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Jewish Organizations Congratulate Trump on Presidential Election Win
Republican presidential nominee and former US President Donald Trump points to his ear as he speaks at the Economic Club of New York in New York City, Sept. 5, 2024. Photo: REUTERS/Brendan McDermid
Prominent Jewish organizations were quick to issue statements on Wednesday congratulating Donald Trump for his victory in the US presidential election the previous night, promising to work with the president-elect on supporting Israel and combating antisemitism when he officially returns to the White house in January.
Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization that fights antisemitism and discrimination more broadly, said the ADL looked forward to working with the incoming administration and all elected US officials “in pursuit of our 111-year-old mission — to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and secure justice and fair treatment to all.”
“We remain steadfastly committed to that timeless mission as we fight the torrent of antisemitism sweeping our society along with all forms of hate and extremism — offline and online, on campuses and in schools, in the US and around the world,” Greenblatt added in a statement congratulating Trump and his running mate, JD Vance.
The American Jewish Committee (AJC) also congratulated Trump, with CEO Ted Deutch saying his organization “looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and his administration on the domestic and foreign policy concerns that are AJC’s advocacy priorities.”
Noting Iran’s ongoing war against Israel, primarily through its terrorist proxies Hamas and Hezbollah, Deutch said strong US leadership is needed to bring about peace and stability.
“The conflicts we are currently seeing around the world reflect a dangerous collusion among anti-democratic regimes and non-state actors. The US must exert clear global leadership and be a stabilizing power as the world contends with these many threats,” he said.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the foremost pro-Israel lobbying group in the US, said that it would eagerly “work with the new administration and Congress” to help defend Israel against Iran and its proxies.
“We look forward to working together with the new administration and Republicans and Democrats in Congress to strengthen and expand the US-Israel relationship,” AIPAC wrote. “Despite the current profound political polarization, there remains a resolute bipartisan commitment to the US-Israel alliance. The US-Israel relationship is a mutually beneficial alliance based on shared values and interests.”
The Jewish Federations of North America congratulated Trump and Vance on their victory.
“Jewish Federations will always work tirelessly to ensure that our Jewish communities flourish. At this challenging moment in our history, we look forward to working with the new administration and Congress to promote our values, fight antisemitism, secure our community, and maintain steadfast support for Israel,” the organization said in a statement. “After a divisive election, we are working to unite our community at our Stand Together event in Washington, DC this Sunday, and set the Jewish communal agenda for the coming year at our General Assembly immediately after.”
The Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations wished Trump and Vance “the best as the transition process begins and the two prepare to assume office on Jan. 20, 2025. We trust that the new administration will work diligently to combat antisemitism and advance the bilateral US-Israel relationship by building on accomplishments from President Trump’s first term including the historic Abraham Accords.”
Harriet Schleifer and William Daroff, chair and CEO respectively of the umbrella group, also congratulated Trump’s election opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, “on a hard fought and spirited campaign and we wish her the very best.”
The leadership of the Orthodox Union, the nation’s largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, said in a statement that, “with campaigning now over, we look forward to working with all Americans to mend the divisions in our society and bring the country together to overcome the current challenges we face.”
The organization congratulated all candidates who were elected to the Congress and said it “looks forward to working with President-elect Trump and his incoming administration on matters of critical importance to our community, including effectively combating the surge of antisemitism in America, further strengthening the US-Israel relationship, and defeating Hamas and Hezbollah, thwarting Iran’s malign activities, expanding educational opportunity and choice for all American children, and defending America’s ‘first freedom’ of religious liberty.”
Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld, president of the Coalition for Jewish Values, which represents more than 2,500 Orthodox rabbis, also congratulated Trump.
“We applaud the efforts of both candidates to reach out to our community, and note that Mr. Trump garnered record Jewish support, not only from Orthodox Jews, who supported him by an overwhelming margin, but from most voters who, when surveyed, placed concern for Israel and rising antisemitism in the US high on their list of priorities,” Schonfeld said. “We hope that Mr. Trump will further his previous steps to fight antisemitism on campus and in American society, and continue his visionary efforts to bring peace to the Middle East.”
The Union for Reform Judaism also released a statement on Trump’s victory.
“We hope and pray that he will be a president for all Americans, advancing the principles of democracy, justice, and commitment to rule of law that have been sources of strength for our nation throughout its history,” the organization said in a statement.
“We stand ready to join with the new administration and Congress on any efforts to protect ‘the orphan, the widow, and the stranger,’” the union added. “We will be allies to any serious effort to combat antisemitism. We will champion a strong US-Israel relationship that fosters democracy and security for the Jewish state while upholding the rights and well-being of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.”
The organization also criticized Trump for some of his policies and rhetoric.
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Iran Says It Has Replaced Air Defenses Damaged in Israel War
The S-300 missile system is seen during the National Army Day parade ceremony in Tehran, Iran, April 17, 2024. Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS
Iran has replaced air defenses damaged during last month’s conflict with Israel, Iran’s Defah Press news agency reported on Sunday quoting Mahmoud Mousavi, the regular army’s deputy for operations.
During the conflict in June, Israel’s air force dominated Iran’s airspace and dealt a heavy blow to the country’s air defenses while Iranian armed forces launched successive barrages of missiles and drones on Israeli territory.
“Some of our air defenses were damaged, this is not something we can hide, but our colleagues have used domestic resources and replaced them with pre-arranged systems that were stored in suitable locations in order to keep the airspace secure,” Mousavi said.
Prior to the war, Iran had its own domestically-made long-range air defense system Bavar-373 in addition to the Russian-made S-300 system. The report by Defah Press did not mention any import of foreign-made air defense systems to Iran in past weeks.
Following limited Israeli strikes against Iranian missile factories last October, Iran later displayed Russian-made air defenses in a military exercise to show it recovered from the attack.
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Calm Reported in Syria’s Sweida, Damascus Says Truce Holding
Members of Internal Security Forces stand guard at an Internal Security Forces’ checkpoint working to prevent Bedouin fighters from advancing towards Sweida, following renewed fighting between Bedouin fighters and Druze gunmen, despite an announced truce, in Walgha, Sweida province, Syria, July 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Karam al-Masri
Residents reported calm in Syria’s Sweida on Sunday after the Islamist-led government announced that Bedouin fighters had withdrawn from the predominantly Druze city and a US envoy signaled that a deal to end days of fighting was being implemented.
With hundreds reported killed, the Sweida bloodshed is a major test for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, prompting Israel to launch airstrikes against government forces last week as it declared support for the Druze. Fighting continued on Saturday despite a ceasefire call.
Interior Minister Anas Khattab said on Sunday that internal security forces had managed to calm the situation and enforce the ceasefire, “paving the way for a prisoner exchange and the gradual return of stability throughout the governorate.”
Reuters images showed interior ministry forces near the city, blocking the road in front of members of tribes congregated there. The Interior Ministry said late on Saturday that Bedouin fighters had left the city.
US envoy Tom Barrack said the sides had “navigated to a pause and cessation of hostilities”. “The next foundation stone on a path to inclusion, and lasting de-escalation, is a complete exchange of hostages and detainees, the logistics of which are in process,” he wrote on X.
Kenan Azzam, a dentist, said there was an uneasy calm but the city’s residents were struggling with a lack of water and electricity. “The hospitals are a disaster and out of service, and there are still so many dead and wounded,” he said by phone.
Another resident, Raed Khazaal, said aid was urgently needed. “Houses are destroyed … The smell of corpses is spread throughout the national hospital,” he said in a voice message to Reuters from Sweida.
The Syrian state news agency said an aid convoy sent to the city by the government was refused entry while aid organized by the Syrian Red Crescent was let in. A source familiar with the situation said local factions in Sweida had turned back the government convoy.
Israeli public broadcaster Kan reported on Sunday that Israel sent urgent medical aid to the Druze in Sweida and the step was coordinated with Washington and Syria. Spokespeople for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Foreign Ministry and the military did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Druze are a small but influential minority in Syria, Israel and Lebanon who follow a religion that is an offshoot of a branch of Shi’ite Islam. Some hardline Sunnis deem their beliefs heretical.
The fighting began a week ago with clashes between Bedouin and Druze fighters. Damascus sent troops to quell the fighting, but they were drawn into the violence and accused of widespread violations against the Druze.
Residents of the predominantly Druze city said friends and neighbours were shot at close range in their homes or in the streets by Syrian troops, identified by their fatigues and insignia.
Sharaa on Thursday promised to protect the rights of Druze and to hold to account those who committed violations against “our Druze people.”
He has blamed the violence on “outlaw groups.”
While Sharaa has won US backing since meeting President Donald Trump in May, the violence has underscored the challenge he faces stitching back together a country shattered by 14 years of conflict, and added to pressures on its mosaic of sectarian and ethnic groups.
COASTAL VIOLENCE
After Israel bombed Syrian government forces in Sweida and hit the defense ministry in Damascus last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had established a policy demanding the demilitarization of territory near the border, stretching from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights to the Druze Mountain, east of Sweida.
He also said Israel would protect the Druze.
The United States however said it did not support the Israeli strikes. On Friday, an Israeli official said Israel agreed to allow Syrian forces limited access to the Sweida area for two days.
A Syrian security source told Reuters that internal security forces had taken up positions near Sweida, establishing checkpoints in western and eastern parts of the province where retreating tribal fighters had gathered.
On Sunday, Sharaa received the report of an inquiry into violence in Syria’s coastal region in March, where Reuters reported in June that Syrian forces killed 1,500 members of the Alawite minority following attacks on security forces.
The presidency said it would review the inquiry’s conclusions and ensure steps to “bring about justice” and prevent the recurrence of “such violations.” It called on the inquiry to hold a news conference on its findings – if appropriate – as soon as possible.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said on July 18 it had documented the deaths of at least 321 people in Sweida province since July 13. The preliminary toll included civilians, women, children, Bedouin fighters, members of local groups and members of the security forces, it said, and the dead included people killed in field executions by both sides.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, another monitoring group, has reported a death toll of at least 940 people.
Reuters could not independently verify the tolls.
The post Calm Reported in Syria’s Sweida, Damascus Says Truce Holding first appeared on Algemeiner.com.
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Pope Leo Calls for End to ‘Barbarity of War’ After Strike on Gaza Church
Pope Leo XIV leads the Angelus prayer in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, July 20, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Yara Nardi TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
Pope Leo called for an end to the “barbarity of war” on Sunday as he spoke of his profound pain over an Israeli strike on the sole Catholic church in Gaza.
Three people died and several were injured, including the parish priest, in the strike on the Holy Family Church compound in Gaza City on Thursday. Photos show its roof has been hit close to the main cross, scorching the stone facade, and shattering windows.
Speaking after his Angelus prayer, Leo read out the names of those killed in the incident.
“I appeal to the international community to observe humanitarian law and respect the obligation to protect civilians as well as the prohibition of collective punishment, of indiscriminate use of force and forced displacement of the population,” he said.
The post Pope Leo Calls for End to ‘Barbarity of War’ After Strike on Gaza Church first appeared on Algemeiner.com.