moved by what he saw, and found in it such an important message for Homeland Security, that he spent over an hour shooting cell phone video describing where he was, and what viewers were seeing. I urge you to watch the video. His emotion is real, his sincerity and respect are obvious. And having never been to Poland myself, I learned several things about the horrors of Auschwitz which I had not known before.

Even if you have followed the news accounts of this story, you’ve never heard this detail: the entire time that they were there, multiple tour guides were with the congressional delegation. There were many other people with him and around him while he was shooting, who deliberately gave him space and quiet in order to be able to take his video and not need to remove their voices later. And at one point he asked to be able to film in a particular location, and they apologetically told him that no one is allowed to stand in that particular room. So there is nothing that he did that they did not know that he was doing, and which they did not permit him to do.

After two months of work, the Congressman produced a five-minute video digested from that hour of filming. The Auschwitz Museum did not thank him for publicizing the horrors of the Holocaust. The Jewish Left did not praise him for closing with a montage of the flags of US and Israel. No… after seeing his message about border security and protection from evil, the Museum condemned his video. They said on Twitter what no one thought to say to him in person: that “inside a former gas chamber, there should be mournful silence. It’s not a stage.” Steve Goldstein, the disrespectful fool making a career of abusing the name of the martyred Anne Frank, called the video “disgusting beyond description” and suggested that Clay Higgins needed “sensitivity training.” Has there ever been a better example of someone projecting his own defects onto others?

Yet the congressman had learned a valuable lesson when he entered politics: “if you’re responding, you’re losing.” He knew he could not “fire back” at the prestigious Auschwitz Museum, or even disclose the hypocrisy of criticizing him for doing what their tour guides had clearly permitted and authorized him to do. His wife said that G-d will send someone to defend him.

The next day, the CJV issued our press release and letter to Congressman Higgins, in which we praised his “sincere, heartfelt reflections” and “strong stance against barbarism and evil in all their forms,” to which we added:

We are embarrassed by those who accused you of insensitivity. These include many individuals whom we and others previously determined to be misusing anti-Semitism as a political cudgel against our conservative friends. You are, sadly, in good company.

Congressman Higgins not only expressed his personal gratitude, but he told us that he was able to use the letter privately, to valuable effect. He felt our support was truly heartening — and having discussed the matter with him, it was clear that this support was richly deserved.

Another congressman took this photo of Rep. Higgins, myself and Rabbi Pesach Lerner on the steps of the Capitol.

We are a new organization, and we need your help to keep growing and articulating our urgently-needed perspective. Just Tuesday a leading executive with a Washington-based policy institute identified a person “between positions” who would be excellent for our team and immediately deepen our DC connections substantially… were we able to bring him aboard. Please join us, and please reach out to us if you would consider a substantial gift.